Phil Farrell

Cheshire, UK @mllx8pjf

Model 991.1 C2 GTS Year 2015 Acquired JUNE 2020

Last month I mentioned I was starting to look into some preventative care for my M3.

One very dark and wet Saturday morning I ventured over to Classic Heroes (@classicheroes on Instagram) for them to give the car a once over. As luck would have it the M passed with flying colours. Mechanically sound and only a very tiny amount (less than the diameter of a 5p coin) of surface corrosion just starting around the rear of the car, and an equally small amount under the boot seal.

I did take the opportunity to ask the owner, Barney, about what they’ve seen from Porsches in the past and in particular the more modern classic types that perhaps the average 996/997 owner might not necessarily expect. I now understand that 996/997s have similar problems to the BMWS of the same era with issues on the sills and inner front wings and chassis legs. The cars were built to last a finite amount of time with very little future proofing and seam sealer on many spot-welded joints.

It actually reminded me about when I picked my 996 up from my mechanic after it’d had its mechanical overhaul. We were discussing what a ‘solid’ example I’d sourced and one of us, I can’t remember which, gave the exhaust tip a gentle nudge with our foot. It promptly fell to the floor. The reason? Corroded bracket. I agree this particular part of the car is likely to get wetter than other parts, and get peppered with stones from those wide rear shoes, but it could’ve been a very costly experience to pull up home one day to find my car without a tip. And at the worst end of the spectrum, it could fall off at 70mph down the motorway, or track, and smash someone else’s windscreen, causing an accident.

But what it does remind me is that these ‘modern’ cars are bulletproof to the effects of corrosion and a solid shell is as important as robust mechanicals. Having now had the report back on the M-car, Barney is very pragmatic about what is a ‘need to do’ and what is a ‘nice to have’.

I’d seen many horror pictures of early 2000 BMWS, but it wasn’t until I asked Barney to send me a few pictures for use with this piece that I really believed it from a Porsche point of view. The pictures I include are from a 996 C2 and a 997 C4S. Both cars were described as exceptional with less than 50,000 miles on them. As the GTS starts to age, I will definitely be taking every opportunity to get it up on ramps and have a good look around.

The M will be booked in sometime in 2021 for some preventative care. And for less than 5% of the market value of the car it’ll be cleaned up, recoated back to factory spec and filled with cavity wax to protect from within.