THE 993 AT 25

Getting the band back together: 993 C2, C4, C2S and 993 Turbo for a 993 at 25 mega test

So it's a happy 25th to the 993. Young and yet old, all at the same time. And of course we do like a birthday celebration, particularly when it comes to a 911 derivative. And despite the fact that the 993 was a 911 for all of five production years, it was a very important one. Famed as the last of the air-cooled 911s, what's possibly not appreciated now is the burden that it carried, not only as the future of the 911, but as the future of Porsche itself.

Sounds a bit melodramatic? Well possibly, but at the time, in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Porsche was not the swaggering manufacturer that it is today. Money was scarce, the product line was patchy to say the least. The 964 hadn't been particularly well received, not only by the outside world, but internally, too. There was a feeling on the inside that the 911 was on its last legs. That there was no more development left. This was the inward looking environment that Ulrich Bez found on his return to Porsche in 1988 and one he set about to overcome as he instructed an internal missive to define and quantify all things Porsche or 'Porscheness' as it became.

Sounds like some kind of a quest, but under the watch of Porsche veteran, Peter Falk, a 20-page document was produced. Central to it was one word: 'Agility.' In the world of 'Porscheness' there were two types of agility: Direct and indirect, and Falk explained it as thus: “An agile vehicle must feel “all of a piece,” i.e. every action by the driver is communicated directly to the car, without delay of free play. The vehicle reacts as if “light on its feet,” i.e. the driver has the impression that the car responds to his commands spontaneously and without effort. It has an “accomplished” driving behaviour. The driver has the feeling that he can constantly sense its contact with the road, through the tips of his fingers and toes. It doesn't overreact; its responses are predictable.”

There was more, of course, but this was

the ethos to which the 993 was conceived and developed and as a manifesto to driver involvement it remains as valid today as it was back then. Bez argued that the 911 shouldn't be discarded, but instead it should be made better. And so, as is often the case, the engineers and designers went into battle with the bean counters to produce the best car that they could within the cost restraints. Bold plans for an all new interior came to nothing, but rather more critically for 'agility' and 'Porscheness' the multi-link aluminium rear suspension and cradle, plus extensive use of aluminium in the front suspension, did.

Radical new engine solutions were considered and trialled. How about watercooled V6 or V8 power? How about “not” said the money men. Fortunately there was a perfectly good flat-six knocking about, that could be further enhanced and finessed without breaking the bank. And so the 3.6litre unit received a myriad of internal improvements from a stiffer crank, lightening the con rods and valves, to the introduction of hydraulic, self-adjusting valve clearances, thus ending the ritual of manual valve clearance adjustment, that had been part of 911 maintenance since time immemorial.

The 911 shouldn’t be discarded. Instead it should be made better

For a more radical take on the power front and a sizeable cash injection there was, of course, the small matter of developing the twin turbo, flat six for the 993 Turbo. And then there was the Varioram system that found its way from the 993 RS into the standard cars, during the 993’s production run.

Transmitting the power was the familiar G50 transaxle, but now with an additional overdrive sixth gear. In order that there would be no weight penalty, existing components were slimmed down, shafts hollow bored and casings reduced in thickness where possible. Four-wheel drive, introduced with the 964, was retained, but its job, according to Porsche, was to enhance handling, rather than just traction.

But what probably defines the 993 above all else, was its modern take on the 911 look. The 911 buying public were starting to fall out of love with the aesthetics, considering it be old-fashioned looking. Again, there was only so much that could be done. Plans to re-profile the windscreen and roofline were held over for the 996, but the 911's front and rear came in for the biggest overhaul since the 911’s launch in 1963. Smoother at the front, with a new Porsche family look, shared with the forthcoming 968 and 928, plus a wider rear, even in narrow bodied C2 and C4 form, the 993 did more than enough to change perceptions.

Indeed, the 993 did so much to demolish the 964’s reputation that the 964 became very much the neglected, poor relation of the 911 world, only emerging from the 993’s shadow when a new enthusiast fan base began to appreciate its more old school looks. As ever, what goes around comes around.

And so what of the 993 25-years on? Its place in 911 history is assured, but is it as deserved as perceived wisdom would have us believe? Well, let's find out. We have – at our disposal – the full line-up, albeit minus the GT and RS models. But then

they are in a rarefied place these days and probably deserving of a feature of their own. Our line-up is supplied by Paul Stephens, a man who knows the 993 inside out. He's very generously thrown us the keys, so time to get going...

993 CARRERA 2: THE PURISTS’ CHOICE

Awhite Porsche 911. Is there a more perfect colour? By the time the 993 came along, white was very much out of favour, making this early 272bhp, non Varioram car a very rare beast in a world of of metallic sophistication. Shame, because this car looks just perfect. And it drives as good as it looks, too.

It makes sense to start here and it gets better. Opening the door reveals an all grey interior. Sure, black leather would be better but, on the plus side, whoever specced this car back in 1994 ticked the Sports seat option, Porsche's best ever chair and the perfect pew to settle in to for a drive. The engine churns and ignites, first gear slots in with a light tap and the clutch bites just where it should.

This car has done 84,000-miles. I would say that 993's generally wear their miles well, but that isn't always the case. This one does, however, but that's because it's clearly been well maintained and the suspension is in absolutely top notch order. It is alive with Falk's 'agility' and 'Porscheness.' Feel and feedback assault the contact points. There is a perfect feel to the controls, that remain just the right side of 'weighty.' Likewise the steering. It's power assisted, but not as we know it in the modern sense and certainly not in the electro assisted sense.

Being a non Varioram machine should make it the poor relation, but I reckon even side-by-side you'd be hard pushed to tell much of a difference. And besides, the earlier car benefits from sprintier gear ratios, which together with the eager engine and its lighter internals, compared to the 964, makes for a snappy, responsive power train.

All this combines to make this quite the best 993 I've ever driven. And it still feels modern, in a way that, say, a Carrera 3.2 doesn't anymore.

993 CARRERA 4: STABILITY AS STANDARD

Of course four-wheel drive arrived in 911 speak with the 964 and before that the 959. It was popular from the outset, as witnessed by the fact that it's still very much a part of the 911 firmament today, and standard on some models, like the Turbo. On the 964, the

system was criticised for introducing understeer and robbing steering feel. Porsche resolved to make handling the priority and introduced a new and simpler system using a viscous coupling at the front of the transaxle, forwarding power to a compact open front diff via a torque tube. Unlike the 964, which had an advanced, but cumbersome, computer controlled diff, the 993's was entirely mechanical, using a heat sensitive viscous fluid to transmit up to 40% of torque to the front wheels.

Our test car is another early pre Varioram 993, looking smart in Polar Silver, with blue leather interior and later wing-backed Sports style seats, more modern looking, but not a patch on the those in the white C2. Yes, I am a Porsche seating perv...

When the 993 was contemporary, then four wheel drive, might have been seen as a bonus, particularly for owners that used their cars everyday and throughout the winter. Fast forward 25 years, then the benefits are not so clear, for what is now an occasional car.

This particular machine, with 80,000miles on the odometer, is as fresh as our 993 C2 reference and very nearly as good dynamically. The differences are subtle, particularly in the dry, when only violent acceleration and cornering will wake the front diff. Otherwise, really all your getting is a bit more weight up front and a reduction in steering feel, albeit marginal.

Both the 993 Carrera 2 and the Carrera 4 are priced identically at £49.995, so the C4 doesn't command any premium on the secondhand market. Faced with the two, we'd go C2 every time.

993 C2S AND C2S X51: THE CALL OF THEWIDE

Bigger isn't always better as we all know, but there are many beguiled by the wide body or 'Turbo look' concept that Porsche introduced with

the Carrera 3.2. And needless to say the 993 Carrera 2S and Carrera 4S models were popular for good reason: They looked great.

It's easy to be cynical, but a Porsche is as much about emotion as it is performance. The wide body cars look tough in a way that the narrow body C2s don't. The fact that they might be lacking in the trouser department is neither here nor there, and even if that is the case, again we're talking on the margins. And besides, one of these two widesters – in X51 Powerkit guise – is very much the fastest car here, bar the Turbo.

Wide body adds an extra 30kg to the C2S over the C2 – 1400kg v 1370kg – enough to make itself felt. That said, a Carrera 4S adds yet another 25kg to the mix over a C2S. However, all C2S models got the 285bhp Varioram engine, which, as the name suggests, created an air ram effect in the induction system at 4400rpm and 5500rpm, to unleash extra power. Does the Varioram effect feel massively different from the non-vario C2 and C4 here? No, not hugely, but then each of those cars is lighter and certainly the C2 has faster gear ratios. That said, the C2S feels plenty fast enough and certainly has a top-end bite, that perhaps the non Vario car lacks.

It has a stability, too, that's created by the wider track and the bigger/wider 18in wheels. It doesn't move around like the narrow bodied cars and the steering doesn't convey it in quite the same way. It is the blunter instrument, but then that's the penalty of weight, plus the extra unsprung weight of the bigger turbo brakes. Don't get

us wrong, this is no plodding, lurching beast, it's just that some of Falk's agility has been sacrificed.

