Kevin Ross

Hi Everyone...

I promised to write a comparison between the 964T and the 993TT once I'd had a chance to consider both. The comparison that follows only represents my own experience and ownership. I offer this as just that.

In order to compare the two cars, perhaps we’ll take it from a “day out on the road” perspective. Let’s take two days in parallel. A Sunday drive in the country, and a Monday drive to work. Very different drive scenarios, but then again I think this would allow me to sum up at least 90 percent of the driving we all do. Perhaps the only exception is a Track Day comparison… watch this space


So, today it’s Sunday. I’m looking out the bedroom window. It’s a nice day! The sun’s rising. No time to waste. Up and out there…

Before I point the nose toward the hills, however, I’ve got to give her a good wash. I’m opening the garage door… ahhh, just look at her!

The 964T looks stunning: classic lines with a modern touch. Timeless – truly. I look across her flanks at the bulging wheel arches, the whale-tail rear end. Instantly an icon. Recognizable by school kids on their bikes who ride past and dream, the guys collecting the garbage who love to hate that I own one, and the attorney neighbor who loves to pretend his BMW is better. What rubbish! Just look at her! Porsche knew exactly what they were doing! 964 the ugly duckling… gimme a break! That’s dribble written by middle-aged balding journalists without a clue, and having never owned one.

I’ve owned this baby for three and a half years. It’s faultless, it’s rewarding, it’s a rare piece of motoring history right here in my own garage. Why would I ever get rid of this car?

The morning sunlight from the open garage door bounces gracefully across the 993TT’s silver paintwork. Like strings across a Stradivarius, the light plays it’s own beautiful symphony. Where the 964T was menacingly beautiful, this car is powerfully graceful. It is elegant and refined without losing that Turbo aggression in its curves. The 996TT just doesn’t have that same presence in my opinion. When comparing the 964T to the 993TT, I think Queen’s “We will Rock You” versus Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” . Both very powerful and moving pieces of music. One’s just so much more elegant.

And like a moment frozen… the 993TT is one of a kind. There will never be another like it. An era that came and went in just a few short years. From the older, classic lines to this … this perfect, perfect evolution. And then it was gone… forever. Replaced by the lines for another generation. Yes, they are trying to recapture this style now with the 997… but that just doesn’t really do it. This car, right here in front of me, will just never come around again. Period.

Better get the car out and start the washing process. Turn the key. Life, instantly! The 964T engine whirs and whines and then bursts with the energy of a child on Christmas morning. First gear in the 964T comes with effort; clutch is heavy-ish, but not impossible. Slip the gear stick forward; notch it into place… such a satisfying feeling!

Look out ahead of me, and in the corner of my eye I catch the classic 911 flanks stretching forward toward the nose. It’s a stunning reminder that I am sitting in one of the world’s best supercars. Pull the car out into the sunshine. Turn back as I walk to the tap to fill the bucket. My goodness the 964T is beautiful. I’ll never tire of that look.

Inside the 993TT, there isn’t much difference to the 964T. Just roomier. In fact, without even driving the car, it feels, well, more. More substantial maybe? More something, can’t quite describe it. Just – more!

Turn the key. Life, instantly. A whir, then with all the rhythm of a Buddhist Monk chanting, the engine delivers its mantra. Like the 964T, the rumbling of the engine is intoxicating. It gets under your skin. It becomes a part of you. The 993TT however, just sounds… well I hate to say it… like more! Whatever the 964T did, this engine just does it with more poise, more presence.

I turn my attention from aural to visual. The flanks are gone! What a pity. Aerodynamics aside, from the driver’s seat, the front window in the 964T delivered more to the eye. But then I check the outside rear view mirror. OK, I get it. Where the 964T filled half the drivers side mirror with rear guard and behind that the whale-tail, the 993TT fills the mirror with poetry. A stunning reminder that I am sitting in one of the world’s best supercars – of all time!

