Porsche 911 Carrera (996.2)
After some major TLC the Carrera is ready to be enjoyed again
READING OUR JETHRO BOVINGDON’S FAST Fleet reports on his 996.1 Carrera provokes mixed feelings. On one hand there’s solidarity, but there’s also a slight rivalry, an arms race if you like around who can make the best wannabe GT3. And who can make the most progress.
Progress is a commodity distinctly lacking in my reports of late, while Jethro’s Arena Red wonder rapidly blossoms to fruition. He’ll update you further on his car next month, but over in the Gen 2 camp I’ve finally got something to report as well. Plenty, in fact.
Having invested in replacing and upgrading the 996’s suspension last year, my enjoyment of the car had been held up by the drastic need for new brakes, and given I put this work off while saving pennies, it coincided with a service too.
So it was that I came to pack the 996 off to Auto Umbau in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, with a pile of boxed-up new brake parts and a full Kline Innovation exhaust system in the boot of the vehicle that would then provide my lift home. Proprietor Robin Mckenzie runs a proper workshop; you won’t find a fancy coffee machine in reception, but you will find a giant scale model of a Porsche 956 made in period for its sponsor. I was sold by that already, frankly, and the phalanx of Boxsters, Caymans and 911s everywhere I looked continued the good vibes, from plenty of air-cooled beauties up to a recent GT3. ‘Fit the bits,’ I said, ‘give her a major service, and tell me what you think of the car.’ And then I waited with bated breath.
A few days went by, during which I reflected on what I’m trying to achieve. It’s been an informative journey these past four years of ownership, and confirmation that car development is a deeply holistic activity, and that the typical approach of just slapping on aftermarket bits does not work. I have a goal though, forged by not being even close to affording a 911 GT3 of any age or type. To replicate would just be kidding myself, but I’m trying to create a 996 Carrera ‘Club Sport’ – a halfway house, if Porsche had made such a thing. Or, in modern Porsche parlance, a 996.2 Carrera T, I suppose.
The phone rang. It was Mckenzie. The Kline was on. He and I had looked at it on the floor of his office and the first impressions were very favourable. Manufactured in stainless steel, and with 200-cell sports cats, it features a so-called ‘X-pipe’ design; the standard system swaps over the pipes in the centre of the car, so what you hear out of the righthand pipe is the left bank of cylinders and vice versa. With the X-pipe, everything comes out of both pipes. Mckenzie had been impressed with the welding on the pipes and silencer boxes, and now, on the other end of the line, told me he’d weighed the original and Kline systems. Factory: 29.4kg. Kline: 17.6kg. I’ll take that. Fitting it had taken a while though, mainly because all those 18-year-old bolts had corroded and stuck on, and I winced at the effect on the labour bill, plus the requirement for new lambda sensors.
These chats, sometimes video calls, continued over the next couple of weeks. I’ve opted for EBC replacement discs and their Yellowstuff pads. I’ve heard wildly differing reports about EBC, so I’m really interested to try them out and see what they’re like first-hand. The brakes went on without much drama,
although Mckenzie spotted that a damping plate on the front had completely corroded away. Then came the knackered air con condenser radiator at the front – a de rigueur 996/997 failing – so we had a new one of those and a re-gas. A coil pack was cracked, so as a precaution I had them all swapped out. And just when I thought we were all done Mckenzie rang again and triumphantly revealed he’d diagnosed the problem behind the rather nasty clutch pedal feel: a worn-out master cylinder. ‘Did I want to change it?’ I said yes; act now, repent later.
So all in I can genuinely say I was really impressed with Mckenzie and his small team. I really feel like my beloved 996 has had some proper TLC: panels removed and the rear surfaces cleaned for the first time, maybe ever; small issues solved; ebay legwork put in on my behalf to save me a few quid here and there; an incredibly detailed invoice with labour broken down to the single minute. Both Mckenzie and his wife run 996s as dailies and I think it shows in their love for the cars. I just couldn’t fault it.
And my car? I have it back and it’s flipping fantastic. Finally, the air con works after years of being told the compressor was dead, etc. The brakes feel good (more next time), the exhaust now roars like the spirit of Hans Mezger is on my shoulder (again, much more next time) and hooray, the clutch is smooth and quiet! Mckenzie pinpointed the knocking noise from my front suspension, so my next job is to follow that up with KW, along with getting a new set-up – the third – of the suspension, because it’s still far too firm for my liking. Oh, and some proper bucket seats, too. Like I said, progress at last!
‘I’m trying to create a 996 Carrera “Club Sport”. Or, in modern Porsche parlance, a 996.2 Carrera T’
Date acquired May 2016 Total mileage 84,945 Mileage this month 150 Costs this month Er, my wife reads this! mpg this month 22.6