Turning Air Into Water: 20 -Years Of The 996

The 996 generation 911 is 20-years old this year. Maligned by many, it’s time to acknowledge the 996 for its place in the 911 pantheon. The 996 is Porsche’s line in the sand, which separates the old school, classic aircooled 911 with the modernist water-cooled generation – a move that Porsche had to make or cease to be. In order to appreciate the giant-step involved in making that transition, it’s worth looking back, so we’ve drafted in the last of the air-cooled 911s in the shape of the 993. This is how Porsche turned air into water and created the first modern 911 and rebooted the 911 concept into the new millennium.

- Steve Bennett 

The 996 model 911 is 20-years old. Come again? How did that happen, I mean it doesn't even look 20-years old, it looks sort of modern, which it sort of is, even by today's madly technically progressive times. It was born into the digital era, it's familiar with the internet, it's got stability management and other modern stuff. It's based on the platform sharing concept with the Boxster. I mean, how modern is that? Maybe it's because anything pre-2000 and the new millennium, now seems and sounds old, but 1997 does indeed feel old. Or maybe it's just me that's feeling old. I was, after all, a rather more youthful 31 when the 996 was launched. I know which has aged better!

Now to look at it another away. The 996 is a 911, so in that case in 1997 it was actually 34-years old, given that the 911 was launched in 1963. Technically yes, but the 1997 996 was a clean-sheet design and so represents a return to ground zero. Aside from its engine location and styling cues, it shared nothing with the air-cooled cars that came before it. The 996 represents, then, the start of the modern 911 era and, along with the Boxster, the start of Porsche's modern day evolution into the world's most successful car manufacturer. Much was expected and much more was delivered, even if there was the odd hiccup along the way.