I had a few days between jobs and decided to treat myself to a spin round Porsche’s Silverstone track in a couple of old cars and a new one: a ‘74 Carrera G, a ’96 993 C2 and a new 991 C2S Cab. I’ve always wanted to do this and was especially looking forwards to the 993. When I arrived I parked up next to their GT3 4.0 and watched a chap filming a couple of cars from his collection, a 959 and a Carrera RS, sadly driving these wasn’t part of the deal. The weather was interesting; damp track, just below freezing with a few flakes of snow, and the cars were on summer tyres, rock on!
First the G, feels really old, not tatty but a bit creaky, the first thing that struck me was the small cabin, and the screen a foot from my face. The long clutch and brake pedal travels and gear throw took a bit of getting used to but we were soon up to speed. It’s a brisk little car, not especially fast, but nimble with a light turn in. Lack of PAS makes driving a bit less relaxing, but less effort is needed than for a quick kart in the corners. Speaking of which the car held on reasonably well but was soon chattering from the front end as understeer kicked in, and although you were always aware of a weight at the rear there was never any oversteer. Overall a lovely little classic but not a DD these days.
Next the 993, bigger and although the interior is very dated with lots of fiddly buttons, it all worked well enough. Clearly the same DNA as the G but the drive was in a different league. The car felt quick especially up above 4000 rpm, turn in was excellent. Understeer was less intrusive; a slight rubberiness signalled the point where prudence dictated a bit less throttle. After a while though I started getting the hand of modulating the angles with the gas pedal, absolutely lovely balance, like a mini race car. On the low grip I got taught the on, off, on technique for shuffling the car round corners; lightening the rear and using the car’s momentum to rotate the back round, then the throttle to glue it back down again and squirt out fast. What fun.
Finally the 991. Wasn’t there to try the PDK so I stuck it in manual and left it there. Not much feeling of weight at the back anymore, although the front end is nice and light. In fact the whole car feels quite light even though it’s much heavier then the other two. Lots of power and noise, funnily enough the sound has a lot less of the flat six clatter in the mix than I was expecting, much less than my CS with its stock exhaust. I guess refined is the word. Now here’s a funny thing, I had much more difficulty on the kick plate and ice hill with this car. Apparently this is because the electric steering is very quick and you need to dial back the quick responses needed for the hydraulic cars, progress huh. The steering was otherwise absolutely fine, nicely weighted and direct, no hint of understeer. One slight issue with the car was the tiny rear screen that did compromise visibility.
Of course one ponders which would be the best ownership proposition. In money terms a really well restored 993 costs almost the same as a 12 month old 991S at £60K or so, so it’s not an unfair question. For me, with driving pleasure uppermost, I’d forgo the comfort and technology of the 991 and choose the 993. But of course I actually prefer my 987S, with its blend of handling and comfort, although I do wish I could shuffle the engine back a bit for old times sake
