Strap on some headphones and manage the volume because we're about to dive into the top five loudest Porsches ever.
The latest video comes from Porsche's "Top 5" series as the brand combs through the Porsche Museum to find the models worthy of such a list. The first is the 1978 911 Safari, which has just one rear silencer. Firing up the 3.0-liter engine emits a loud roar, and a sound meter declares the car peaks at 122.9 decibels. For a baseline, 130 dBa is the pain threshold for the human ear. At 122.9 dBa, the rest of the list is downright impressive...and kind of scary.
With that said, number four is another race car: the 996-generation 911 RSR race car. Knowing it was born for the race track with few regards for noise regulations, the car registers 123.4 dBa. Still under the pain threshold, but mighty loud nonetheless. Although it's loud, the car also manages to sound ferocious in its own way.
Porsche psychs us out thinking number three is the Carrera GT, but the camera moves along to a 928. The car had been part of the collection for decades, but in 2014 it received a full restoration to bring it back to its former glory. How loud is its 5.4-liter V-8 engine? Loud enough to register 126.4 dBa.
Number two is an obscure thing, but mighty loud. It's an 804 Formula 1 car from 1962. The car features a flat-8 air-cooled engine, and as the video shows, it can rings ears while. It registers a whopping 137.8 dBa. We've officially passed the pain threshold now, but it makes us long for the days when F1 cars sounded this good.
Finally, it comes down to one last car: the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1. At this point, ear protection is required because the Le Mans legend and its turbocharged 2.1-liter flat-6 engine registers 138.1 dBa.
Don't just take our word for it, click play above to hear the cars for yourself.