Porsche 911 Turbo S (993): PH Carpool
Wild to look at, equally wild to drive this PHer's Turbo is a proper Porsche
Car: 993 Turbo S
Owned since: March 2009
Previously owned: 993 Carrera
Mods live up to the hype of factory fit GT2 kit
"I love all the air-cooled 911s and my dream car was a 993. My previous 993 Carrera was great fun with a few mods and set up properly, but wasn't really quick enough to worry motorbikes. I previously owned a black 993 and had to have another black one. Bit silly really! The S was the ultimate for me as I'd never be able to afford a GT2. The S came along in 1997 with larger turbos, stiffer suspension, a strut brace, larger piston brake calipers, an extra oil cooler, fancy air scoops on the rear wings and some carbon bits inside. Standard power was 450bhp over 408bhp of the K16 equipped regular turbo."
What I wish I'd known:
"I thought I knew a bit about them and that they were very reliable (like my last one). It was in excellent condition bodily and looked very mean with its factory fitted GT2 front and rear wings. It came with a mountain of paperwork and receipts, it seemed no expense had been spared. It also had a warranty which turned out wasn't worth the paper it was written on! The engine went pop, the suspension needed to be refurbed, as did the brakes and almost everything else mechanically. Soooooo, £30K was spent in the first two years! Yikes!
"Buying tip would be to get someone who 'actually' knows about these cars inside and out!"
Plenty spent on it but with spectacular results
"I do love it though, it's pretty awesome. It is running K24.550 hybrid turbos put together with a very expensive AMD tuning package including map, intakes, intercooler, 100-cell cats with Milltek exhausts, motorsport limited-slip diff, Sachs clutch and GT2 flywheel. Running standard 0.8 bar boost it dynoed 503bhp and 455lb ft torque. Keeping it on all four wheels are GT2 anti-roll bars and all arms are polybushed and it has bespoke three-way adjustable H&R Clubsport suspension package, braided hoses, race fluid, EBC pads and Cup tyres on light wheels. There are other wee touches but my fingers are getting sore. I take it on track regularly and go on PistonHeads Scotland runs monthly throughout the summer. It sounds pretty special for a turbo and goes like stink! It is driven hard and has a high mileage, although only 14K since last complete engine rebuild."
Things I hate:
"There's always something needing fixed even if it's minor and despite owning an expensive car I'm not wealthy. Replacement windscreens rarely fit well, compounded by stiff suspension. Oh and I hate stone chips. I put it in to my independent for some issue and the young apprentice asked what had been spilled all over the front of the car, the road rash was horrific. It got painted over the winter though and lasted ONE PH run behind my pal's Gallardo SL and got about 30 new stone chips Argh!"
Keeping up with Lambos does create issues
"It gets 11mpg around town, have seen twice that on the motorway but I rarely drive much there. Parts are very expensive but the quality is good. Insurance is cheap for me because I'm old(er)! I drive a wee Abarth 500 to work to save on fuel."
Where I've been:
"Numerous track days and PH runs, but the Cup tyres don't last long enough to go much further!"
What next?
"It's a keeper, will only sell it when I'm too old to drive it quickly."
A good few years back I was very lucky to be offered a ride out in a PH'ers example - Grand Prix White 993 Turbo, with various upgrades that I beleive was running then 450hp of the 's'.
We were heading out on a PH dawn run, met at his house at 5am-ish. I was paying for the fuel and reading the maps, he was doing the pedalling. It was quite a cold day too, greasy, spring maybe, the 993 was quite comprehensively the fastest thing out by some margin. Magnificent. Wish I could find the photos again.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff