The 996 years
Simple, compact, powerful and light. Actually, we’ll skip the last one, as one 996 factoid that’s oft repeated is that the original 996 GT3 was actually heavier than its standard Carrera relation. Heresy in sporting 911 circles, but what the GT3 added in bulk it made up for in muscle and specification, this genesis GT3 creating the direction that the five cars that join it here today would follow.
Central to the GT3 is the Motorsport department’s fitment of the M96/76 dry-sumped flat six engine. More commonly referred to as ‘the Mezger’ after engineer Hans Mezger, no other engine – with the possible exception of Paul Rosche and the Mclaren F1’s V12 – is so closely associated with an engineer.
It’s pure motorsport, the 3.6-litre flat six featuring lighter internals and special low-friction surfaces, a crankcase derived from the Le Mans-winning GT1 and the four-valve heads related to those of the 959. As pedigrees go… to that Porsche fitted the G96/90 gearbox, its additional weight, as well as the extra cooling the engine required, being instrumental in the GT3’S slight weight gain.
Rated at 360hp at 7,200rpm, with its redline at 7,800rpm, the numbers say it’ll reach 62mph in 4.8 seconds before heading to a 188mph top speed. Visually it’s uncomplicated: narrow bodied, the rear wing adjustable, the interior stark without being
austere. It sits more purposefully, the 996 Gen1 GT3 riding 30mm lower than a standard Carrera on 18inch split-rim alloy wheels, with 225/40/ZR18 front and 285/30/ZR18 rear tyres.
The suspension specification reads like that of the racer it homologates, so there are adjustable anti-roll bars and a spring system compatible with racing springs, an extended range of axle geometry adjustment and reinforced front pivots, mounts and wheel bearings to cope with the additional stress slick tyres would add if fitted.
Given its unashamedly race-focused specification, the first GT3 presents few compromises. It’s stiff, but not at the expense of ride comfort, the suspension supple, the wheel and body control beautifully resolved on the road. It feels small – and not just in this company – the 996’s narrow body, upright screen and slim pillars signalling its vintage, such as it is given the GT3 was launched in 1999. As do the lack of electronics – there’s not a Sport, PASM, traction or stability control button in sight. It was as pure as driving gets, and that was pretty much the point.
We’ve driven a few, but this example is among the very best we’ve been in. Firing up that engine brings the familiar, somewhat mechanical chatter from behind, that very much in keeping with its motorsport DNA. There’s not a huge amount of
“More commonly referred to as ‘the Mezger’ after engineer Hans Mezger, no other engine is so closely associated with an engineer”
urgency below 5,000rpm; it’s quick enough, but it’s not startlingly removed from a standard 996 Carrera. That changes. Get the rev-counter needle higher and the 996.1 car flies, the engine’s character taking a far more urgent, harder purpose, bringing with it scintillating acceleration and a soundtrack to match.
The gearshift is light and precise, its throw surprisingly long, the clutch weighty enough to be tiresome for manoeuvring but perfectly judged on the move. It’s the steering as much as anything else that wows. It’s so detailed, the clarity of the information rich, the response requiring a bit of patience. The Gen1 is a car that drives like an old-school 911, where weight-shift is your friend to tuck the nose in. Despite its lack of electronic assistance that’s not something to fear: it’s exploitable, wonderful, even, at its very core a driver’s car that demands and rewards in ever-greater measure as you drive it harder.
If we’d only driven the Gen1 car today we wouldn’t have felt in any way deprived, but there’s work to be done. We can feel your collective hearts bleeding. We love how the Gen2 car looks. That simple spoiler, those headlights, the neater skirts. Its shape describes our perfect 996. The technical specification isn’t so different, though in the four years that separate the red and the blue car, Porsche Motorsport learned some new tricks.
Key among the changes is the drive-by-wire system, it helping increase the engine’s output to 381hp. It’s not the bump in power that’s obvious, however, but the increased torque, which although only increases by 15Nm to 385Nm is available across more of the engine’s range. Low-rev immediacy is greater, yet it’s still a screamer up to its 400rpmhigher redline. There’s more focus in the suspension, as well as more opportunity to adjust it, while at its nose there’s an extra inch of rubber on the road, thanks to the front wheels gaining half an inch each. The rear wheels too grow to 11 inches, and there’s Gt3-developed brakes, with those on the nose gaining an extra pair of pistons for a count of six.
Still delicate and pure, the Gen2’s changes make for a car that feels significantly faster, and you’re still on your own. The limits are higher, the detail still there, but the traits of the Gen2 are accessed at a slightly higher level. The nose still needs some work to get tucked in, but the rear feels a bit more settled at ordinary speeds, and the brakes are stronger. Better, undoubtedly, but that doesn’t see us wanting that Gen1 car any less.