Which 911 generation was the first to offer all-wheel drive?

The first 911 generation to offer all-wheel drive was the Porsche 964, initially in Carrera 4 form.

Porsche introduced the 964 in 1989 as a substantially revised 911, with the company describing roughly 85 percent of the car as new compared with the preceding Carrera 3.2. The first 964 models available were the all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 versions; the rear-wheel-drive Carrera 2 followed in 1990. In Porsche naming, “4” identifies four-wheel drive.

The system drew on engineering experience from the Porsche 959 and gave the 964 extra traction while preserving the familiar rear-mounted flat-six character. The generation also introduced coil springs and shock absorbers in place of the previous torsion-bar suspension, along with standard anti-lock brakes, power steering and an automatically deployable rear spoiler.

The answer is sometimes confused with the 993, 996 or 997 because each later 911 generation also offered all-wheel-drive variants. They were not the first, however: that milestone belongs to the 964 Carrera 4. Its 3.6-litre M64 flat-six was another defining feature of the generation.