6 The 996 : 1997-2005

When the 996 911 rolled off the assembly line in 1997, it became the most controversial and possibly the most hated generation of Porsche’s beloved sports car. While maintaining the characteristics of its predecessors, it was an entirely new car. The lowered roofline, water-cooled engine, and the often derided “fried egg” headlights left 911 purists feeling betrayed and dismayed. The design changes were not arbitrary though, giving the new 996 some significant performance upgrades. The lowered roofline reduced the drag coefficient while the all new water-cooled engine with a redesigned valve-train upped the base Carrera’s output to 300hp while increasing fuel efficiency, reliability, and decreasing emissions. The interior was fully redesigned to improve driver comfort as well as incorporating better ergonomics and the integrating modern technology. The 996 generation also blessed us with the 911 GT3, which became one of the most sought after track-focused sports cars in existence. Another first accomplished by Porsche was making the 996 911 GT2 the first car ever to b e equipped with ceramic brakes. ^[1]