Would The Real 911 Please Stand Up?

IN THE garage downstairs there are three 911s: an '87 Targa, a '99 996 Cabriolet and a 997. Caught between the 993 and the 997, the 996 has been overlooked for not being a) as original as its predecessor and b) not being as good-looking as it successor. Yes, there were quality concerns, but the looks have plenty to do with the low prices too. Lets discuss why they should be set to rise.


We live in an entertainment society, so said J Mays when promoting his concept of retrofuturism. You didn't have to go and reinvent the wheel with a new design, just lean on the past and let the feel-good factor carry you through. 


Watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit years ago caused some feel-good when Jessica Rabbit appeared on screen. Such exaggerated features where shorthand for desire. Hold that thought in your mind as you look at the 991 now: that coke-bottle body has little to do with the grand-daddy 356, and more to do with over-blowing a pastiche. I don't want the rationale to cloud was is ostensibly a desirable shape, but that ought not mean that the 996 with its straighter bodyside be demeaned for sticking closer to the original 1963 formula.




Ah, the original formula. Remember the debate over air- versus water-cooled. How aficionados dismissed superior technology. There are always two camps when it comes to change: those who like the last version of any model because it represents the ultimate in its evolution, and those who take the earliest of the next as it represents the start of a new paradigm. Old-guard 911 fans favour air-cooled versions, and those looking for muscular modernity leap straight to the 997. 

So lets talk about the 996. Fried-egg lamps, Boxster-ties and water-cooling. Three features any other 911 doesn't have to think twice about: it was always going to be an uphill fight to win the crowd. Lets take them on one at a time. 



Sunny side-up: Yolks. Hard to come by now. Every new car has fully incorporated the indicator into the headlamp unit, sitting behind the same cover. Not much chance for graphic distinction, more a swathe of albumen. Consider those fried-eggs as a swan song, a feature that ties the car to its age. Far from being egg-like, the orange indicators remind me of the time when they sat separately on the bumper, before daytime running lamps took over.




Boxing clever: With the recent launch of the spectacular GT4 the Boxter/Cayman combo has established themselves as iconic model in their own right. From being joined at the hip twenty years ago, the Boxman and 911 have evolved into two distinct model lines. The 996 has had the association loosened, while the GT4 gives the current 911 a run for its money.




Water, fool: Driving a Mercedes 380 SLC, I'm aware of the attention garnered by the grander 5.0 V8 version, which introduced aluminium hood and roof and trunk deck. This appreciation is correct. Technology and progress has always brought about keener interest in cars that use them. Except the 996. Now it is simply recognised as progress, while at the time it was simply considered change. What typically singles a car out for classic status is a uniques feature, often borne of innovation.


The 996: the true successor of the '63. But I'd still rather have a flat-nose.