Since Dr. Ferry Porsche rolled the very first 356 prototype out of a garage in Gmünd, Austria, in 1948, every vehicle to bear his family name has been meticulously engineered to give its driver a visceral experience. From classic two-seat sports cars to hybrid supercars, no other manufacturer has so successfully infused its entire lineup with driver-first performance DNA. Because for Porsche, there’s no such thing as good enough — and for drivers, there is no substitute.

The beauty of a Porsche demands an equally unique display. As a Porsche is more than just a car, a cinemagraph is more than just a photograph. It’s alive and in motion, expressing an idea to the viewer. Each of these series-exclusive cinemagraphs transmits a dynamic aspect of one of these amazing sports cars.

911 Targa

Porsche designers have never chased the latest visual trends. Instead they focus on creating timeless beauty that supports the performance at the heart of every Porsche. The cues that define each Porsche model are carried from one generation to the next; each car reveals its lineage just as a child inherits features from its parents through DNA. This continuity is exemplified by the 911 Targa, an utterly contemporary interpretation of more than 50 years of 911 heritage.

Of the dozens of 911 models over the decades, the original Targa remains one of the favorites and its classic profile is now back with an ingenious new twist. With just a hassle-free push of a button, the roof panel disappears, leaving nothing above you but the sky. The roof panel conveniently stows itself below the rear glass in just seconds, while the metal hoop and rear glass remain in place, just like in the original. This unique system provides open-air motoring with less wind than a traditional convertible.

Boxster GTS

Involved drivers want a healthy two-way relationship with their car, with both sides communicating, listening, and responding. Every Porsche delivers this symbiotic relationship between car and driver, telegraphing everything that’s happening between the tires and the road, and reacting in kind.

Put the top down, toggle the selectable sport exhaust system, and drop the clutch. Now soak up that exhilarating note reverberating off the canyon walls as the wheels of the most powerful Boxster ever spin below you. The Boxster GTS provides an absolutely visceral experience. The Porsche Active Suspension Management enables the driver to select more aggressive damping when switching from Normal to Sport Plus, while Porsche Torque Vectoring applies brakes to the inside rear wheel in a corner to aid turn-in and locks the differential for increased traction when coming out.

Cayman GTS

When Porsche adds the GTS badge to any of its models, the driver can be confident that lessons learned in competition have been used to extract pure performance and maximum pleasure on the road. Cayman GTS is no exception, delivering more power, stronger brakes, and improved grip for an exceptional sports car driving experience.

The Cayman GTS is all about pure driving performance. The lights flash by at increasing speed as the mid-ship mounted 340-horsepower pours its power onto the road. When the sun goes down, the new standard Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus illuminates the road ahead with Bi-Xenon main beams. The standard Sport Chrono package with analog and digital stopwatches also features a Sport Plus button that the driver can use to enable firmer damping and more direct steering response.

918 Spyder

Porsche drivers benefit from the hard-earned lessons learned on the world’s racetracks, where time spent in the pits fueling up is time lost on the track. Efficiency is an essential component of maximum performance. The 918 Spyder harnesses state-of-the-art hybrid electric drive, plug-in technology, and V-8 power to deliver immense performance with minimum consumption.

The 918 Spyder is the ultimate expression to date of Porsche’s philosophy of building on the lessons learned on the road and the circuit to create an entirely new interpretation of the supercar. Using intelligent performance technologies like lightweight carbon fiber, hybrid electric drive, and active aerodynamics, the 918 requires less total energy while also recovering wasted energy. It can lap the Nürburgring in just 6:57, faster than any other street-legal car. Technologies validated on the 918 Spyder will soon make their way into every Porsche sports car.

911 Turbo

Great performance isn’t just written on a spec sheet. It has to be honed over years of development by engineers who understand what the driver needs and wants. Enhancing performance when the driver needs it through turbocharging has been a Porsche hallmark for more than four decades. Porsche has continuously refined the 911 Turbo throughout that time, taking it to the world’s most challenging environments: the Arctic Circle, the autobahn, the Sahara Desert and the Mulsanne Straight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 911 Turbo takes you from wherever you are to wherever you want to go, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Its advanced technology includes adaptive aerodynamics that automatically deploy front and rear spoilers at speeds above 75 MPH to increase downforce while minimizing drag. When the Sport Plus mode is engaged for spirited driving, the spoilers extend further for maximum downforce, enabling the driver to harness the immense output of the most powerful road-going 911 ever.

Now that you know what “No substitute” means to Porsche, it’s time to jump in the comments and share what “No substitute” means to you. And if these cinemagraphs have whet your appetite for all things Porsche, head here to learn more.

[Cinemagraphs by Alex Cannon, Studio@Gawker]

Steve Abrams is a Detroit-based freelance writer who went from engineering cars to engineering words about them.

This post is a sponsored collaboration between Porsche and Studio@Gawker.