THE REAL-WORLD VIEW
THREE OWNERS OFFER THEIR OPINIONS ON THE BIGGER-EQUALS-BETTER DEBATE
Alex Yates: 996 Cabriolet 3.4
We used Alex's 996 as one of the comparison cars. He has owned it for nearly five years and has covered 45,000 miles, using it as a daily driver. It's now on 130,000 miles and significantly still has its original M96 engine, which says a lot for regular use. Is it on borrowed time? Who knows, but Alex's engine is a prime candidate for a Hartech capacity upgrade when the time comes. And after a drive in the 996 3.7? ‘In third and fourth gear at 3500rpm–4000rpm it’s much more flexible,’ reckons Alex. ‘More mid-range, too!’ And of the 3.9 Cayman ‘S’? ‘That seemed as fast from 3000rpm to 5000rpm, and it goes like stink from any revs!
Mike Hibbins: 996 3.4 Tiptronic
Another encouragingly high-mileage 996, this time with 155,000 on the odometer, although owner Mike Hibbins concedes that it received a Hartech rebuild at 92,000 miles. It's another daily driver, too, which is equally encouraging for a 20-year-old car. Mike was impressed with the 3.7 and 3.9 996 conversions – ‘A definite difference from 2000rpm’ – and reckons that had the option been available when his engine was rebuilt he would definitely have gone for it. But he reckons that there's no reason why he couldn't apply the mods to his current engine, and was last seen having a quiet word with Barry Hart...
Eric Munro: 996 Carrera 4S GT3 RS replica
Serial Porsche owner, Eric Munro, bought this 991 GT3 RS lookalike as it stands. The body conversion was carried out in Germany, and the interior has been retrimmed in leather and Alcantara. He's no stranger to modded Porsches, and once owned footballer Rio Ferdinand's exTechart Cayenne Magnum. Underneath, Eric's GT3 RS lookalike is a standard 996 C4S, and he's not going to be shy about modifying the engine. All that show deserves an equal amount of go. Predictably, Eric was impressed with the 3.9 Cayman ‘S’. ‘It pulls very well in sixth,’ which we can vouch for, too. Again, last seen in the queue to have a quiet word with Barry...