Traction Inc.

You want track performance? The 991 has a button for that. You want a smooth and cosseting street drive? There’s a button for that. You want to act like a loon or have a start-stop system that’s so quick you can be sitting at a light with your engine off and still blow the doors off 95% of whatever rolls up next to you? Buttons for both.

You want a visceral, emotional connection? Where the hell’s that button?

The difference between an air-cooled 911 and the current 991 is the difference between a finely-crafted mechanical watch and an iPad. The watch does one thing, and does it well. The iPad does everything and does it all better than the watch.

But the watch is not just a watch, whereas the iPad is just a very fancy tool. The craftsmanship that went into making the watch no longer exists and it is therefore irreplaceable. The iPad is only as good as the latest update, and like Apple, only a few months in and Porsche has already released a version that is very slightly improved.

It is the best Porsche yet. The best 911 ever. A technical marvel and an engineering masterpiece and one of the finest pieces of machinery ever made. It is probably the best car I will drive all year.

And I don’t want one.

Brendan McAleer, The Truth About Cars

So there’s a brand new Porsche 911 on the market. A true sports car icon since its introduction 45 years ago, the new car (code named 991) continues to set the benchmark by which other drivers cars are measured. As a new Porsche it is of course faster, more capable and more refined than the last one. But I’m not alone in thinking that a little bit of the 911’s soul is being lost in each new generation.

If you read all the reviews, the new 991 is seriously good to drive. So my only real issue with the car is a philosophical one. The latest generation Porsches, like BMWs and so many other cars these days, have become several orders of magnitude more complex than the cars I learned to drive and wrench on. At some point it has got to become too much.

Fifteen years ago, the interior of the Porsche 993 had a total of maybe 8 switches. Luxury accessories were limited to power seats and electric windows. The throttle was connected to the engine with a steel cable, and traction control was up to the driver.

Today’s 991 represents the bleeding edge of automotive technology. Bi-Xenon and LED lighting. CFD modeled aerodynamic elements, located even on the suspension. Super fast automated double clutch gearbox. Driver adjustable suspension settings, engine mapping, even exhaust sounds. Active stability management. Dynamic chassis control. Direct fuel injection engine with fully variable valve timing and advanced emissions controls. Eelectromechanical power steering and electric parking brake with hill-hold. Carbon ceramic brakes. Adustable spoiler. Two-zone automatic air conditioning. Large LCD interface for GPS and communications systems with ParkAssist sensing. A center console covered in buttons for interior comfort, sound and phone controls. And of course, all the computer systems to govern it all.

By all accounts, the 991 sounds like a stellar automobile. But it is stupefyingly complicated and expensive to develop, build and maintain. A few years from now, when I’m in the market for a used one, I’m not sure how will that shape my purchasing decision.

that911:

tractioninc replied to your post:  Sad thing though is that you can get an early 996 for less than a 993 or even 964. And it’s a faster, more modern, more comfortable car. That has less soul. PS - 996 turbo’s are getting close to $30K these days.

The only problem with 996/997 Carreras is that they don’t have Mezger engines. The M9X based powerplants in more modern 911’s are garbage compared the Mezger engines in early 911’s and GT/Turbo variants of the 996 & 997. They also feel soulless. They are very good cars and I’ve debated buying a 996 Carrera as a DD/track car, but it just isn’t for me. If I had a 993 DD it would be a fairly built and comfortable GT2 Evo replica (my boyhood dream car) and I’d keep my car as a track car.

If you’ve driven a 996 and an aircooled 911/964/993 then I’m sure you understand why most people opt for the aircooled versions. They are great fun to drive and every second in the drivers seat is enjoyable compared to the bland feeling of a base 996/997 Carrera. That being said, I do still like base 996’s & 997’s. I just wouldn’t own one.

For those in the know, there are a few 996’s with Hans Mezger-designed engines and are worth serious consideration: the 911 Turbo, GT2 and GT3.  While the GT cars are track monsters, the Turbo model is truly a supercar for daily driving.  Friendly road manners, stout reliability and all-wheel drive are paired with a 420 (later 450) horsepower powerplant for accessible, awesome speed.  Early examples are over a decade old now, and can be found for the same money as a new Nissan Maxima.  Yeah.

Me and the Porsche 911 Turbo
So, so, so biblically fast.

Classic Porsche 911 goodness.  I have got to find this poster.

M and I in the Porsche 911 Turbo

In the 911, ready to chase down the madman in the Elise

GPOY: behind the wheel of a Porsche 997 Turbo