Tremelune

I have an opportunity to buy my father's 1995 coupe, and I'm trying to weigh all my options to understand what I'm getting into and what I'm giving up. I'm sure this has been covered around here, but due to the brevity of the search terms and limitations of the system, I was having a real hard time finding good info.

One of the things that is factoring in fairly heavily in my decision is the body style. I'm okay with the basic 993 body, but I really like the look of the C4S. I'm trying to figure out what would be involved in getting to the C4S look from a C2. From what I can tell, the visual differences are the front and rear bumpers, side sills, rear quarter panels, and maybe the front fenders(?). Do the fenders bolt on/off like the earlier cars?

The car could stand to be painted, which is why I'm willing to explore the possibility of doing real metalwork. Until it got paint, I would maybe just do a C2S front bumper if it wouldn't wind up looking out of place. I'm just trying to figure out if this is something an excellent body shop could get perfect, or if there's more than meets the eye. This kind of work is very common on the impact-bumper cars (at various levels of quality, of course).

If I were in the market for any ol' 993, I suspect it would make more financial sense to buy the style I wanted, but the father-son pricing, sentimentality, 20 years of records, and ideal previous owner (he is the second, bought CPO from Porsche) make me think it might be worth exploring the sunk costs.

I'm also curious to know if the suspension is significantly different between the two such that a modest spacer or wheel change would not be enough to meet visual parity between the C2 and C4S. I realize there are differences (I think the brakes are Turbo?), but I'm not trying to convert or replicate, I'm mainly just going for a change in body style using factory parts, and having the visual aesthetic remain cohesive.

So...if anyone has gone down this road, I'd love to hear some tales. None of this may happen at all, but I'm trying to gather as much data as I can before making any moves.

LexVan

Beautiful car. Keep it as is.

If the wide body is really calling you, sell this one, and buy the C2S/C4S.

Tremelune

Neither are my father's, unfortunately. His had an unfortunate incident involving a wood pile next to the car and a rambunctious feline...

ilko

Then put on a set of GT2 fender extension panels on it and call it a day. The labor involved in doing the wide body conversion right is too expensive to make sense. You will need wide body bumpers as well, didn't see those on your list. Good luck!

pp000830

Easy sell the C2 and buy a wide body.

TheBen

Just keep it stock. The conversion is not really feasible and it will never be a true C2S anyway.

Brig993

This...an excellent paint job for a 993 in the NYC area can easily cost 20k plus. I wouldn’t even want to think about what it would cost for the wide body fenders and quarter panels plus installation, fabrication and finishing to make it all work and look nice...over double that amount I’d guess and then you’ll still have a Frankenstein of a 993.

Gert

If you want to do it right, you need a shipload of parts.

Lower offset rear wheels and wide body tail pipes for example....

NC TRACKRAT

By the time you got through with such a conversion, you could've bought the real thing for less. A '95 Carrera coupe is OBD1, the first year of the 993 and very desirable. You don't mention mileage and mechanical condition but, for conversation's sake, let's say you purchase it for $30k and get it properly painted for $15-20K. Add $5K for miscellaneous issues, minor mods, etc. and you're at $50-$55K. That's what the car would be worth in today's market. To do what you're suggesting would add $40-$50K but when you got through, it wouldn't be worth more than $75K because it's not an original widebody...so you lose. Lesson: Keep it original.

nr1416

X2

You'll spend all that money on a conversion and have a Frankenstein 993 in the end thats worth less then a NB C2.

jrmdir

So much good advice here that I really don't need to chime in - but you mention sentimentality so here are some thoughts:

Drive it for a while (as yours) before deciding anything. I think you'll become more attached to it for what it is and how it drives - and the C2S attraction may fade.

If you want it to look more unique/aggressive/yours, consider only things that are reversible - turbo front bumper, new wheels, etc. And maybe upgrade from basket handle to later style center brake light.

Over time - take advantage of opportunities to drive S cars and see if/how much you like them. You can always trade up - as long as you don't have a bastardized car to trade.

That said, it's a good question you asked - good job of doing your homework before leaping.

Good luck!

Ron

Paolo1

Yours is a very nice car in its original state. Sell yours and buy what you really want if you think otherwise, but there is no business case to modifying yours as described

FrenchToast

For cosmetics you need:

Front bumper cover
Rear bumper cover
Rocker panels
front fenders
rear quarters

Also surely some little things, like WB bumper supports, fenderliners, random brackets, hardware, etc.

Everything is mostly bolt on-off except the rockers and rear quarters.

They need to be cut off and new pieces grafted on.

I will echo some others though, to have the conversion done correctly is easily 20k. Especially since if you do it, the front and rear glass should be removed and the rust repaired.

While the WB may have more of the wow factor, the NB is a gorgeous car in its own right.

I might get some wheels for it, remove the front bumperettes, and toss the baskethandle. If you are looking for something more aggressive, the RS look is another alternative.

Here is a 993 Carrera narrowbody with WB airdam:



If all that doesn't satisfy you, then I guess get out the sawzall.

mgerber

I too like some of the widebody touches. IMO you can keep the car and make some changes to get it looking more aggressive. See below - in my eyes the euro turbo nose does wonders for the front, and lowering the car also contributes to a better look.

goofballdeluxe

As an owner of a 993 C4S, lemme tell you that its not worth the trouble. OK, wide hips and some other minor improvements are fine, but I think the NB is just as fantastic.

I suggest you keep the car as is, and throw some nice cosmetic and mechanical money down the slippery slope. You'll find the NB is every bit as good as the WB in pretty much every measurable aspect.

In this case, it's better to have want what you have, rather than to have what you want