PORSCHE

911 996: the model that aroused the ire of purists

We all know that in any family there is usually one black sheep that is not as loved as the rest. There are examples of this in mythical sagas, such as the 1974 Ford Mustang, the third generation Volkswagen Golf and the Porsche 911 996.

Precisely now that the latter turns 25, we are going to review a little of the history of a model that was very controversial for several reasons, both conceptual and purely aesthetic. Even so, it ended up being a model that ensured the survival of the famous Porsche 911, and of which between 1997 and 2005, the Zuffenhausen brand manufactured 175,262 copies.

Among the aspects that made the 996 the ugly duckling of the 'noveonze' family were its characteristic 'fried egg' style headlamps, materials that were a bit mediocre for what perhaps they should have been and, above all, the jump to water cooling that left behind the hitherto usual air-cooled 911.

With this fifth generation of the 911, called the 996, Porsche finally dared to break away, in 1997, with air cooling, something that infuriated the most purists, since the 996 lost part of the charm of the classic 911, which was already 34 years with air cooling.

The brand's attention focused on reducing production costs, something that had already been started with its predecessor, through greater compatibility of parts with other model series, such as the then new Boxster, whose aesthetics were also similar to that of this 996. , which reinterpreted the classic design of the 911 and achieved a Cx of 0.30.

The controversial 'fried egg' style headlights with integrated flashers were rejected by many aficionados, to the point that Porsche was forced to change them with the model's first restyling.

The model has also grown in relation to the 993, specifically 18.5 centimeters in length and 3 in width, while, for the second time in the history of the model series, the wheelbase has been extended. The interior also benefited from this growth, which offered more space for its occupants. It also had a new panel, with a new arrangement for the five instrumentation clocks.

As mentioned before, the main revolution is at the rear, specifically in the boxer engine, which, although it kept its classic 6-cylinder configuration, switched to liquid cooling to comply with emissions regulations. The 3.4-liter block reached 300 hp, as much as in the legendary 911 Turbo 3.3.

After the restyling, a 3.6-liter engine with 320 hp arrived, which reached 345 hp in 2003, in a special edition 40th anniversary of the 911. There was also a water-cooled 911 Turbo, whose 6-cylinder boxer biturbo block 3.2 liters, used by the 911 GT1 that won Le Mans in 1998, reached up to 420 hp. It was the first Porsche production car to surpass the 300 km/h top speed mark.

In this generation there was also a 911 GT2, capable of offering 484 hp and equipped for the first time with carboceramic PCCB brake discs as standard. With the same engine, but without the supercharger, the 911 GT3 designed for the circuit initially reached 360 hp, although later it reached 381 hp. The RS version arrived in 2003, with even more aggressive tuning.

Autonews