First gear, by contrast, is effortless. The power-assisted clutch is like stepping on a patch of soft grass in the morning dew with bare feet. A surprise at first, but as you put the pressure down, ahhh….

I get out, turn on the water to full the bucket, and look back at the car. Time stops. The morning fades, the drive in the hills is far away. This car is simply captivating. I cannot take my eyes from it. A long, long moment passes before I realise there’s water spilling out around my feet. Without taking my eyes from the car, I turn off the tap.

I hate Mondays. The traffic is usually worse than any other day. I turn out the drive and head up toward the onramp to the highway. The 964T engine is still cold, so we’ll take it easy. Anyway, we can’t exactly stretch its legs in traffic! Oh, and it’s a little wet after the rain last night, so better be careful.

A few minutes before I get to the highway onramp. Hey, there are no cars coming. My foot presses the accelerator just a bit harder, not too much to gather any real boost, just enough to sit up in the seat and get ready. There is a traffic circle – a big one – before I exit on the other side onto the onramp. I’ve done this plenty of times…

Fourth to second, no cars, left into the traffic circle (yuh, Australia remember – we drive on the wrong side! ) at about 60kph, quick direction change to the right, use the accelerator to steady her up… watch that tail end stepping out! OK, here’s the exit, pump it. A moment, no real acceleration. NOW! Boost is up, and… oh shiiii ….

Rear-end steps out the other way now, opposite lock! Gear change, straighten her up…. Whoo- haaa! Now that’s what it’s all about! Adrenalin charged! Oh, brake! Traffic!

I hate Mondays. Good thing is, despite the traffic, the 993TT is just so much easier to drive than the 964T. It’s smoother, the clutch – well, what clutch! You mean that cool tuft of grass? And I love the wet conditions! Now, if only I had half a gap in the traf… Hey! No cars into the traffic circle!

Pump the accelerator – instant acceleration. Yikes – better sit up and take stock! OK, done this many times before! Of course, that was in the 964T… well, how different can it be?

Enter the circle at 60 kph, left then right… WOW! I’m going too slowly. This car does it so easily! A bit more power – no lag at all! Tail end is planted too! Here’s the exit, pump it!

Oh,

My,

God!

Second, third, no slipping at all – there is a slight hesitation as the rear wheels lose traction in each gear, but then, instead of feeling like I am being pushed – I’m being pulled up the onramp at an astonishing rate… in the wet! Yikes! Traffic! What a rush!

Or was it?

Well, I mean – how much of that did I do? In the 964T, I was driving, no doubt about it! In the 993TT… well, now. That’s a different story! I’d like to believe that I was driving. But the truth is, beneath the skin of this stunning, stunning car there were 1’s and 0’s whizzing back and forth between the four wheels, into the ABS system, up into the central nervous system - calculations were happening quicker than I could catch, say, the rear end of a 964T in the wet, and decisions were being made on my behalf to bring the delivery of power to the correct wheels; decisions were sent back to the ABD system to individually brake any wheel that was slipping until it was no longer losing traction… and all I had to do was… well… nothing actually!

That’s a little disappointing! I think ?

WOW. She looks brilliant in this light! The clean 964T is ready for a drive. Destination – the Great Dividing Range. I love Sundays. Hopefully we’ll meet a few bikers along the way. It’s always a good chase around the windy back roads. Within 10 minutes I am driving up the highway towards the country where the roads are curvy and the woman-folk serve high tea at 3!

Now, if there is one thing I hate, it is trucks that sit in the fast lane . I’m doing 110kph, so give me third, and let’s take the gap. Foot down. One-one-thou… there’s the boost, here we go! The car heaves forward under boost. I have underestimated the available space. I’ll get round but o-o-o-o-n-l-y just! Yeah, flick your lights… you should have been in the other lane anyway! I’ve changed to 4th. The speedometer reads … well, I’d better slow down.

