The 992-generation 911 now starts at $140K, up $8K alone for 2026. This isn't inflation—it's Porsche testing how much devotion actually costs. When base models approach six figures, you're no longer selling cars; you're selling membership to a club that's priced out everyone who remembers when 911s were attainable.

The Chevrolet Corvair (1960-1969) beat the 911 to market with a rear-mounted flat-six, but Chevy's engineering gamble came with a steering behavior that made it genuinely dangerous in untrained hands. While Porsche refined the concept into something manageable, the Corvair became a cautionary tale about how good ideas can get weaponized by poor execution.

A black-on-Savanna 996 Carrera with the reviled M96 flat-six and a six-speed manual—the exact combination that spent two decades as a punchline before prices decided otherwise. 18" Turbos, sunroof, and all the '90s creature comforts intact. Values have quietly reversed on these; clean examples are moving.