For more than four decades, the Porsche 911 has dominated the streets of North America as one of the most desirable sports cars on the market. Arguably, in this time it has garnered more accolades from the public, racecar drivers and the automotive media than any automobile in history. This vehicle, without a doubt, has become the icon by which all sports cars are judged.

However, Porsche has gone through some unflattering days. There was a time when Porsche drivers where identified more by their gold chains and arrogant attitudes than by the prowess of the vehicle. Sports car enthusiasts around the world, along with Porsche, are thankful that those days are long gone. Fortunately, only good memories of earlier 911s remain.

Part of that change has come about because of the transformation within Porsche itself. Re-evaluating its place in the market and developing new manufacturing techniques has given Porsche a financial edge. And, not only are they known for producing fantastic performance automobiles, those vehicles are an equally good value in their respective classes. Perhaps nothing exemplifies this more than the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S.