In the 993TT, in 6th gear, the highway rolls up toward me at 110kph. I’ve got cruise control on, and enjoying the country scenery. Now, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s when I am doing a nice steady speed, and there’s someone in the fast lane who has had ages to see me coming but won’t move over! What I hate even more, is when they see the car, and deliberately accelerate to block me by sitting right next to the car in the other lane! But just for a moment, there’s still a gap. No hesitation, I slip the shifter from 6th and it slides naturally into 3rd. I push the accelerator down, and without hesitation the horizon rushes toward me. Before anyone can react, I am though the gap and slowing down back to cruising speed. That was just so easy! The power delivery in the 993TT comes on strong and smooth and early. And the propulsion through space is simply unrelenting.

I’ve been in this traffic, crawling for 25 minutes already. The clutch in the 964T is now becoming irritating. Probably made worse by the fact that the pedals are just so close together that my work shoes cause a problem. You really want to be wearing narrow driving shoes, preferably without a lip on the sole. Nonetheless… the kids in the school bus ahead of me are pointing and waving. No one else on the road seems to stare that hard though. Oh, they notice, no doubt about it. But they seem to acknowledge the car, then go about the day again. The kids love it anyway.

Has it been 25 minutes already! Gees, I hate traffic. Good thing this car is just so much easier to drive every day. Did I mention that? I never really thought about it when I had the 964T. I simply accepted that putting up with struggling in traffic was part of the deal! Not that it was a real problem mind you – let’s face it, it isn’t hard to get used to.

But the 993TT! It is beautiful, it folds space-time, and it does it with all the smoothness of the strings at the beginning of Holst’s “Jupiter” which is currently playing on the original Porsche 10 speaker sound system. I changed the one in the 964T because it was getting pretty dated.

Hi… the guy next to me in the Merc just smiled. “Nice car” I see him say. Cheers, thanks! Those kids at the bus stop wave too. But there’s a difference to the way they wave. In the 964T they wave in a ‘hey that car is cool’ kind of way. These kids are waving in a ‘wow’ kind of way! The 964T has the shape of an icon – instantly recognisable to everyone. So much so that many seem to notice, but not stare… great car, but yeah, seen them before. Not this 993TT… people stare. What is that? Wow! That is stunning! Is it new?

Time to open the taps. Sunday afternoon, empty roads… let’s enjoy the cry of the 3.3l turbo charged power plant behind me. 5th into third, a shove in the back. A deep breath, into fourth, and no let up. The engine howls. The car is steady despite the wind noise. The needle climbs quickly. Into fifth gear and slowly there is just a hint of wind resistance winning the battle. The cockpit is filled with that primal howl of the flat six. But the horizon is approaching very, very rapidly and so is my turn-off from the straight highway to the heaving mountain roads.

OK, finally, open Sunday afternoon roads. Long, straight, Australian open Sunday afternoon roads. Just me, and the space between this car and the haze that separates land from sky. Out there in the distance. Time to open the taps. Flick the stork behind the wheel to reveal the boost on the dash. Slip out of 6th into 4th, squeeze the accelerator into the carpet. The boost climbs without delay. At about 3000 rpm it’s showing 0.5 bar, a little more and it’s at 0.7 bar, and then at just over 3600 rpm, 0.8 dials up on the display. It remains there all the way to the redline. 5th. 6th.

In the mean time, in sudden enlightenment, every Monk in the world has screamed out at once – all into the space between my ears and the back seat – and all in harmony. Like the final bars of Orff’s “O Fortuna” , the spirit is lifted, the mind is expanded – and all while the body is being uncompromisingly catapulted forwards. Too quickly the opera is over, the music subsides, I turn off the highway and point the car into the undulating hills beckoning me. If this car can bend straight space, can it straighten bent space?

Let’s find out!

