It is a characteristic of Ruf’s automobiles, and of those from Porsche as well, that interiors were understated. The performance of the cars made the comments anyone thought necessary.
The cabriolet weighed 1,491 kilograms, 3,280 pounds. Acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour took 3.6 seconds.
The owner described the color as California Poppy. An integrated rear wind deflector rose at the top descended.
The car rode on 225/40ZR18 tires in front and 285/30ZR18s in the rear. Top speed was reported in excess of 325 kilometers (203 miles) per hour.
YEAR
1996-1997
DESIGNATION
911 GT1
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL AVAILABILITY
Coupe
WHEELBASE
2500mm/98.4 inches
LENGTH
4638mm/184.4 inches
WIDTH
1946mm/76.6 inches
HEIGHT
1173mm/46.2 inches
WEIGHT
1000kg/2205 pounds
BASE PRICE
$890,805
TRACK FRONT
1502mm/59.1 inches
TRACK REAR
1588mm/62.5 inches
WHEELS FRONT
11.5Jx18
WHEELS REAR
13.0Jx18
TIRES FRONT
27/68-18
TIRES REAR
30/70-18
CONSTRUCTION
Unitized sheet steel, rear tube frame
SUSPENSION FRONT
Independent, tubular steel upper and lower wishbones, Bilstein shock absorbers with coil springs, anti roll bar
SUSPENSION REAR
Independent, upper and lower A-arms with pushrods, anti roll bar
BRAKES
Ventilated, drilled discs, 8-piston front, 4-piston rear calipers
ENGINE TYPE
Horizontally opposed DOHC six-cylinder Typ M96/80, water-cooled cylinder heads
ENGINE DISPLACEMENT
3163cc/193.0CID
BORE AND STROKE
95x74.4mm/3.74x2.93 inches
HORSEPOWER
544@0700rpm
TORQUE
434lb-ft@6250rpm
COMPRESSION
9.0:1
FUEL DELIVERY
TAG engine management, twin turbochargers, intercooler
FINAL DRIVE AXLE RATIO
3.44:1 (varies)
TOP SPEED
193mph (varies)
PRODUCTION
21
Porsche Exclusiv developed its most exclusive Turbo, the S model, for customers startling in late 1997 model year. The bodywork included the Aerokit II, with modified front and rear spoilers and additional front slots for greater brake cooling.
1997-1998 911 TURBO S AND CARRERA S
Such regulations did not affect Porsche’s ability to service clients who had not gotten enough of some of the 993’s best vehicles. As the company prepared the new model, it offered a final run of narrow-body Targas and wide-body Carrera S coupes on the rear-drive platform. All-wheel-drive versions of the 993 Carrera 4S coupe appeared one last time, as did the 408-brake-horsepower Turbo coupe. Exclusiv offered yet another home-market version—with a Performance Kit utilizing two larger turbochargers, an additional oil cooler, and a reprogrammed engine management computer—providing 450 brake horsepower at 6,000 rpm, at a DM 29,800 (approximately $16,900) premium over the DM 222,500 price ($126,420 at the factory). The car took 4.1 seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour. Because Porsche often held the best to last, Exclusiv introduced a one-year-only 450-horsepower Turbo S, fitting the body with the full Aerokit II, as well as extensive carbon fiber throughout the interior. Porsche assembled 345 of these special 1,500-kilogram (3,300-pound) cars, which sold through the 1998 model year for DM 307,300 ($174,600). The only 1998 model more potent was the 1,295-kilogram (2,849-pound), 450-horsepower GT2, of which 21 sold for DM 287,500 ($163,352).
These cars represented the end of a 50-year era of air-cooled Porsche cars, and some owners ranked the Typ 993 as the last pure 911. For an even larger number, the next-generation 911, with its new body, interior, engine, and sound, was the first 911 they ever considered buying.
The 3,600cc (219.6-cubic-inch) M64/60S engine developed 450 horsepower at 6,000 rpm in the S. Acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour took 4.1 seconds. Porsche quoted a top speed of 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour.
The interior was a blend of leather and carbon fiber on the Turbo S models. Everything that wasn’t carbon fiber was leather-covered.
Porsche’s Turbo coupe with the Performance Kit developed 430 horsepower from the M64/60R engine at 5,750 rpm. This was good for acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers in less than 4.5 seconds. Top speed was reported as more than 290 kilometers (180 miles) per hour. Photograph © 2011 Dave Wendt
These were not prototype Porsche Carbon Composite Brakes, merely calipers painted Speed Yellow as part of the Turbo S package. The car rode 15mm (0.6 inches) lower by virtue of the sport suspension tuning. The car sold for 304,650DM and $150,000 in the United States.
Porsche chromium-plated the standard Turbo S instrument bezels and finished the instrument faces in silver paint. The Turbo S logo was embroidered or embossed in several places throughout the car.
