911 vs Carrera

Why do some 996s have a 911 on back of car and others say carrera? Thanks

The only factory 911 that came with that badge was the 40th Anniversary edition. Some other 996 owners have rebadged their 911 with that.

last time i saw a 99' cab with "911" badge, and the dealer told me it's part of the "designer pkg"

He fibbed.....

A salesman will 'spin' whatever he cannot answer directly. WTH is a 'designer pkg'???....

Didn't the 2000 millenium edition have it as well? Personally, I prefer the 911 and orderd the badge to replace my Carrera plate some time ago. After all, the car is a 911 Carrera.

I love the Carrera 4S badge... I really need to get Eric to paint the 'S' red!!

I just saw a millenium with the "911" this weekend

Yes, the Millenium had "911" on the lid. And they only made 911 of them in the Millenium edition.

And after seeing one you would understand why they only made 911 of them.

Dell I passed on one at a very good price ... you gotta LOVE IT, or you don't Len

Len...you are prob 100% correct. Between the color and the wood bits I said YACK! But, under it all is a 911 and that is cool with me.

My '99 Arctic Silver Carrera Cab came with the Carrera badge delete on the rear and had nothing. I liked it for a while, but eventially I thought I would either go with 996 or 911. Over a year ago I decided on 911 in black script. I think it looks great.

Anyone ever seen someone do both? There are two flat or plained surfaces where the badges can be mounted and you could easily put 911 on the upper and Carrera on the lower so that it read with the full name. Just wondering if it might be too much. BTW, I think that I have noticed that after MY'02 they started placing the Carrera badge on the lower plain. Can anyone confirm and/or explain that?

Yes, on the 3.4L 996 the Carrera badge is on the upper plain of the rear deck lid, on the 3.6L 996, it is located on the lower plain. When I replaced the black badge on my 3.4 with a silver one, I placed it on the lower plain. I think it looks more correct in that location.

I'm surprised more people don't like the delete option. Frankly, it drives me crazy every time I clean the car and little bits of terry cloth get caught in the Carrera logo. Is it easy to remove these things? I'm worried the paint will come right off with the badge.

I have had people ask me if mine is a 4 cylinder? because of the Carrera 4 badge. When I had the Boxster people used to say nice Miata? Do I care ... not really.

Paint won't come off when you remove the badge. It's a bit tedious but not hard to do. Use mild amounts of heat from a heat gun or hair dryer to heat up the badge. Use dental floss and get it under a corner of a badge and start to work it back and forth to cut through some of the adhesive. Once you get some adhesive worked away to where you can peal up a corner of the badge get an old rag or t-shirt under the corner securely and pull...the badge should come right up. Saturate the remaining adhesive with goo gone for about 5 minutes and it should come right off. Use a polish or cleaner-wax to clean up the area and protect with your favorite protectant. My only worry on a silver car would be slight paint fade over the years if your car lives much of it's life outside...you could be left with a slight shadow of your badge remaining. I hate badges...all 3 of my cars are de-badged

I guess it's different strokes for different folks because I love the 'Carrera' badge! In fact, I don't want the badge-delete option on any car. I don't care for the supplemental factory badging like 'Triton V8', 'V-Tech', 'SH-AWD', and such, but I do feel it's tasteful and proper to display the model name. From my understanding, the correct model name is (and has been) just 'Carrera' starting with the 964. The '89 model year was the last one to carry the '911' designation in its chassis number. Only in the U.S. is the Carrera still affectionately known as the "911". The '911' badging on the Millennium Edition and 40th Anniversary is purely an accessory rather than an actual model name.

'84-'89 3.2L cars were also marketed as Carreras.

Ah, wrong. 911 is the model name, while 'Carrera', 'Cabriolet', 'GT3' or 'Turbo' are the supplemental factory badging that you stated you hated above. Here's a link to the Porsche websitein Germany . You'll notice that every one of the cars is called '911'....the car's proper model name. And I made certain to link to the German site for Porsche so that you could see that it's not a US phenomenon.

I've debadged my c2. I think it looks much much cleaner, especially if you have other aggressive mods (eg wing). imo edward, removing the badge is very easy. Just get a hair dryer to heat it up and some dental floss to remove it.

Carrera became the designation for the street 911 with the introduction of the 200 hp 3.2 liter motor in 1984. The SC from '78-'83 stood for Super Carrera. Before that Carrera was reserved for super performance versions only.

Also, the 930 was marketed as the turbo Carrera

Well, if that web site is the ultimate authority, then I guess Peter Morgan is completely wrong in his book Original Porsche 911 . Respectfully, I'll take the word of a reknown Porsche historian, however. I'll go check out Paul Frere's books as a confirmation also. The supplemental badging I'm referring to involves the description of a feature, hence 'Triton V8', 'V-Tec', and 'SH-AWD'. Those badges aren't part of the official model name. Whereas, 'Carrera', 'GT3', and 'Turbo' are part of the official model name. Incidentally, 'Cabriolet' is not a badge on any current Porsche lineup. Again, to my knowledge, the official model name is (and has been) a concatenation of the internal chassis number and 'Carrera', i.e. 911 Carrera, 964 Carrera, 993 Carrera, 996 Carrera, 997 Carrera, and so on. I realize it will forever be known as the "911", but it's no longer the official model name.

