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When it comes to high-end, hyper-expensive European sports cars, you’re looking at just a handful of names: Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Porsche.

But while the names of the models from these awe-inspiring marques change every time a new car comes out, Porsche limits the nomenclature of its premiere sports car to one iconic model with a three-digit name: 911.

It’s a model name that has withstood the test of time, dating back from the very first 911 of 1963 and its air-cooled, 130-ps 2-liter boxer engine hanging way behind the rear axle.

And now the wizards of Weissach in Stuttgart have unveiled the newest and the best 911 yet.

Last week at its impressive showroom along EDSA, PGA Cars Porsche Center Philippines took the wraps off the next generation of the 45-year-old 911 series.

Needless to say, the newest 911 (still internally called the 997) retains the classic rear-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout and is still powered by a horizontally-opposed 6-cylinder engine (albeit water-cooled) delivering even higher levels of performance thanks to its all-new powerplant displacing either 3.6 or 3.8 liters.

Two new performance-enhancing technologies have likewise found their way into the new 911.

One is the first-ever use of direct fuel injection on a Porsche sports car and the other is the likewise first-time fitment (on a production Porsche 911) of the optional double-clutch manual gearbox dubbed the Porsche-Doppelkupplung or PDK. Both features make the new 911 even more sporting and dynamic.

At the same time, these new technologies raise the already outstanding efficiency of the 911 to an even higher level. With PDK, the 911 Carrera Coupé can claim an outstanding fuel economy (for a sports car in this performance class) of 10 kilometers per liter.

And with all new Carreras remaining significantly above the fuel consumption benchmark of 9 kilometers per liter, CO2 emissions are down by up to 15 percent.

Thanks in part to direct fuel injection, maximum power of the 911 Carrera with its 3.6-liter motor is up by 20 bhp to 345 bhp. On the other hand, power output on the 911 Carrera S with its 3.8-liter powerplant is even more impressive – up by 30 bhp to 385 bhp.

With this extra power, the Carrera S Coupé now offers a top speed of slightly over 300 km/h or 186 mph.

The PDK double-clutch gearbox offers no less than seven forward gears; with the new gearbox combining the driving comfort of an automatic transmission with the lightning-fast gearshifts of a sequential racing gearbox.

And since PDK also boasts an automatic gearshift function, it replaces the former Porsche Tiptronic S automatic transmission on both the Carrera and Carrera S. Through its optimized and adaptive gearshift programs, PDK improves the car’s acceleration and reduces fuel consumption to a level even lower than before.

Porsche developed this gearshift principle featuring two clutches to shift gears without the slightest interruption of traction and pulling power and without even the slightest break between gearshifts.

With PDK, Porsche drivers are able to accelerate faster than their competitors and keep both hands on the steering wheel while shifting gears, thus avoiding even the slightest distraction while shifting.

The pioneering achievement gives the new 911 even better performance. The Carrera S Coupé accelerates in 4.5 seconds from 0-100 km/h, faster even than an equivalent model equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

And the customer in search of optimum driving dynamics even has the option to combine PDK with Porsche’s optional Sport Chrono Plus including Launch Control. The result is high-speed acceleration free of slip from a standstill and a racing gearshift, with the car accelerating to 100 km/h in a truly outstanding 4.3 seconds. __Outwardly, despite every single body panel and even the side mirror and alloy wheels being brand new, there is still no mistaking the new Porsche for anything other than a 911. Tell-tale signs of the new 911 are the new front bumper with aggressive air intakes, the bi-xenon headlamps (with an optional Dynamic Bending Light feature that illuminates turns when cornering) and the LED taillamps, with the latter displaying a distinctive new shape.

Overall, the car looks sleeker and sexier than ever; and the familiar 911 dashboard, instrument panel and 2+2 cockpit more supportive and functional than ever.

It’s almost impossible not to fall in love with what many consider the most practical, the most comfortable, (and the most reliable) sports car of all.