Table of contents for No. 216 in Total 911

Find me an all-rounder sports car that’s better value for money than Porsche’s 996. Your task will be a difficult one, for this sub-20k 911 can do most things your later (or earlier!) example of automotive exotica can achieve, at least in real-world driving. Sure, your opinion of those ‘fried egg’ headlights will be subjective, but it can’t be argued otherwise that the 996 suffers from inferior build quality compared to the air-cooled 911s before it. Some context is needed here: the lavish but financially unviable 993 with its ageing air-cooled engine nearly killed Porsche, and so the 996 was produced on a relative shoestring budget as the company just about kept its head above water. “If you own any post-Millennium bluechip Porsche such as a Carrera GT, GT2 RS…

Porsche has been celebrating the birthday of Walter Röhrl, who turned 75 at the beginning of March. A Porsche brand ambassador since 1993, the former two-time World Rally champion is one of the only drivers to have won world championship races in both rallying and circuit racing disciplines. Walter’s involvement in the development of the 959, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder supercars are among his career credits as a Porsche test driver, and until recently Walter was still putting the finishing touches to the firm’s new production cars on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Today, Walter remains an active part of Porsche with appearances at Porsche Heritage and Motorsport events such as Porsche Sound Night. Most recently he could be found teaching journalists how to drift on ice in a range of…

The origins of the 996 are to be found as far back as 1984 – April 1984, to be precise. This was the month in which the Type 964 received the approval of Porsche’s Vorstand. The Carrera C4 was launched four years later and 25 years after the first 911. The 964 was distinctly more advanced than its forebears. Porsche had revised the entire chassis, doing away with torsion bar suspension and replacing it with damper and spring struts. The underside was now carefully air-flowed to enhance stability and reduce drag, while ABS and power steering now featured – as would optional automatic transmission once the C2 was launched a year later. This was the first 911 with Bosch Motronic engine management rather than the Jetronic ignition and fuel injection,…

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? “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. “With 964 and 993, as a blanket, the 2WD cars are more saleable,” Jonathan says, noting buyers wanting either of those iconic models increasingly want the purity of two driven rear wheels. “With water-cooled, it perhaps isn’t so much of an issue.” Jamie Tyler of Paragon reflects the same opinion, and trades both air- and water-cooled models. “The purist would always…

The name Targa – which means plate or plaque in Italian – came from the Targa Florio sports car road race in Sicily, in which the Porsche team had scored seven victories since 1956, with four more to come through 1973. This also happens to be the year of an amazing low-mileage Porsche 911E Targa that we have on offer here at Beverly Hills Car Club. The shape of the 911E Targa is unmistakable, thanks to its iconic flyline and elegant roof. This design has characterised Porsche since 1963. It’s part of the enduring legend of the company’s sports cars and their astonishing performance. Yet despite that somewhat macho image, there remains something subtly cute and charming about all Porsche 911s. This recently discovered 1973 Porsche 911E Targa has matching…

We at Total 911 are incredibly sad to learn of legendary ex-Works driver Vic Elford’s passing. Vic was simply one of the greatest and fastest sports car drivers ever to pedal a Porsche, and the first to bring competitive success to the 911. A Monte Carlo, Daytona, Nürburgring and Targa Florio race winner in all manner of Porsches, Vic more recently shared his memoirs with us by kindly accepting a year-long residency as a columnist of this fine magazine. Rest in peace, ‘Quick Vic’.…

Volkswagen Group is considering listing Porsche on the stock exchange. Executive boards at both companies have welcomed the decision, which would see non-voting shares offered to the public. Some 12.5 per cent of Porsche would be floated, but the Porsche-Piëch family and Volkswagen would still retain ultimate control. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) process is designed to enable both Volkswagen Group and Porsche to release funds to boost their progress in the field of electric vehicles. Reportedly, VW would raise at least 20 billion Euros (£16.6 billion) from the IPO based on a current valuation of Porsche putting its worth at 90 billion Euros (£74.8 billion). As part of the deal a one-off bonus payment of 2,000 Euros (£1,663) would go to 130,000 Porsche employees in Germany.…

Our search for unique cars for sale on the global marketplace begins with auctions. Various houses have delivered some incredible cars recently. Highlights include the 964 Turbo that featured in the first Bad Boys film, which sold for $1.3 million in January, and a 993 Cabriolet (and a fairly ordinary one at that) selling for a whopping $165,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale event. That anomalous Cabriolet sale had us lost down a 993 drop-top rabbit hole. Our search eventually turned up this rare beast: a 993 Turbo Cabriolet, a model that was never produced by Porsche. That’s the official line at least, because 14 rolled out of the Porsche Exclusive department for some of its best customers using the 964 Turbo’s M64/50 3.6-litre turbocharged engine, with rear-wheel drive and a five-speed…

History has been unkind to the 996. Its significance is seriously underplayed – not just to the 911’s lineage, but to Porsche’s survival – with the focus instead being on its mechanical problems and divisive styling. Every new 911 introduction is difficult. Porsche’s most iconic model rightfully garners huge enthusiasm and the 996’s was, and remains, the most radical departure from the 911 norm. Its reception was never going to be smooth. Air made way for water and an entirely new body and chassis was developed – something that even the most ardent of 911 fans have since recognised was both necessary and overdue. These changes were enough to upset Porsche’s more devout 911 followers but for everyone else, and the company, the 996 was a revelation. Its stiffer, more…