I’ve done this route in the 964T so many times that I know every turn, what’s behind the blind rise, where the surface gets bumpy, where the surprises are, and what to look for. I know how to put the power down so the boost comes on at the right moment, and what gear to be in. I also know that from about 2 kilometres off the highway, to the next town – with no other traffic – I can do it in under 20 minutes. Here goes…

The first corner comes after the road dips sharply, becomes narrow with trees on either side, and bends fairly sharply to the right. There are a cacophony of road signs telling me to slow down, slippery when wet, engage lower gear. I leave braking quite late, 5th to 3rd, point the nose, and feather the accelerator. There is a small bump that I need to wait for because having 320 bhp coming on with the car lifting just there would be tickets. Now! I floor it. My revs were just under the power band so boost takes a moment. Second gear is not the right gear either – tried it and your corner speed is much too slow. Problem is the next corner is just a spurt of acceleration away in 3rd and by the time I can make full use of the power it’s too late. Nonetheless, brake! This time the road turns left and is an off camber uphill climb. It’s not too tight, but tight enough to bring the heart up a beat or two. Again, 3rd is the right gear but the revs are just out of the boost range. I get the car set up, push the loud pedal down hard and use the steering wheel to catch the tail as the boost finally arrives. The next few kilometres are a fast steady climb through the bendy sections of this mountain pass. A chance to open her up and enjoy a spirited blast up and over the Dividing Range and down the other side.

I’ve never done this in the 993TT. I know the road, but I’ll have to rely on feel to select the right gears, and maximise my pace around the twisty bits. Here comes the first corner, ignore the road signs. The 993TT washes off speed more quickly it seems, either that or I’m braking too early! No problem, I can set the car up better. 3rd gear seems appropriate in the 993TT too. The car definitely feels heavier than the 964T. Or is it sturdier? Turn in, hard on the accelerator. Uhh… thinking about the car distracted me enough to forget about that bump! 408 bhp rushes down the drive-train and exits across the four wheels with such instant throttle response that my heart is in my throat. I’m waiting in that protracted moment for all hell to break loose! The car lifts slightly at the same time as the brutal power is being delivered. There is a slight loss of traction, but nothing else! The car settles down and explodes down towards the next bend. Before I can begin to be impressed I am thinking about the off-camber left-hander. This time I leave braking much later than I would have in the 964T - probably too much as I am left trail-braking into the corner, and fighting with the steering wheel. No time to sweat about it, my foot moves onto the accelerator again and I squeeze…
Now I know that this is a tricky one. I’m turning left, the road is falling gently away to my right, and I’m changing from downhill under braking to uphill under acceleration. The car is already upset because I stuffed the entry to the corner, and in my haste to get through without doing damage; I have pumped the accelerator, as I would have in the 964T to correct any tail wagging…
The 993TT’s tail steps out! It’s a 911!! I’m dialling in opposite lock under acceleration. Yeah Baby! There it is! The genetics are still there. They may be hidden away behind the complex electro-mechanical brain, behind the stability technology, behind the years of research by very clever German engineers… but they are there nonetheless! It’s just that to find them, you really have to take the car to the edge. And the edge in the 993TT is much, much further out towards the boundaries of physics that the 964T ever was! The colour return to my cheeks, and a smile broadens across my face. I’ve looked into her eyes and seen her soul. In that moment, as if the universe is in perfect balance, the final cries of Bizet’s “Temple Duet – The Pearl Fishers” is filling the cabin – all to the backdrop of those chanting Monks in the back! The tyres are providing the perfect treble pitch to the symphony, and I’m driving. Yep – right there, finally, I am back in control…

So, the road before is winding rapidly toward the next village, and I am thinking about the two cars… comparing the experience...

The 964T is exciting; it delivers on your command. It’s beautiful and breathtakingly fast. From the moment you select first you are driving, you make the decisions, and the car will do exactly what you tell it to. Push it, and it will either reward you with the magic that can only be found on the edge in a 911, or punish you for being an idiot. There is no doubt the 964T is the last of an era, truly a car to be driven, to be admired, to be revered. A breed now past. But the icon lives on. To all the owners of 964T’s out there – I can only say this: I get it!

