RE: RPM Technik Porsche 996 CSR: Driven
Discussion
I took the plunge back in June this year - Paragon car, 996.2 C4S and my life has changed forever. No regrets whatsoever and get a huge amount of enjoyment from driving it at weekends and the way it looks. Could have gone for a 997.1 but just prefer the way my car drives / looks. Paragon have been excellent too, extremely knowledgeable and passionate about all things Porsche.
i'm in the market for a 996.1, but there aren't that many about in the spec that i want (sadly porsche seemed to make more cabriolets and tiptronics than manual coupes) but i'm sure prices are starting to firm up and even rise slightly.
I prefer the look of the early cars to the facelift (and not just cos that's all i can afford - although if you twisted my arm i'd get a C4S) but the interior and options are normally worse (there's not many early cars with PSE, litronic lights, and the bose stereo)
i think spending £20k on a £12k car is a little extreme, but i'd certainly like the engine work and the little ducktail on mine
I prefer the look of the early cars to the facelift (and not just cos that's all i can afford - although if you twisted my arm i'd get a C4S) but the interior and options are normally worse (there's not many early cars with PSE, litronic lights, and the bose stereo)
i think spending £20k on a £12k car is a little extreme, but i'd certainly like the engine work and the little ducktail on mine
matrignano said:
Hankering after a C4S, but the interior really is rather s
t.
And is there any OEM-like way to upgrade the sat nav and fit front parking sensors?
Have you actually been in a 996?t.And is there any OEM-like way to upgrade the sat nav and fit front parking sensors?
The interior really depends on the spec and colour combinations. Picking a dark interior is pretty safe and a nice place to be.
As for front parking sensors - it's a sportcar not a school bus
I have to be honest I always thought the wide body 996 was far more attractive but recently I have grown a real soft spot for the base narrow body carrera (especially in silver), they keep catching my eye. This adaptation certainly plays on the bits I like. If it wasn't for the inherent engine flaws it would be on my wishlist (to go alongside the TT not as a replacement). The fried egg headlights on both never quite look right in photos but imo in the flesh look completely different and just work.
I still think the 996 GT3 looks pants though, the rear wing looks like a real afterthought.
As for the comments on the 993, again I have to agree, it was always my perfect 911 but its lost some of its appeal and hasn't aged quite as well as I expected. The 964's and 996's seem to be doing the entire opposite
I still think the 996 GT3 looks pants though, the rear wing looks like a real afterthought.
As for the comments on the 993, again I have to agree, it was always my perfect 911 but its lost some of its appeal and hasn't aged quite as well as I expected. The 964's and 996's seem to be doing the entire opposite
Edited by shantybeater on Thursday 27th November 20:30
Well, its about time that someone acknowledged how good vfm the early 996s are. I was fortunate enough to buy an early 996 Carrera that had been lavished with love and money with uprated suspension (KWV3 with a fast road/track geo), an uprated LSD, uprated brakes, aerokit and a lightweight interior although having owned it for 3 yrs and having enjoyed the peace of mind of a Hartech engine, sold it to a fellow PHer nearly 2 yrs ago. The external wrap was on the car when I had and although it wasnt to everyone's taste,I thought it was distinctive. I'll let the photos do the talking (and the decals were all part of a branding exercise by the friend who created the car). I knew when I bought the car that the cost to the previous owner was significantly more than I paid and as one PHer has already said, buy a car off someone who has lavished the money for you to enjoy in your ownership!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
It was at Silverstone on Nov 2 along with the 7 Cup RPM are running in GTCup, but these shots are from Sunday 23 Nov when it was also handed over to its new owner. If you can believe it the weather was even worse that weekend!My 2 pence is that 996 GT3s are now at around £50k so a less fully specced CSR at £20-£25k makes for a very appealing 4 seat daily driver that can be quite happily tracked. As with any modification programme you can tailor it to suit your own individual needs. I am biased as know the RPM crew very well, but I've driven that particular CSR hard round Spa (back to back with my GT3) and it is a great package - heal and toeing with the LWFW is such fun and you can really wring the engine out using all the gears. Dynamically with fresh suspension it's way better than my 964. I think the 996.1 has aged beautifully and never thought a ducktail would work on it, but it does. I hanker after one built to a lightweight spec...
Cheers
Slodge
loveice said:
IMO, Gen 1 996 (beside Gen1 996 GT3 front bumper and side skirts) is how modern 911 should look like. Beside the interior, the exterior of Gen 1 996 has the best surface design (all the surfaces flow together, all the shutlines go somewhere meaningful), best proportion (not too wide, too big) and details (all designed to suit the surface flow) of all the watercooled 911s. Gen 2 of 996 has the wrong headlamps. And CS4/Turbo's proportions were wrong. 997s and 991s... well...
Not so sure. The front end of a 996 is so awful - those lights in particular - and ruins the rest of the car. From an industrial design perspective, the 997 is more cohesive, more purposeful and a little less blobby. The 996 doesn't have a similar tension its form like all pre 996 911s - and for me I'll save my cash thanks and have a 997. Edited by loveice on Thursday 27th November 09:49
For a normal, 'non-wealthy' family man, the fairly low purchase price of these cars is appealing (even if the front doesn't look very good), but the potential for ruinous engine failure or a pre-emptive full-rebuild puts him (ie. me) off.
I haven't driven any 911, but would a Boxster of a similar age (or a Cayman) be a better buy?
...the small rear seats of the 996 would be handy though.
I haven't driven any 911, but would a Boxster of a similar age (or a Cayman) be a better buy?
...the small rear seats of the 996 would be handy though.
billywhizzzzzz said:
Not so sure. The front end of a 996 is so awful - those lights in particular - and ruins the rest of the car. From an industrial design perspective, the 997 is more cohesive, more purposeful and a little less blobby. The 996 doesn't have a similar tension its form like all pre 996 911s - and for me I'll save my cash thanks and have a 997.
If the aim was to keep the twin round headlamps and two separate side lights/indicators design units at whatever the cost, then the current 991 certainly has the best front 3/4, due to its better integration of those two elements with the front side wings, bonnet and bumper. However, if we are talking about an evolution design of the twin round headlamps and two separate side lights/indicators, then when you look carefully at the front 3/4 of 996.1, you should see how beautifully those two elements are integrated with the front side wings/bonnet/bumper. All the surfaces and shutlines flow together. There isn't a surface been used to specially accommodate a particular design element. In fact, I'm sure when they did the clay model of the initial 996 design, the modellers didn't even need to know where the headlamps, sidelights and indicators are. They could simply make the smooth surfaces first. Then, the designers would just use a knife to 'draw' out the headlamp units on the finished surface.
There are just too many designs for the sake of design on modern cars. 996.1 however is quite different.
There's a nice blog about what can be done with a 996 for trackday fun here:
http://www.oz951.com/public/emmy.htm
http://www.oz951.com/public/emmy.htm
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