The early 1990s saw Porsche being publicly touted as a takeover candidate: the recession had had a devastating effect on sports car sales. The Porsche 928 and 968 series had almost entirely ceased to sell, so all eyes once again turned to the Porsche 911 as the great hope. However, at least one positive consequence emerged from the grim scenario. Porsche was forced to get creative and develop some exciting derivatives of the 964, including the fascinating Clubsport version of the 911 Carrera 2, which never saw series production. In the 1992/1993 financial year, every single sale of the Porsche 911 in the 964 generation was urgently needed, because sales of this undisputed classic among sports cars – still the company’s mainstay – had also collapsed. Buyers had been forced…

Data file Full specs, ratings and market values of every Porsche 911 model from 1963 to 2022 – including the 991 generation – can be found beginning on page 76 Plus Showroom Looking for a new 911? The classifieds from our independent specialist partners are the first place you should start your search Servicing & tuning Get the very best from your Porsche 911 with the help of our selected performance and maintenance specialists Porsche lifestyle Helping you make the right lifestyle choices to complement you and your 911. Don’t just drive Porsche, live the brand Insurance & finance Get your Porsche covered with the best insurance deals for road and track to ensure happy, safe motoring…

Total 911 readers used to the military efficiency and lightning speed of Formula 1 pitstops will no doubt raise an eyebrow at this apparently disorganised scene at the Nürburgring. But even into the 1990s, pitstops all looked like this. This shot from the ADAC 1000 Kilometer Race on 29 May, 1977 is typical. Unlike today’s F1 factory teams, which benefit from the huge amount of money that underpins modern grand prix racing, the participants here are all privateers. Even the most sophisticated had nothing like the resources of a works team, as Derek Bell would discover when Porsche pulled out of Group C. One such team in the 1970s was Gelo Racing, which together with the Kremer brothers ruled the sports car and GT roost in Germany for several seasons.…

Porsche has given one million Euros (£830,000) towards providing emergency aid for people affected by the country’s humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Of that headline figure, 750,000 Euros (£623,000) will go to the UN Refugee Aid, the German partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The agency has been active in Ukraine since 2014 and is a longstanding partner of the Volkswagen Group. Porsche’s donation will be used to deliver crucial practical support on the ground. A further 250,000 Euros (£207,000) has been earmarked for donation to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, which supports children and young people in particular. The foundation will use the donation to help organisations such as SOS Children’s Villages, which is helping to evacuate children and families to safety and providing those…

Porsche takes first Formula E victory Porsche celebrated its first win since joining Formula E with a historic one-two finish in round three of this season’s Formula E championship at the Mexico City E-Prix. Pascal Wehrlein started on pole position and took victory driving the Porsche 99X Electric. He was followed home by teammate André Lotterer at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. Porche 911 GT3 Cup scale model shines This detailed collector’s scale model of the 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup – as seen in Porsche Supercup in 2021 and Porsche Carrera Cup GB from this season onwards – is new to shop. porsche.com. Finished in the launch livery of silver with black and blue graphics, the £63 1:43 scale model would look great on any shelf or desk. Its…

Open top 911s Dear Sir, As a recent and enthusiastic subscriber, I was interested to note that my 996 has increased in rating by 50 per cent from two stars to three! Not having bought it as an investment but for the craic, I would be happy to see values remain at their absurdly low level so that the sheer joy of a 911 can be enjoyed by more of us who don’t pay higher-rate taxes. Kieron Fennelly’s piece in issue 210 features a pop-out headline on page 62: “Over a half century, a third of 911s have been open-topped”. Your Data file in the same issue illustrates 119 Porsches of which there are three Targas, three Spiders and three Cabriolets – less than one-tenth. I agree that the perfect…

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. As Mark Sumpter from Paragon says, “The 964 had problems: the flywheel, the leaks. With the 996 it was about its timing. All of a sudden [online] forums existed. With a 964’s problems you had to speak to someone in a pub about it, or go to a dealer or a car club. With the 996 there were a lot more cars, and with forums one car with problems would be massively overblown. It was nowhere near as big a problem as people thought.” “It”, of…

Listening to an enthusiast’s path to Porsche always makes for a fascinating experience. Every story is special, but the most intriguing accounts from our point of view tend to come from those determined drivers who, at some point, decide to build their own car. Johan de Bruyn is no different. “I’ve always been a car guy, right from when I was a boy – the love for Porsche came a little later in my life. When I finally had some money to spend on a sports car, I bought a 997 Carrera S. I then realised I’ll never look to a BMW or Mercedes-Benz to give me my thrills,” he says. Johan became a member of the Porsche Club early on in Porsche ownership, then bought a couple of GT3s…

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, and especially for smaller motor manufacturers, far-reaching decisions were sometimes made on the hoof. Choosing a name for a model in the product line-up back then was often quite a simple task, as car engineer turned racing driver Jürgen Barth explains. “It was not as complicated as you might think. In later years when we created the 964 3.8, we just thought, okay we will use the name Carrera and RSR, because the RSR was a good car in the past and so we should use it again. This was also a little bit of a psychological decision.” Today, of course, the process is quite different and might involve an international PR agency, focus groups, test groups, feedback, numerous committee meetings… the list goes…

911s in the data file are organised in rows according to release date, beginning with the very first model in 1964. Many models were available in Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet forms, with the option of automatic transmission. Here, data has been provided from the Coupe variants unless stated. All data here has been compiled, where possible, from Porsche’s own figures. General valuations This reflects the general market trend for a model’s used value compared to the previous financial quarter. The review for 2022 Q2 will be April. The review for 2022 Q1 was January. Ratings Each model is rated out of five in our half-star system according to their performance, handling, appearance and desirability.…