The 993TT? Well, like I mentioned before… it is just more . Where the 964T is exciting, the 993TT is intoxicating. Where the 964T is beautiful the 993TT is poetry, whether in motion or simply parked in the garage – it is no less than poetry. Where the 964T is breathtakingly quick, the 993TT is simply astonishing! In this car, unlike the 964T, you must gain the confidence to command it. You are either under it’s management, allowing it to make the decisions - or you take control, and using technique and precision, you must feed the electronic brain with the things you want to achieve, and have it work with you, rather than against you, to make powerful music.

In the 964T, you are the musician playing the instrument. In the 993TT you are the maestro leading the symphony. In the 964T, if you play the wrong note, or get out of tempo – it’s noticed. In the 993TT, if you are a bad conductor, the orchestra will forgive you by figuring out your mistakes and correcting them automatically. But if you are good, and you know what you are doing, you can journey beyond the semi-quavers and bars, and bring the whole symphony to life with energy, with emotion and with aplomb.

Sameer

Kevin,
Thats a great write up and something I would'nt be abe to put together as well as you did. Glad to know you enjoyed the 964t and moved on to something else to devote your precious time to.

John McM

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for sharing. I'm about to go off on another expat posting and my car is going into storage. Without a doubt I'll read your post more than once to remind me what's sitting in the garage awaiting my return.

JBH

Next stop for you Kevin is the 996TT. Once you make that leap , there is no turning back.

To my eye, the appearance of 964T is the culmination of the 911 design. However, the technology that has come after it is brilliant. Though the look of the new cars may not stir the same emotions, once you get behind the wheel, that no longer matters.

See Stephen's pictures and write-up on the 996TT engine in the 930 Forum. Makes we want to go out and buy one.

L8Apex

Thanks for sharing! Great read!

C2 Turbo

Kevin,
Great write up and hopefully i'll be making that move soon too.I personally don't like the looks of either TT's but like JBH said once you drive a 996 TT there is no going back.
Later, Yasir

Miles965uk

Great post! You should write for the magazines! I think its a very good post as the 993TT is normally the next step for us guys wanting to move on.
Cheers

Sameer

Miles,
Providing there are good clean ones running around, well here in Singapore at least there are maybe just 3-4 993tt left. Plus you cannot import a car into Spore if it's more than 3 or I think 5 years of old. Sucks does'nt it, knowing how much we spend on our cars here.

SonnyV

Great write up Kevin. I was reading it at work and was completely into your writing that my boss walked up and I didn't even notice.

I need to drive my car. I have not driven it in about 1 month.

Regards,

Sonny

cobalt

Great write up, Good luck with the new toy.

I find it interesting that many say that about the 996TT. I do not find it that way myself. I can make an even trade, my car for a 7k mile 996TT with tons of options and wouldn't think of it even if I was offered additional money. The 996TT may be able to do things my 964 T can't but one thing I found it couldn't do is bring the smile to my face the way my 94 does when pushing it hard. I can't stand all the electronics in these new cars interfearing with my driving, good or bad.

At last Saturdays Autocross there was a 996TT that did well until he accidently turned off the PSM. He spun the back tires and couldn't control the car at all. I find these cars make better drivers out of you because the car is doing all the work. The reason why I bought my car is so that I can have the satisfaction of driving it to the best of my abilities not the car doing it for me. (Some days are better than others. Thats why I bough the GTS although I am too big to autocross it. )

tifosi66

A great read ! Thanks for sharing your insights Kevin.

AZ930

I'm sorry but 996TT's are boring. I drove one for a few thousand miles with 700hp and it does nothing for me. Even at 200+mph(I did many times) it really doesn't stir any emotions like the 930 does just cruising around.

Chris M.

Great write up on two of my favorite P cars. I'd love to see the same comparison but with a Turbo 3.6.

A guy in our local PCA chapter says the same thing. He had a 993TT and sold it to get a 996TT and now he's back in a 993TT. He just said it wasn't the same driving experience.

c