I like the delete option... if they don't know what it is... they don't have to know! (and it is much easier to clean)

What are you talking about? I may be way wrong here, in which case I'd surely appreciate reading a site that you might be able to provide in order to clarify the issue. However, to my knowledge 911 IS the official model name. 996, 997 et al. are internal designations, though I have seen them used occasionally on Porsche web sites to assist with transition periods. Moreover, the site that I linked to was the OFFICIAL Porcshe web site out of Germany. As in Porsche AG. As in an historian can write whatever he wants. But in looking at Porsche's history on the site , it doesn't mention 964, 993, 996, or 997 at all (I used England since it's in English, but still not in the US). It says in 1997, "the new Porsche 911 with a water-cooled six-cylinder boxer engine" was released, NOT the new 996. It also references that in 1995, the "new 911 Turbo with its bi-turbo engine", NOT the new 993 Turbo. If you look at the history, this reference to the model as '911' continues going back in time (1993, 1989....all the way back to the 911's introduction in 1963). It's equivalent to the BMW 3-series model or calling it by e36, e46, etc. It's a 3-series model, but it's identified by the corporate internal designation (eg. e46) for body style and year. EDIT: One last thing: as for badges, I never really liked the 'Turbo' or '4S' logos on the back (or 'Carrera' as already mentioned, though still on my car for now...or until I can remove it). People that drive these cars and love these cars can definitely tell that those two cars are a whole different animal just by looking for the flares. As Cheech Marin would say, "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"

On the official Porsche distributor's websites, such as PCNA or PCGB, the cars are referred to as 911 Carrera , 911 Carrera S , 911 Carrera S Cabriolet , 911 Carrera 4S , etc...... The internal model number (997) is not shown in official marketing material for the current 911. http://www.porsche.com/uk/models/911/

Edward, the book from which I got my info is a chronicle of the 911 history and not an author's commentary. Therefore, I wouldn't go as far as saying "a historian can write whatever he wants." Yes, the 911, 964, 993, etc., are internal model designations of the subsequent evolution, which is why it would make sense (at least to me) that '911' is no longer the official model name. The adoption of '911' from '901' as the official model name from inception was also stamped into the chassis number. Would it then not be odd that the company continues to use the '911' as the official model name when the chassis number no longer reflects it? Assuming I'm wrong on the chassis number being part of the model name, 'Carrera' is at the very least still the actual model name, and not a supplemental badge as you've claimed. My point is, it hasn't been officially called the '911' since the 1989 model year. The badge on the rear deck is representative of the official model name, i.e. 'Carrera', 'Turbo', 'GT2', 'GT3', etc. Like I said, it will forever be known affectionately as the '911', if nothing else, for familiarity reasons. Just like the name 'Miata' will always persist, even though the official model name is now the 'MX-5'. I understand you have your source and I have mine, but since you're of the belief that historians take great liberty when it comes to historical accuracy, then I suppose there's no reason for me to quote from the book.

Kevin, that's true. These materials may be referencing the familiar model name for marketing purposes, but is it the official model name? Even if I'm wrong on '911', the badge on the rear deck is still part of the official model name!

911 Carrera is how the company formally presents the product for sale. So, yes, I would consider this to be the "official" model name.

Charlie, your historian's reference might just be a case of misinterpreted semantics. However, the car you drive is a 996 911. FYI..... From PCNA website talking about 40 years of history of the 911. Pay close note to the sentence that says "............a complete Porsche 911 model history..........and specifications for each generation of the 911, from the first car that made its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt International Auto Show to the latest 2004 models." Atlanta, GA --- In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Porsche 911 this fall, Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) has launched a special commemorative web site titled 40 Fast Years. The site takes a look back at each generation of the Porsche 911 and features a section where enthusiasts can submit personal Porsche 911 stories. Those who submit or rate these stories are eligible for some exciting Porsche prizes. The 40 Fast Years web site incorporates two sections. One features a complete Porsche 911 model history displaying photos, sounds and specifications for each generation of the 911, from the first car that made its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt International Auto Show to the latest 2004 models. Here enthusiasts can also test their Porsche 911 knowledge with an interactive game. At the heart of the 40 Fast Years site is the story section where owners and enthusiasts can share their Porsche 911 experiences. Stories may be submitted with or without a photo, and everyone who submits a story will be eligible for the grand prize � an original Porsche 911 drawing by a member of the design team at Porsche Style in Weissach, Porsche�s Research and Development Center. The winning story will also be published in a national automotive magazine. Those who consider themselves critics rather than authors have a chance to win one of five $100 Porsche Selection gift certificates for authentic Porsche merchandise just for reading and rating their favorite stories. Porsche enthusiasts wishing to access 40 years of Porsche 911 history and submit or rate a Porsche 911 story should visit www.porsche.com/40fastyears/ . Porsche Cars North America, Inc., based in Atlanta, Ga., and its subsidiary, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., are the exclusive importers of Porsche vehicles for the United States and Canada. A wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c.F Porsche AG, PCNA employs approximately 200 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, marketing and training for its 204 dealers in North America. They, in turn, provide Porsche with best-in-class service. Report of 07/01/2003

I like "911"

Nay man, I never meant to suggest that historians always write bunk. I was just saying that the company itself referred to it as the 911. Nevertheless, I agree that Carrera, Turbo, etc ARE part of the model name. I was just riding you that it is king of an add-on name badge (read, trying to be a bit of a smart a$$). Anyway, the beauty of it all is that Porsche offers the option of having or deleting the designation on the deck lid. All in all, that's pretty cool.

Yup, no argument there! I like to refer to my car as a '911' myself. It has a real nice ring to it. There was even an urban myth that PAG had decided not to refer to it as a '911' since it's reminiscent of September 11th.

Being new to the space... I honestly didn't know a Carrera was a 911. Most people only know what they hear, read, or see on TV. 911 everybody knows. Carrera...who knows what that is :P. Hence...I'm in favor of 911. thanks, Amir