Porsche 911 996 · Blog

When compared to earlier and later 911s making use of forced induction, the 996 Turbo represents one of the Porsche's scenes best buys... TECH: BUYING GUIDE PORSCHE 996 TURBO SMore than twenty-five years have passed since the 996 debuted, yet talk of the model’s radical departure from previous 911 architecture fails to quell.

Porsche has used twin turbochargers on its 911 since the 1990s, but how do these devices manage to generate such significant power gains? Turbo charging has been utilised by Porsche since 1973, where it was put to devastating effect in the 1974 Carrera RSR 2.1. Quick to make use of the technology in production cars, the 3.0-litre engined Turbo (930) was launched in 1974.

Talk of the 911 market is often ruled by the heady top-end, but this month we consider if exceptional cars are still available at the affordable end of the 911 spectrum? Philip Raby, of Philip Raby Specialist Cars, thinks there definitely are, but adds a few caveats: “A manual, early 3.4-litre 996 is becoming quite desirable. The problem is, finding a good one.” Philip advises spending £20,000 at a minimum. If you’re looking to spend anything less then you could be asking for trouble.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S is a high-performance sports car that has been in production since 1989. Here's a brief history of the Porsche 911 Turbo S. 930 Turbo S 1989 The original Turbo was produced as an S model in its final 1989 production year via Porsche’s Sonderwunsch programme. Exact build numbers are near impossible to ascertain, with 21 thought to have been built.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — we love it when a former 911 & Porsche World feature car comes to market. More so when it happens to be a former cover star... TRIED & TESTEDThe GT3 driving experience without the GT3 price tag. This is how Charlie Wildridge, boss of Suffolkbased Porsche indie, William Francis, describes the Tiffany Blue 996 you see in our photos.

Unveiled at the 1999 IAA show in Frankfurt, Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes – PCCBs for short – first appeared on the 996 model GT2 of 2001. This was the first production sports car to use the technology. Disc brakes may have been patented in 1902, but it took until the middle of that century for production cars to perfect the technology, including Porsche’s development of the ventilated disc brake, first used on the 906-8 Bergspider of 1965 and utilised on the 911S the following year.

Safety has always been a concern at Porsche, and throughout the 911 development various ideas have been introduced to keep occupants safe while maximising driver enjoyment. The three-part safety steering system and Targa roll bar are both examples of Porsche’s safety-derived developments, but legislation also has played a part, like the impact bumper. Technology explainedMore recently as crash protection laws developed, so did requirements for passenger safety.

You’ve likely heard about Porsche’s investment in eFuels – here’s how the company expects it to work After more than a century, the internal combustion engine is on a countdown timer, and so are fossil fuels. Electrification is touted at the future for vehicles, but where does that leave your beloved flat six? Fear not, for Porsche is fighting your cause, and investing heavily in a practical solution that means your 911 can be used well into the future. The solution is eFuel, or synthetic fuel.

With an ear to the ground, there are rumblings that the used 911 market is losing momentum. Undoubtedly we’re in times of global uncertainty, hot on the tail of a global pandemic, but is there any truth in it? Sales debate“In short, no,” says Philip Raby, of Philip Raby Specialist Cars, while highlighting the difficulty in predicting future trends. “When Russia hit, everything dropped overnight, but it came almost straight back,” he adds.

Epic pace, reasonable price and awesome all-weather performance make the 996 Turbo a hugely appealing machine. BUYING GUIDE: 911 TURBO 996Offering incredible performance for its price, the 996 Turbo is a sensational used buy Words DANIEL BEVIS Photos TOM GIDDEN In turbocharged form, the 996 transcended its perceived ‘bitsa’ roots (at least in the eyes of those cynics who were suspicious of the aesthetic Boxster connection) to become a truly phenomenal performance car.

Alisdair Cusick explains how the X51 Powerkit extracted more from the 911’s nat-asp flat six For some owners, standard is never enough – even on a 911. With this in mind, Porsche offered a performance increase package for the 911 called the X51 Powerkit. Since the 993, the X51 was a factory-approved package to give a 911 engine a little bit extra. The X51 floated around on options lists for both the 993 and 996, but you may not have known this, so uncommonly was the option specified.

The world has changed in the past month or so. The war in Ukraine has sent shocks around the world, both emotionally and financially. Aside from the horrors inflicted on Ukrainian people, the world is learning to cope with new supply chains for all manner of goods, including Porsche. Earlier last month production temporarily halted due to Ukrainian wiring harness supply being affected. The fallout filters down to us all, as consumers, notably with record petrol prices in recent weeks.

When it comes to buying a 996 you’ve got options, even if your budget’s at the lower end of the scale. But don’t hang about – people are wising up to the car’s immense value for money… Porsche 911 996 at 25Volume defines the 996 marketplace: the number available out there is far greater than any 911 before it.

It’s been well known for its issues around reliability, but 25 years on, what’s the real-world assessment of the 996’s mechanical underpinnings? Porsche built over 175,000 996s, and if you believed everything you heard about it, every single one is problematic. The 996 has issues, but they’re hugely blown out of proportion. The effect is exacerbated by both the information revolution and the increased production proliferation.

We’ve had the option of an all-wheel drive 911 for over 30 years, with increasing variants for every generation since the 964. How does the market favour those models over their 2WD brothers? Is there a difference in the market between 2WD and 4WD? Sales debate“In short, yes,” says Jonathan Aucott of Avantgarde Classics, who mainly trades in air-cooled 911s. “But the question is, what is the model?” he adds.