The introduction of the 911 Model 996 in 1998 ushered in a whole new era for Porsche. Gone was the air-cooled flat six, replaced with an all-new, modern, water-cooled flat-six. The 996 911 was the first redesigned 911 model that didn’t carry over any significant components from it’s predecessors, significant for Porsche at the time as it was known to iterate on the original 911 formula and technology. The 996 was a big deal. It was totally revamped from the inside out. In 1998, the 996 was only offered in coupe and cabriolet versions with either rear-wheel or 4-wheel drive. The Turbo variant appeared in 2001 and came well equipped with a 3.6 L Turbocharged Flat 6 (M96/70), good for 415 bhp. All of the standard models received a minor makeover in 2002 (becoming known as the 996.2 cars), which included Turbo-style headlights, a freshly designed front clip and an increase in engine capacity to 3.6L along with a subsequent 20 hp boost. The bodies were more rigid which further improved handling. See all of our Porsche 996 Research.