YEAR
1997-1998
DESIGNATION
911 Turbo S
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL AVAILABILITY
Coupe
WHEELBASE
2272mm/89.4 inches
LENGTH
4245mm/167.1 inches
WIDTH
1795mm/70.7 inches
HEIGHT
1285mm/50.6 inches
WEIGHT
1500kg/3300 pounds
BASE PRICE
$175,086
TRACK FRONT
1411mm/55.6 inches
TRACK REAR
1504mm/59.2 inches
WHEELS FRONT
8.0Jx18
WHEELS REAR
10.0Jx18
TIRES FRONT
225/40ZR18
TIRES REAR
285/30ZR18
CONSTRUCTION
Unitized welded steel
SUSPENSION FRONT
Independent, light-alloy lower wishbones, MacPherson struts w/coil springs, gas-filled double-action shock absorbers, anti roll bar
SUSPENSION REAR
Independent, light-allow multi-wishbone, progressive coil springs, gas-filled double-action shock absorbers, anti roll bar
BRAKES
Ventilated, drilled discs, 4-piston aluminum calipers
ENGINE TYPE
Horizontally opposed DOHC six-cylinder M64/60S
ENGINE DISPLACEMENT
3600cc/219.7CID
BORE AND STROKE
100x76.4mm/3.94x3.00 inches
HORSEPOWER
450@6000rpm
TORQUE
431lb-ft@4500rpm
COMPRESSION
8.0:1
FUEL DELIVERY
Bosch DME with sequential injection, turbochargers, intercooler
FINAL DRIVE AXLE RATIO
3.44:1
TOP SPEED
186mph
PRODUCTION
345
CHAPTER 7
WATER COOLING DEFINES THE FIFTH GENERATION 1998–2005
1998-2001 911 CARRERA
1998-2001 911 CARRERA
1999-2005 911 GT3
2002-2004 911 CARRERA AND TURBO
2003-2005 911 GT2
2001-2005 911 TARGA
2003-2004 911 CARRERA 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
As iconic as the air-cooled engine in the 911 had become, eventually Porsche decided it was the time to introduce water-cooled engines. Noise regulations and emissions restrictions made it necessary. Porsche’s ethic of always providing more powerful successor models made it essential.
“Water cooling,” Stefan Knirsch explained, “allowed
us to get higher performance because of the better cooling of the cylinder head.” Knirsch joined Porsche in 1996 when the engines were in preproduction phases. He was hired as troubleshooter at the start of manufacture of the new 911. “The only drawback,” he said, “was additional mass, the twenty liters of water and all the parts. You need low temperatures of the components, of the cylinder head and the block, to get a high output and good fuel economy.”
The 996’s most significant development was its water-cooled flat six M96/01 engine. With bore of 96mm (3.78 inches) and stroke of 78mm (3.07 inches), overall displacement was 3,387cc (206.6 cubic inches).
The new engine was a radical and complicated departure from what had come before (and been used for nearly 35 years at Porsche). To facilitate assembly, engineers designed the aluminum alloy crankcase and cylinder head assembly to split down the middle. During the foundry operation, Porsche cast in place the aluminum-silicon alloy cylinder liners. A separate shaft powered by chains ran below the crankshaft to drive four separate camshafts, also chain operated. The VarioCam system allowed 25 degrees of adjustment of intake cam timing and opening, depending on engine speed and load. The finished product displaced 3,387cc (206.6 cubic inches) with 96mm bore and 78mm stroke, dimensions referred to as over square or short stroke, to provide smooth running high engine speeds. With 11.3:1 compression, the engine developed 296 DIN horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 258 ft-lb of torque at 4,600 rpm.
The front end of the Typ 996 was nearly identical to the Boxster Typ 986 that debuted a year earlier. While this development saved Porsche millions of Deutschmarks, it led to confusion at first about which car people were seeing.
Water cooling eliminated cooling fins, leaving room in the heads for four valves. Designers returned to a single spark plug for ignition. Marchardt refused to subject buyers to oil leaks, which plagued the complicated plumbing of dry sump engines and led to complaints and service visits. With water cooling, and because this engine was designed for road use only, there no longer was any need. Liquid cooling improved heating and cooling capabilities as well, even as it blunted the mechanical noises of the engine. To preserve some noise (and driving excitement), engineers revised the VarioRam induction, tuning intake and exhaust manifolds not only for efficient fuel flow but for the sound these processes produced as well.
Porsche and Getrag collaborated on a new six-speed transmission with the capacity to handle much more power down the line. Increasing engine output always was a company target, and Marchardt had participated in the model proliferation that accompanied 3.2 Carrera, 964, and 993 lines. The updated and strengthened Tiptronic S gearbox provided five speeds for the new 911 lineup, designated the 996. Drivers could shift manually either on the center console or using rocker switches on the steering wheel.
Harm Lagaay launched an internal contest to select the designers who would take on the 996 and the entry-level car, the Typ 986. Stylist Pinky Lai’s work won him the assignment for the new 911. Marchardt’s orders for the car included improving aerodynamics and further reducing rear lift.
In profile, the 996 was more distinctive. The wheelbase grew from 2,272mm (89.5 inches) for the 993 to 2,350mm (92.5 inches) for the new car. Engineers quickly filled the space.
“Budget restrictions were extremely tight,” Pinky Lai explained.
The 996 platform team had told Lai there was no money to incorporate a retractable rear wing, as Porsche had done on 964 and 993 models. “They had a very tough bean counter,” Lai explained. “He showed up every day. ‘You can only design a body that will meet the aerodynamic target.’” One day in the wind tunnel, he and the engineers trimmed off one of the rear grille louver panels and remounted it backward. It changed the readings immediately. “We came up with the argument that it wasn’t a moving spoiler, it was a moving grille.”
The 911 expanded in all directions with the 996. The wheelbase added 3 inches, going from 2,272mm on the 993 to 2,350mm for the new car. Overall length stretched 7.3 inches, growing from 4,245 to 4,430mm (174.4 inches), and width grew from 1,735 to 1,765mm (69.5 inches). Height increased only incrementally, by 5mm to 1,305 (51.4 inches). Despite these gains in every dimension and the addition of water-cooling paraphernalia, curb weight dropped 50 kilograms (110 pounds) to 1,320 kilograms (2,904 pounds). In addition to weight reduction, the diligence designers and engineers showed with the body design reduced the Cd, from 0.34 for the 993 to 0.30 for the new car.
With a goal of making the 996 easier and less expensive to manufacture, design and production engineers made use wherever possible of lighter-weight and stronger metals and other materials. High-strength steel in structural body panels, assembled in a process called tailored blanks, incorporated careful edge trimming that left only enough metal for welding; this complex process increased torsional stiffness of the new car by 45 percent and bending stiffness by 50 percent. The fully independent front suspension used MacPherson struts, and a five-link configuration supported the rear. This entire system induced slight understeer at cornering limits, which Porsche engineers concluded was a more comfortable characteristic to many drivers.
Porsche introduced the 996 Cabriolet in April 1998. The redesigned convertible top went up or down in 20 seconds with the vehicle parked. The car sold for 155,160DM in Germany, $73,000 in the United States.
The coupe grew in all dimensions from the previous 993. But in one important measurement, the number shrunk. The 993 had weighed 1,370 kilograms (3,014 pounds). Even with the addition of water-cooling radiators and tubing, Porsche brought the 996 down to 1,320 kilograms, 2,904 pounds.
The new 3.4-liter engine developed 300 horsepower at 6,800 rpm. Acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour took 5.2 seconds.
What’s more, this combination, including the shock absorbers and springs, gave the car a more comfortable ride. For those who wanted their sports car to be sporty, an optional suspension lowered ride height 10mm (0.4 inches), and fitted stiffer springs, more responsive shock absorbers, and larger diameter anti-roll bars front and rear. The car’s lighter weight, coupled with the 11-horsepower (DIN) increase to 296, brought quicker acceleration (from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 5.2 seconds, compared to 5.6 for the 993) and a higher top speed (278 kilometers [174 miles] per hour, compared to 267 kilometers [167 miles] per hour for the earlier car). At introduction, Porsche charged DM 135,610 for the base coupe with six-speed manual transmission ($65,030 in the United States).
Porsche followed the coupe with the 996 cabriolet in April 1998. This model came with an aluminum removable hardtop with an electrically heated rear window. It weighed 33 kilograms (73 pounds). The electrically operated cloth hood folded up or down in a Z movement in 20 seconds when the vehicle was parked.
According to Harm Lagaay, Porsche’s head of design, this multi-function headlight fixture resulted from production demands to install front lights in 20 seconds. This incorporated low and main beams, parking and fog lamps, turn signal and headlight washer in one assembly.
Six months after the cabrio appeared, the 996 line expanded in October 1998 when Zuffenhausen began assembling all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 coupes and cabriolets. As with rear-drive C2 and all-wheel drive C4 models in the past, bodies were identical except for specific badging. Porsche’s third-generation all-wheel-drive system improved on both predecessors by using an even lighter open driveshaft. Weissach engineers incorporated the viscous clutch in the front differential. The company offered the Tiptronic S five-speed transmission to C4 customers as well as the six-speed manual. A new sophisticated traction control system, Porsche Stability Management (PSM), could slow engine speed and/or apply brake pressure to one or more wheels. PSM incorporated an electronic throttle control, called E-Gas, in which a potentiometer read gas pedal position and transmitted that information to the Bosch Motronic ME 7.2 engine management system. A servomotor reacted to electronic inputs and opened or closed throttle butterflies in the VarioRam induction system. Rear-drive Carreras still operated with a traditional thrott
le cable.
The larger exterior dimensions yielded more interior space for driver and passenger. Seats with leather surfaces adjusted the backrest angle electrically with manual fore, aft, and height adjustment.
The removable hardtop nearly reproduced the lines and shapes of the 996 Carrera coupes. Rear suspension on the 996 was a multi-link system with its own subframe that improved handling yet isolated road noise and vibration.
With the hardtop in place, the cabriolet became a comfortable, secure all-weather car. The cloth top remained in place below its metal cover.
Cabriolet buyers also received an aluminum hardtop as standard equipment. It weighed 33 kilograms (77 pounds).
The Complete Book of Porsche 911 Page 20