History and Variants of the 996 Carrera · The 996 was introduced to the world at the Frankfurt Motor show in September 1997. It w

History and Variants of the 996 Carrera MY1998 The 996 was introduced to the world at the Frankfurt Motor show in September 1997. It was a radical redesign of the 911 concept with a completely new body shell, and for the first time the engine was water cooled. Designers Pinky Lai and Harm Lagaay produced a svelte new form which was 30mm wider and 173mm longer than its predecessor, the 993. Structural stiffness of the new bodyshell was up by 45% in torsion, and 50% in flexure. Drag coefficient was down to 0.3 from 0.33, and the extra internal dimensions gave the car a roomier and luxurious feel. But it remained instantly recognisable as a 911. The 996 shared many components of the 986 Boxster, and the cars were visually virtually identical from the nose to the ‘A’ pillar. The car was much cheaper to produce than the 993, as a result of bringing in Japanese consultants to assist with production techniques. The engine was also the same basic design as the Boxster, albeit enlarged to 3.4 litres. Emission and noise regulations determined the unavoidable necessity for the new engine to be water cooled. The engine used four-valve technology with a new variocam system for adjusting the camshaft timing to produce an increase in torque and reduction of hydrocarbon emissions. The engine also featured what can only be described as a ‘semi-wet’ sump, as the oil reservoir was incorporated within the crankcase. Transmission was provided by either a manual 6-speed transmission manufactured by Getrag, or a 5-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox supplied by ZF. The chassis and suspension was the work of Carrera Project Manager Bernd Kahnau, with a McPherson strut design at the front and a cast aluminium multi-link design at the rear corners. The longer wheelbase and more rigid structure proved to be an excellent platform for the new suspension arrangement. On the inside the transformation was also extensive. Gone was the seemingly haphazard arrangement of switchgear and instruments which had been carried over from previous models to the 993. A much more practical and ergonomic layout took its place, yet retained some of the trademark Porsche features, such as the large central revcounter. The driving position improved with wider spaced pedals which were more centrally mounted in the footwell. Water cooling also had a big advantage in providing a far superior heating system, and a true climate control system was introduced using a control system from Audi. The cabin was a much more refined place to be than ever before.