Not so the X51 Powerkit equipped car we have at our disposal. This is very much a road racer, with noticeably clamped down suspension. Highlight, though, is the engine – a 3.8-litre version of the flat-six – derived largely from the 993 RS and with 300bhp and a shouty exhaust. The X51 upgrade didn't come with the RS'S lightweight flywheel, but this one feels plenty revvy enough.

It's probably the second most fun of the assembled line-up, but probably in smaller doses, with power enough to really push and lean on the extra grip from the wider rubber. Subtle, though, it aint!

993 TURBO: THE SUPERCAR

Put bluntly the 964 Turbo was a disappointment. OK, so these days it's viewed rather differently as the last of the big, single turbo, old school, 2WD, air-cooled machines. But in one fell swoop the arrival of the 993 Turbo showed how it should be done. It sent shockwaves through the perceived supercar world for its mix of massive pace and usability. It was as if the 964 Turbo had never happened and the 993 was the direct descendent of the radical 959. Which in reality, is exactly how it should have been, had Porsche not been even more cash-strapped when developing the 964 Turbo.

Whatever, the twin turbo 993, with its electronically controlled four-wheel drive,

was a true modernist and the ultimate air-cooled 911, built to blast on the Autobahn, where its 408bhp and 180mph could be properly utilised. What the 993 isn't is a Brit B road blaster. It's too refined and comfortable for that role, yet its occasional use status for most owners rules out its true above calling.

Don't get us wrong, it's a lovely thing to drive. The controls are as manageable as any of the 993s here today making going fast very easy indeed. The duals turbos don't spool like a modern 992, but they make most other turbos of the era look positively lethargic. It's not a car to be hustled, but guided, while dispensing the power and gradually, letting the boost flood the cylinders. For such a powerful machine, it encourages you to drive in a cool and collected style and not as if your trousers are on fire! The 993 Turbo might be the fastest car here, but it's fast in a very different way.

WHICHWOULDWE TAKE HOME?

Well, when I say 'we' I really mean me. That's 'cos I'm doing the driving and the scribbling here! It's an easy choice. It's the purist motoring journalist's default option. It is, of course, the 993 Carrera 2. It embodies everything that Bez and Falk were trying to achieve. It's 'agility' personified. The way it moves, the way it transmits, informs and interacts is just sublime. Less is usually always more. And yet it's not some sort of stripped out road racer. It's perfectly comfortable and refined.

Every other variant takes something away from the dynamic party. The C4 pinches a bit of the feel and feedback and adds weight, for no real discernible benefit. The wide body cars add stability but at the cost of agility and the Turbo is conceived for a very different kind of motoring, that very few owners will ever succumb to use it as such. And then there's the price. Good 993 C2/C4S can be enjoyed for £50,000 or less. The wide body cars can be another £50,000 and the Turbos another £50,000 on top that. Less is more and less costs less, too. The C2 is sublime. I'll take mine in white. PW

Porsche managed to modernise the rear end of the 993 and retain the unique 911 look

The ‘old-fashioned’ wings, as customers perceived them, were less pronounced and the still round headlamps, less upright

All you need? In purist white and in purist manual Carrera 2 spec, we’d say absolutely, ‘yes!’

Porsche significantly restyled the front end of the 993, although the effect is to perhaps make the windscreen look even more upright

Below: Porsche’s very finest Sport seat. Right: Despite what everyone says, you don’t need Varioram. 272bhp from the earlier 993 engine is just fine

The Carrera 4 option perhaps makes less sense now, when most cars will be used for the occasional fun run, rather than an everyday machine, when added traction might be a desirable attribute in tricky conditions

The 993 design team wanted a whole new interior, but the bean counters said ‘no!’ 25-years on, we still love the traditional 911 interior look, ergonomics and all

Plenty wanted the wide body ‘Turbo’ look, which adds a dash of stability and more grip from the fatter rubber, but perhaps at the expense of some agility

Left: The Varioram engine gives 285bhp and is distinguished by bulky injection plenum

993 C2S with 3.8litre X51 engine option, derived from the 993 RS. Exciting, particularly combined with lowered, uprated suspension

Above: Turbo spec, hollow spoke alloys seem a long way from the traditional Fuchs of old school aircooled 911s.

The 993’s compact interior is a fine place to be

Turbo terrific. The ultimate evolution of the air-cooled 911 and the air-cooled Turbo. The 993 broke new ground. Not bad for a car that was, by then, already over 30-years old