The Auto Channel-Sports Car International Magazine

Get Over It

The air-cooled 911 is a thing of the past. Shed no tears, because the new 911 does everything the old one did - but much, much better.

Okay, I'll admit it. I recently suffered the same anxieties as many Porsche enthusiasts out there. The all-new replacement for the car that has pegged my lust meter for 30 years had me worried and I was losing sleep.

I 'd heard it was to be bigger, longer, wider and was to share many of its components with the Boxster to save production costs. Not that I have anything against Porsche's sweet little 986, but I was concerned the independent auto maker might be "softening" the car they had built a stellar reputation around. The 4th generation of the 911 (known internally as the 996) was about to replace the 34-year-long production run of 401,232 air-cooled 911 models dating back to the mid-'60s. For the first time, a 911 production model would be powered by a water-cooled, four-cam, 24-valve, flat-six.

Mercy! Porsche enthusiasts were already gathering in chat groups on the web, bemoaning the loss of their fanned air favorite. Spy photos offered little encouragement, showing chunky-looking 911s that appeared heavy around the middle, not the lean, mean street fighter that everyone was hoping for. The news on the street was less than optimistic and rumor mills were churning with reports that Porsche was bowing to creature comforts and space, that they were about to lose their edge. That the 996's illustrious predecessor - the 993 - had quickly earned a reputation as the best 911 ever, wasn't helping things. Porsche groupies were preparing for mutiny. I was preparing to be sympathetic to their cause.

Finally the day came when it time to stop worrying and start staring. My first opportunity to get up close and personal with the new Carrera came at Porsche's world press introduction in the south of France last fall. In St. Tropez, I joined several other US journalists outside our hotel the morning after arrival, as over a dozen new 911 Carreras greeted us - fueled and ready - for a few days of testing. More recently, I joined another group at Portland International Raceway for the opportunity to drive both the new 996 and a '98 993 back-to-back for a real world comparison in high speed testing.

The new Carrera is indeed larger; it's seven inches longer, one inch wider and rides on a three inch longer wheelbase. Height remains about the same. However, styling chief Harm Lagaay is proud of the fact that the car is about 110 pounds lighter. The new body eschews the long familiar rain gutters, vent window panes and upright air intake on the hood. With more smoothly contoured body panels, flush glass, higher tail and more steeply raked windshield, the 996 punches a cleaner hole in the air than its predecessor, the coefficient of drag down from 0.34 to a very slippery 0.30.

As we knew it would, the 996 shares front sheetmetal and headlamps with the Boxster. Some would rather see a more distinctive schnoz, but Porsche managed to cut costs in the process and hold down the numbers on the window sticker - a highly desirable result. The world doesn't need more expensive Porsches - hopefully a lesson the company learned during the early part of this decade. Porsche claims the suggested list price of the 1999 Carrera ($65,030) is a mere two percent increase over 1998 models, but included in that price are 17-inch wheels, previously an option on the 993.

The Moment Was Come

Of course, after all the hoopla about the new 911, all I could think about was climbing in and smelling, feeling and driving - wondering how much would be familiar and what would be new. Right off the bat, that long familiar "snap click" of the door handle and 911 "thunk" when the door is closed is gone, replaced by a very generic sounding "blump." I found out that the lack of window frames on the doors makes a different sound when the door is pulled closed.

Inside, everything is new even though the shape is familiar. Most noticeable is rake of the windshield, placed much further away from the driver and passenger. Yes, there is more legroom for both - even a bit more for little people seated in the rear jump seats. With less wheel well protruding into the front floor, long-legged folks can stretch out without sitting side saddle, and there's now a real dead pedal for the driver.

The seats are just about as good as ever, though my upper back was pinched by what seems to be a change in padding shape. The steering wheel is now centered and telescopes. Good visibility has always been a 911 strong point and it remains so here.

Inconceivable, however, is the design of the center console where it drops down from the instrument panel. It features sides that bow outwards, which hit the leg high up the calf, enough so that after several hours behind the wheel, it hurts (Hurley Haywood told us that he had to wrap his leg with a cloth after long hours conducting a driver's school in the new car).

Another big faux pas is the instrument panel. It's not overwhelmingly attractive and even after beginning with a clean sheet of paper, Porsche managed to eliminate the glove box. Let's not even get into the flimsy and obtrusive cup holders that have to be assembled for use. The Carrera also borrows the cheap-looking shinyblack switches of the Boxster and features a dazzling array of textures and surfaces throughout that have yet to grow on us.

Good stuff: The Boxster's overlapping-gauge theme is repeated in the 911, but this time with traditional 911 type faces on the gauges and a five-gauge cluster in place of the Boxster's three. And the brake and clutch pedals are now the suspended type, eliminating the old fashioned through-the-floor variety that made it difficult to heel and toe properly. There's even a modern, fully-automatic climate control system that's pirated right from the Boxster and side-impact airbags. Cabin luggage capacity has been increased as well.

