My return to Porsche (996 40th AE) and rennlist

After a ~15 year hiatus from Porsche ownership (and rennlist), I recently won this beauty on BAT: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...niversary-118/ Needless to say, it feels great to be back! My last Porsche was a 951 I got in college, and during my ownership I spent countless hours on this site. I later strayed to the m5board community when I bought an E39 M5 (Le Mans over Black sport leather, perfect car and never should have sold it). About 10 years ago I moved from CA to NYC, met a girl, started a family, and placed my car passions firmly on the backburner. A couple months back, with kid #2 on the way, I thought, �what better time to reignite the flame?� My wife would say �literally any other time,� but never mind that. In truth, I had been placing �lowball� bids on 996s & 997s for a while, not really expecting to win anything. I bid on this car with 15 minutes left, sure that I would lose following the typical last-minute bidding frenzy. I put my phone down and nearly forgot about it, but when I checked again there was 30 seconds left and I was still the high bidder. My first impressions of the car were very positive. Light, nimble, plenty quick and very analog. I have driven numerous 996/997 turbos and GT3s in the past, and was worried this would feel like a major downgrade, but it really doesn�t. Obviously not on the level of a GT3 and much slower than the Turbos, but still a very special driving experience. While a perfectly good car as is, I love modifying my cars and immediately started addressing some weak points. My goal is a well sorted OEM+ drivers car, or poor man�s GT3 touring. The first weak spot was the strange/inconsistent clutch pedal feel and engagement point. Removing the helper spring cured this for me and I enjoy the heavier pedal feel. Next, I replaced the stock shifter with a numeric racing unit, another huge improvement with shifts now precise and short vs. wobbly and long. These two mods made a world of difference in terms of driver interaction and connection to the car. Cosmetically, I removed the aftermarket tint, window stickers and grey hood badge seen in the BAT photos. I know some people like the dark tint but to me it makes the car look dated and �tuner� in a bad way. Removing the tint makes it look so much more �factory�, light and modern in my view. I also refinished the headlights which had yellowed considerably. Some recent photos after these changes: I also did the airbox resonator bypass. Even with Tubi exhaust and 200 cell cats that are installed, this created a very noticeable and enjoyable increase in induction noise. Planned mods include Feal 441+ coilovers (4k/10k spring rates) and 15mm spacers all around. I wonder how much stiffer/harsher this will feel vs. the Bilstein B6 dampers that were fitted by the previous owner, but I would like to improve handling and reduce the massive US spec fender gap. Will report back on my findings. I like the look of the factory 40AE wheels, but I�m also tempted to either paint them, or refinish a spare set to look like the Boxster 550 spyder edition. Does anyone have a photo of a GT or arctic silver 996 on the Carrera II lightweights with darker grey painted centers? The Boxster 550 centers are seal grey, but I think something darker like slate grey may look even better. If anyone is a photoshop wiz I�d love to see how that looks on my car. Some day I may go for the Slakker 4.1 rebuild, but hopefully that is years away. In the meantime, I want to find some better driving roads to enjoy this around north Jersey where I live now. Also planning to do some autoX and track days next year. Would be great to meet up with other rennlisters in the area!

Excellent pick up and well bought, these 40th Anniversary cars are special. I definitely would have stripped the rapper window tint asap too. 😁 Looks like the PO had a HoneySeal -like coating applied to the underside, great for your climate.

Welcome back, the 996 family continues to grow 😀 Rich

@Trip - congrats on the car! Looks like you picked up a very nice example, especially with the sport seats, which are quite rare in the 40AE cars, and the PCCM+ already installed. I own the #1111 car and you might want to take a scroll down my ownership thread on here. It's been 5 years and nearly 50k miles under my care and the the goal for me has also been a GT3 Touring - esque build as well and I think I'm pretty much there...down to the Slakker 4.1L engine. Porsche tends to do a bunch of little changes with some cars that seem very minor and inconsequential but in the end add up to a pretty significant difference. I think 40AE represents that. From my driver's seat, the driving experience will give most GT3 cars a run for their money! I would leave the wheels as they are. They are pretty unique in finish that is not easy to be replicated. Your set appears to be in great shape so I would save them and buy another set. Apex has a lot of great options for our cars and a sale right now. I've been very happy with the SM-10 model and they "flow" very well with the look of the car. They also have a new wheel that mimics the look of an BBS LM wheel at not a BBS LM price. I've considered a set as well but haven't made the jump yet. I've been very happy with the Ohlins R&T and they have held up amazingly well while being driven all year long. Sadly the availability has been tough lately. I don't have experience with Feal coilovers but have heard good things and just like the Ohlins, I like their ability to adjust ride height without messing with shock travel and spring preload, which can affect ride quality.

Thanks for the replies and warm welcome back everyone! plpete84 - I probably read your ownership thread 3-4 times after winning the auction, your car is spectacular and essentially represents where I hope to take this one over the coming years. Looking forward to continuing this thread and sharing my experiences.

Let the fun begin! Welcome to the smiles and miles club....

Quotes source post: 20342787

I'll jump in, too, to welcome you back to Porsche ownership and, specifically, to welcome you to 40 Jahre 911 ownership. In your browsing through various threads here you may have seen some of my posts, as I own Nr. 0711 of the limited edition and manage the Registry for our cars. I can send you countless photos of our cars with different treatment of the Carrera II lightweight wheels from our Registry records. Many are in the UK, as the climate there is/was rough on the stock finish of our wheels. I'll put a few pics here for now and message you here on RL so that we can connect offline. Ted Nr. 1130 in the UK Nr. 1068 in the UK Nr. 0124 in Berlin (at the time)

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This! The 40AE wheels are unique and gorgeous.There will come a time that you will thank your stars you didn't modify them. Congratulations on the car! I personally think the 40AE is 'peak 996'; it retains the lightness and nimbleness of the 2WD NA 996, and has a drool-worthy list of factory upgrades. If I didn't have so much invested in my targa I'd seek one out.

I bet you were surprised you scooped that car! Nice buy.

I was very surprised to win this one, but not as surprised as my wife I agree the wheels are special and will leave them as is until they get ratty. If I get the itch to try another color in the meantime I�ll buy a spare set. Ted - thanks for reaching out. Spent a good amount of time on your registry as well and appreciate the photos!

Welcome back!