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Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHDifferent front bumpers over the years?
Leading reported evidence
Install wide body) bumper and tail lights
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That car on the left is a bit misleading though since it has an aftermarket (or somehow retro-fitted wide body) bumper and tail lights.
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The MKII shifted to Turbo's ping pong paddles used on all of the wide body cars.
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All of the wide body cars used the ping pong paddle headlights.
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Suspected cause
Finally, the most radical of the 996es is probably the GT2.
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Suggestion
The biggest changes were to the headlights but I think you're describing the differences between the narrow body and wide body cars.
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I'm interested in getting a 996 soon. I was searching for when the front end got updated and what changes were made. I would like some pics of each version.
I guess the early ones had the more rounded headlights and they switched to the Turbo style headlights in 2002? Were there other variations available as options or anything?
For example, I have seen a few Carreras for sale with what looks like the Turbo bumper. Was that ever an option or did someone do a conversion? Definitely my favorite look.
This car is an example of what I am talking about
:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...5410/overview/
The 996's face didn't change much over the years. The biggest changes were to the headlights but I think you're describing the differences between the narrow body and wide body cars. The MKI cars had the infamous fried egg headlights. The MKII shifted to Turbo's ping pong paddles used on all of the wide body cars. All of the wide body cars used the ping pong paddle headlights.
The car in your link is a C4S so it has a wide body. It also happens to be an MKII.
Here's a pic of an
MKI narrow body
996:
Here's a pic of an
MKII narrow body
996
Here's a pic of a
wide body
996
The one above is a C4S. The Turbo has large inlets on the rear fenders and a large rear spoiler. Their front ends are the same.
There were other versions of the 996 with slightly different standard bumpers, too.
For example, the 40th Anniversary Edition was a narrow body with a wide body-like front end.
And, here's a silver
MKI GT3
vs. a yellow
MKII GT3
Again, note the differences in the headlights.
Finally, the most radical of the 996es is probably the GT2. Here's a pic of its front end.
As is true of all Porsches, there were different body kits available throughout the run that may not be depicted here but this should be a good starting point for comparing front ends. I hope it's useful.
-Eric
not sure what else anyone can add to Eric's "EPIC" reply above. Andrew, very easy (and common) for owners to customize their front ends to whatever suits them. But pictures above gives you a baseline of what came from the factory.
Epic, yet he left something out
The GT3 front bumpers were slightly different than the standard narrow body bumper. It was available as an option (part of the various Aero kits) on the regular cars.
Wow, thanks guys! lol
Ahem...actually, I included pics of both the MKI and MKII versions of the GT3 bumpers
because
they are slightly different. I didn't, for example, include pics of the standard C4 and Targa front bumpers separate from the C2 because they're all the same. I also noted that there were kits available that may not be depicted in the pics of the standard bumpers.
lol
-Eric
Wow! Thank you, Eric! That was exactly what I was looking for.
I was having a hard time with the MKII narrow and wide body. I couldn't figure out why similar cars of the same year looked different. Now I know what I am looking for.
I will definitely try to get a C4S or 40th AE if I can find one in my price range. I like the MKII headlights otherwise. I don't think I will get a MKI unless it's a really good deal.
Andrew, happy to help!
Not to turn a discussion of front ends to rear ends but I think you'll also find that there's a big difference between the rear ends of the narrow and wide body cars, too. Some prefer the narrow, classic coke bottle styling of the traditional narrow body. Others prefer the wide hips and more aggressive styling of the wide body. Either way, IMHO, you can't go wrong. They're all truly great, beautiful cars.
Just so you know, the C4S shares its body with the Turbo save the whale tail spoiler and the large intakes in the fenders on the sides of the car. The C4S has a retractable spoiler like on the NB cars. Both the C4S and Turbo have the same broad rear fenders (which accommodate larger width tires in the back), however, and vents at the bottom of the rear bumper (which you can easily see in this shot of the C4S).
The C4S is also the only model that comes with the red bar that connects the taillights (paying homage to the air cooled models with the same strips). None of the other cars (including the Turbo) came equipped this way.
For comparison, here's the rear bumper of a narrow body Carrera.
The 40AE is a narrow body car so, although it shares its bumper with the 4S and Turbo, its rear end is basically the same as the NB (save some badging differences). Even the GT3's rear bumper is basically the same as the the standard NB rear bumper as seen below.
And, similarly, the GT2, which is also a wide body car, shares a rear bumper with the 4S and Turbo.
As with the front end (and as gnat will remind you), there were body kits available that alter the bumpers (front and rear). To add to that, there are also different spoilers and wings (tacos, GT3s, etc.), exhaust tips and other optional bits and pieces (not to mention wheels) that can change up the appearance but I'll let someone else get into pics of all that.
-Eric
It's amazing how the "same" car looks totally different.
My dad went with me to the Hershey swap a few years ago and he was blown away that he felt like he never saw the same car twice.
Just to nit pick, no one included pics of the mk1 Aero with optional rear "spats".
Also no one included the aero kit version of the C4S(XAH)/Turbo(XAF).
@alpine003 No debate. As I said, I didn't get into all of the options. I was just trying to illustrate the differences between the standard front ends.
. Thanks for adding to the list! I'm sure it's all very useful to Andrew and others looking for this kind of info!