My first foray into the world of the new Carrera was along the Cote d'Azur, in the south of France, creeping along in heavy traffic, then picking up the pace as we followed the autostrada through Italy. In Switzerland, we paid close attention to speed limits, and called it a day at Vitznau, next to a beautiful lake. The following morning we headed for Germany, after inquisitive Swiss traffic cops asked what direction we were heading. I pointed down the road exactly opposite of the way we were going. "Going to Italy today," I said. Then, of course, it was off to Stuttgart.

Car conscious Europeans were dazzled by the new 911, and many fellow motorists took the opportunity to drive alongside for a closer look whenever they could. The Carrera moves off the line with great snap, running like a raped ape to its 7300 rpm redline and pulling strong from any rpm in between. The robust 6-speed transmission's ratios are perfectly spaced to make the most of the engine's 296 horsepower and 258 lb/ft of torque. There's now cable linkage, which loses some "direct" feel, but the shifting is absolutely precise and smooth. On the unrestricted stretches of autobahn, more than a few times we were able to reach 172 mph, the car remaining impressively planted and stable, with far less wind noise than might be expected.

Aerodynamically the new body has little lift, though there is more in front to create a bit of high speed understeer, the movable rear spoiler popping up at 75 mph to help with stability at speed. It retracts at 55 mph and can be raised or lowered manually with the touch of a switch on the instrument panel.

The new Carrera Cabriolet is everything the Carrera is, but with a top that drops - an operation that goes from closed to open and vice-versa in 20 seconds, by pushing a button or turning the key in the door lock. When lowered, the top now folds discreetly within the bodywork. Visibility has been improved through the use of rear quarter windows. There is also a standard wind blocker to keep buffeting and wind noise down at speed. Built-in pop-up roll bars deploy when the computer senses zero gravity, a nose or tail angle of 72 degrees or a rollover angle of 36 degrees. The differences from the coupe are a touch of cowl shake and a bit more wind noise at speed with the top closed. The Cabrio comes standard with a 71-pound aluminum removable hardtop that features a heated rear window, a hat shelf and two-shell construction for reduced noise. It takes two people to remove or install the top. It just might be the sexiest Porsche Cabrio ever. Porsche expects it to garner 55 percent of its hoped-for 7000 US '99 Carrera sales.

Taking It To The Track

Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the new Carrera's handling is to forget what you remember about the old Carrera's handling.

That's exactly what I did several months later in Portland. There, at PIR, Porsche turned us loose with racers Hurley Haywood, Andy Pilgrim and Richard Spenard for many serious hot laps in new Carrera coupes fitted with the 18-inch whee/tire option. To make the experience a real eye opener, they brought along properly-optioned '98 Carrera 2S coupes so we could swap cars back-to-back and really experience the differences. The learning curve was amplified by the fact that Portland weather was delivering its usual rain in torrents.

I've had 911s in my garage for over 15 years and I jumped in the Carrera 2S to get the day rolling because I'm very familiar with the car, which to me feels like a favorite chair. But the PIR track was slick and treacherous, and I hadn't done hot laps at a track in several months.

Right off, the 993 keeps your attention like an attack-trained canine grabbing for a leg. It's darty and the tail likes to come out in the wet, but it sends lots of input to the driver through the wheel and seat so nothing really comes as a surprise. Still, in this car you have to be ready for anything. In a way, the 993 reminds me of a high - maintenance woman. "I want this, I want that or I'm going to make things miserable for you," is, in essence, what it seems to be saying. "Better pay attention to me or there will be hell to pay!" That's the Carrera 2S at speed. Oh yeah, she's fun, and she'll give you a ride to remember, but don't get careless or turn your back on her.

Then I climbed in the new car and settled in - adjusted everything to my liking, and headed down the track with Hurley Haywood as passenger.

Hurley didn't care for my gear selection through the infield portion of the course. I wanted third, he demanded second, so second it was. Later, when I went out with Andy Pilgrim, he wondered what I was doing using second on the wet course.

"Hurley told me to use second," I exclaimed.

"Maybe on a dry day but not today. I can't believe he told you to use second," said Andy.

Just goes to show you that every driver has their own style, but one thing every single one of them agreed on, was that the new Carrera just flat blew the 2S away in spades in every category.

The new Carrera's engine has a smoother growl, but is unmistakably a 911 when it comes to motor music. Mid-range punch is stronger, and the engine revs higher - the car definitely feels faster.

At the limit, the car is effortless to drive. The steering is ultra precise, the car goes exactly where you point it and you can position it right where you want need to be if you're running a racing line at the track. The new pedals allow easy heel and toeing, the brakes - if you can imagine it - are even better than before and I never missed a gear - always a possibility in the previous 911. There is nothing that the previous car does better.

After many laps in the 996, I switched to the 993 and very quickly reached the conclusion that I couldn't go back - that the old 911 would forever be like a jettisoned lover. There were many fond memories, but the passion was gone.

So for those bemoaning the loss of the air-cooled 911, they can take solace in the fact that the new Carrera embodies all the character of the revered 911, and drives it into the next mellenium like a space shot. Porsche enthusiasts rejoice, because there just might be a new love in your life.

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