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Porsche 996
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| Porsche 996 | |
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| aka | 911 |
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| Designer | Harm Lagaay |
Task: To Perfect Perfection
The 996 model was given an un-enviable task - to replace the legendary, and very popular, 993 model, and also to carry the Porsche company into record profits and the new Millenium. The new model was redesigned from the ground-up from its predecessors, and featured a new chassis, transmission, engine and bodywork. The engine had decreased in capacity, to 3.4 litres, and was water-cooled, for the first time in a Porsche flat-six. Porsche cited ever-stringent emission and noise regulations for the swap in cooling - but Porsche enthusiasts moaned that the distinctive sound would be lost. But they hadn't heard it yet.
The engine was not the only point for criticism for the new 996, however. The general press and public pointed out that the front end was identical to its smaller sibling - the Boxster, a car almost half the price of the 911. But Porsche was eager to get people to see behind these 'faults', and embrace the radically different but comfortably similar new incarnation of the world's most famous sportscar.
Ground-up Re-engineering
The 993 could never be described as ageing, but its Achilles' heel was the power plant, which was rooted in the past, and although Porsche had bought the engine some time from the strict worldwide emissions regulations and drive-by noise limitations with the excellent VarioCam system, the writing was on the wall, and the decision was taken to produce a whole new 911 which could conceivably carry the company well into the 2000s - and for this to happen, a new engine had to be built.
The flat-six Boxer configuration was retained, and air-cooling was scrapped, to make way for the water-cooling system, which was both more efficient and crucially, quieter. Capacity shrunk 200 cubic centimetres to 3.4 litres, but power was up overall to 300 BHP. But the engine was only part of the story.
The exterior design was penned by Pinky Lai, and was refreshingly contemporary over the 993. The front lights and driving lights of the 993 were incorporated into one pod, christened the 'Fried Egg' by its detractors. The evocative roofline remained, and the rear lost the reflector stripe under the bonnet - which was now lined by two larger units, incorporating all the necessary accoutrements. The doorhandles were now flush to the bodywork, and the doors were rimless, and to complement the changes, a whole new range of alloy wheels were designed, proving to be evolutions of their 993 predecessors.
The radical developments continued indoors. The traditional 'five dial' dash was ditched, and replaced with a more modern, smoother dashboard. The seat design was revised, and the cabin as a whole was larger and better equipped - a whole host of new electrical toys were made available for the 996 that space permitted in the 993. A new colour chart and interior material list was drawn up, and the 996 featured leather seats as standard.
Under the skin, the power was delivered to the road by the now-traditional Carrera two wheel-drive and Carrera 4 four wheel-drive platforms.
See Also
