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Lots of 996 magazine articles reproduced here

F

Fastlane

Spa-Francorchamps
Joined
5 Mar 2017
Messages
344
I don't here many references to our friends over on Rennlist, but they have a very active 996 forum and have an interesting thread which has reproduced a lot of magazine articles from the last 7 years or so - many of them from the UK specialist press. It makes very interesting reading:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/893432-positive-996-articles.html
 
Sorry - hopefully working now.
 
Delete off the two URL bits at the end of the link and it works
 
Good work Fastlane, a nice find. :thumb:
 
I think all the recent positivity is mainly down to new generations of writers and 911 owners coming through. Porsche journalism was dominated in early 2000's by writers who were clearly traditionalist air cooled fans who struggled to understand modern 911's. And were probably intimidated by the higher levels of performance that demanded better driving skills and more commitment to unleash. Tiff Needell's Top Gear test and George Kacher's original CAR review were the two lone champions of the 996's brilliance while the old 911 press rattled and grumbled as they would continue to do so for a decade.

Reading back through old articles you can tell that the 911 mag reviewers aren't even driving the cars at anywhere near their potential as they were always borrowed owners cars and they invariably end up missing the old air cooled 'character' having failed to find the water cooled 'character.'

The original GT3 began to cause them problems, it was so brilliantly set up. Having knocked the new water cooled 911's suddenly they were faced with the clear fact that Porsche had moved the game on. Then came the Mk2 and moved it further with more odd lights that were suddenly not an issue.

What's always amused me is how the various journalists would always comment on the looks of a 996 Carrera, the lights, the soap bar looks, etc etc but never mention the identical aspects to the GT3.

Anyway, there are new writers now, new journalists and most of all new and old owners and fans on the internet whose voice (the spiritual voice of the 175,000 buyers who made the car such a success) is finally being heard over the fading drone and whine of a handful of ageing print journos and rusty types. And what we all knew all along is becoming mainstream knowledge. And hence prices moving upwards. Which is a pity for some. What was an 'in the know' car is now a 'we all know' car and it could mean the end of the really affordable 911.
 
Well they are great cars.

Very different to air-cooled, which are also great cars.

The thing is many writers couldn't get their heads around they are not the same thing, they are not directly comparable at all really.

The 911 DNA changed with the 996, the specialist press didn't like this, and took spite on the 996 without highlighting that its a bloody good car. Very different to a 993 or earlier.

The 911 as it was died with the 996. The 996 is like the son of the air-cooled cars :D

Long live the new 911!
 
wasz said:
Well they are great cars.

Very different to air-cooled, which are also great cars.

The thing is many writers couldn't get their heads around they are not the same thing, they are not directly comparable at all really.

The 911 DNA changed with the 996, the specialist press didn't like this, and took spite on the 996 without highlighting that its a bloody good car. Very different to a 993 or earlier.

The 911 as it was died with the 996. The 996 is like the son of the air-cooled cars :D

Long live the new 911!
Click to expand...

I think one of the problems through the air/water transition with the older journalists was that they were so conscious of what they felt they were losing they where unable to understand what they were gaining. Which is often the case with advances in technology or change generally. In a way you could equate it to the move from CD's to MP3's. We lost the album and the particular joy that a certain generation remember from the full album immersion including the album cover artwork etc. But we gained in a whole host of ways (a thousand songs on a device the size of a cigarette lighter, instant downloads, mobility, Shazam, exchanging music, storage, bluetooth, low cost, indestructability etc.). And of course, there is the nostalgia driven really old school vinyl resurgence driven by the desire to use music not just for the auditory content but to use album covers as essentially home decor. Which mimics the classic car boom where cars are as much ornaments and objects to treasure in quaint garages rather than use and drive as they were intended.
The current incoming generation of Porsche writers are coming at it from a different angle to their predecessors. They tend to see the pros and cons to older cars rather than just the loss of one over another from a more insightful distance. I remember being quite fortunate to drive a 993 and a 996 back to back one day before committing to buying and it was an interesting experience. Pretty much most of what's been written over the years is essentially true. If you loved the 'character' of an air cooled engine then there was a 'loss' with the 996. If you loved upright circular headlights then there was a 'loss' with the 993. If you loved those curvy rear 993 wheel arches, there was a 'loss' with the 996. If you liked the original interior then there was a 'loss' with the 996. If you like manual there was a, guess what, 'loss' with the 991GT3. What did the press focus on? The loss.
However, for some (certainly for the 175K 996 buyers of the day) the gains were also profoundly apparent. No need to list them here. We're all pretty aware of what they are. But the journos of the day were trapped in a 'thing lost' mindset and unable to grasp the 'thing gained' no matter how significant it was. It's nice to see the greater balance and discernment coming through nowadays from the modern writers and online contributors.
 
wasz said:
will be the same story when the 911 loses its flat six.

sure whatever they come up with will be worthy, just different.
Click to expand...

If the 911 lost its flat-six it wouldn't be a 911. :judge:

NOTE: The discussion that arose from this comment has been used to start a new thread.

==> When would a 911 stop being a 911?
 
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