In some cases, the future is clear to see. Few football fans would have been surprised last summer if you had told them Erling Haaland would break the Premier League goal-scoring record in his debut season.
And nor would you have looked silly if in 1998 you had suggested that the 993-era Porsche 911 would become a desirable classic – and certainly not once confirmation came that it would be the last air-cooled 911.
To purists, that marked the end of this sports car lineage. Not just was the 996 that followed water-cooled, it was much more modern overall. Certainly, in terms of old-school charm, the 993 delivers in spades. Air cooling helps its array of flat-six engines sound distinctive and retro (and can be enjoyed to an even greater degree in a Cabriolet model).
The basic rear-driven Carrera has a 3.6-litre unit, which initially made 268bhp, then 281bhp from 1996. The Carrera S arrived a year after that power bump. Unlike modern S models, it didn’t get any extra grunt, instead gaining lowered suspension and the Turbo’s bulging bodyshell.
If four-wheel drive is your thing, the Carrera 4 grants that, although it adds 50kg in doing so. The Carrera 4S was brought into the fold in 1996, receiving the same suspension and bodyshell treatment as its RWD counterpart.
Then there was the Carrera RS, whose lightweight measures saved almost 90kg and took it to 296bhp. A pair of turbochargers can be found in the Turbo and Turbo S (which would go without saying if the Taycan Turbo didn’t exist). There’s 395bhp in the Turbo, while the Turbo S gets a mighty 444bhp.
At the top of the 993 tree sits the legendary GT2, a car built to meet homologation requirements for GT2 racing. It has a 0-60mph time of just 3.9sec, making it only 0.3sec slower than Porsche’s than supercar, the 959. A mere 57 examples were built, 13 of them in right-hand drive.
The GT2 is obviously very special to behold and to drive, but how do lesser 993s fare? In classic 911 fashion, you’re always aware of the engine’s weight over the rear axle, meaning the back can swing out when you lift off while turning. Roadholding is still strong, though, so four-wheel drive isn’t a must. The brakes are suitably butch, too.
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Why Buy Now?
Much as I am a Porsche fanboy I would be very cautious entering the used market now, especially for so called 'collectible' 911's. Prices have been on a tear these past 15yrs, and as the specialist points out in the article, prices have softened. Why not wait?
It's funny. I was just parked
It's funny. I was just parked by a black 993 Carrera 15 minutes ago close to my bakery :-)
Nice .
Gorgeous, love them, but