993
The last air-cooled 911, and the one the market decided was the best-looking.
- Years
- 1995–1998
- Trims
- 8
- Power
- 270–424 hp
- Known issues
- 7
- Lightest
- 2,998 lb
- Quickest 0–60
- 3.6 s
Overview
The 993 is the end of a line that started in 1963. It kept the air-cooled flat-six and the shape everyone recognises, but underneath it replaced the semi-trailing-arm rear suspension that had made every previous 911 a car you had to respect with a multi-link design that finally let ordinary drivers use the performance. It is the only 911 that is both genuinely old-school and genuinely forgiving.
It is also the most beautiful one, which is not an objective claim but is very close to a consensus. The wide, low body and the swept headlights were the work of a designer given permission to modernise the shape without abandoning it — and when the 996 arrived three years later with water cooling and different headlights, the 993 was retroactively canonised as the last real 911.
That reputation is priced in. A 993 costs several times what a 996 does and it is not several times the car to drive. What you are buying is the air-cooled sound, a mechanical directness nothing since has matched, and an asset that has held value in a way almost no other modern Porsche has. Buy it for those reasons and it makes sense. Buy it expecting 996 running costs and it will not.
The range
8 Sorted by output| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Weight | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe / Cabriolet | 1995 | 3.6 L | 270 | 250 | 5.3 | 2,998 | RWD |
| Carrera 4 Manual only Coupe / Cabriolet | 1995–1998 | 3.6 L | 282 | 250 | 5.3 | 3,195 | AWD |
| Coupe / Cabriolet | 1996–1998 | 3.6 L | 285 | 251 | 5.2 | 3,064 | RWD |
| Coupe | 1996–1998 | 3.6 L | 285 | 251 | 5.3 | 3,175 | AWD |
| Coupe | 1997–1998 | 3.6 L | 285 | 251 | 5.2 | 3,086 | RWD |
| Targa | 1996–1998 | 3.6 L | 285 | 251 | 5.4 | 3,130 | RWD |
| Coupe | 1996–1997 | 3.6 L T | 400 | 400 | 3.7 | 3,307 | AWD |
| Coupe | 1997–1998 | 3.6 L T | 424 | 424 | 3.6 | 3,351 | AWD |
Power in hp, torque in lb-ft, 0–60 in seconds, weight in pounds. Hover a badge for what it means.
Year by year
4- 1995
US launch of the 993 with multi-link rear suspension, 270 hp and a six-speed manual. The last new air-cooled 911 platform.
- 1996
Varioram raises output to 285 hp. OBD-II arrives, and with it the secondary air injection system. Carrera 4S and the sliding-glass Targa added; the twin-turbo Turbo launches with all-wheel drive.
- 1997
Carrera S joins with the wide body and rear-wheel drive. Turbo S arrives with 424 hp.
- 1998
Final year of the air-cooled 911. The 996 follows with water cooling and a very different reception.
Known issues
7-
1996–1998 OBD-II cars. The 1995 cars predate the system.
- Valve guide wear Critical
All 993, and the defining engine risk of the generation.
- Oil leaks Major
All 993. An air-cooled engine that never leaks has usually just been cleaned.
- Varioram faults Major
1996–1998 cars with the variable intake system.
-
All 993.
- Weak air conditioning Minor
All 993.
-
Targa only.