When it comes to sports cars, perhaps the most iconic one of all is Porsche’s storied 911. In production since 1964, the basic shape of the car has changed little over the past five decades, although the car’s engineering has kept pace with the times. Few cars can match the 911's racing heritage, and even fewer can match the number of first-place trophies on the 911's shelf.

The evolution of the 911 has not occurred without controversy. When Porsche switched from air-cooled to water-cooled engines in 1998, purists cried “foul.” After all, air cooling was one of the things that made a 911 unique in the modern sports car world.

Matching the car’s increase in power, handling has improved over the years as well. While some early models (such as the Type 930 911 Turbo) were unforgiving at the limit, modern, stability-control-equipped Porsche 911s are remarkably tolerant of ham-fisted driving.

As part of last year’s Rennsport Reunion IV, Porsche showed it’s latest version of the 911, internally know as the 991 series. As with most previous changes in generation, the new car appears to be an improvement in every way over the outgoing 997 variant.

While the 2012 Porsche 911’s styling has been revised, there’s still no mistaking it for anything else on the road. We have a feeling that will be the case 50 years in the future, with the 2062 Porsche 911, as well.