2010 Porsche 997 vs. 1994 Porsche 993

The Last Air-Cooled 911 vs. the Best Liquid-Cooled 911

By Alistair Weaver, Contributor | Published May 17, 2010

The rasp of the flat-6 engine gets angry as we go for another gear. The steering wheel feels alive in our hands, sending us a strong message from the asphalt beneath the tires. We look out through the upright windscreen across the low nose of the car and the road dances in front of us. We could only be in a Porsche 911, and this feels like the ultimate 911 — agile, light and the perfect partner for speed by a lone driver. But wait a second, this ultimate 911 is actually a 1994 Porsche 993, the last of the rear-engine breed with an air-cooled engine. Could Porsche have actually been going backward since this remarkable sports car was replaced by the modern, electronically sophisticated Porsche 997 with its liquid-cooled flat-6?

There are those who say the Porsche 911 died when the 993 iteration of the car and its traditional air-cooled engine were put to rest in 1998. This was the last and arguably the finest iteration of a car that could trace its genealogy back to the original Porsche 911 of 1963. The car that followed, which carried the project code 996, was all-new. The chassis grew in size and weight and its engine was cooled by water, not air. Plus, horror of horrors, the 996's interior featured a clip-on cupholder, a plastic receptacle that became the symbol for Porsche purists of all that had gone wrong with the "new" 911.

Today, a good Porsche 993 is worth more than the equivalent Porsche 996 and almost as much as a used version of the current-generation Porsche 997, the model introduced in 2005 that had been created to inject a little of the traditional 993 spirit into the contemporary 911.

But do the Porsche purists have it right? If we take a hard look at the car itself, is the Porsche 993's iconic status justified? If we look beyond the rhetoric and the celebratory T-shirts, is a 911 from the pre-Britney era really more engaging than the Porsche 997 with its sophisticated chassis and incredibly powerful, liquid-cooled flat-6 engine? To find out, we matched a 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera with the equivalent 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera.

The Outside Story
The 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera is what some in Britain refer to as the "poverty-spec" 911, a simple rear-wheel-drive Carrera with a manual transmission and standard suspension. And as if to emphasize the complicated, high-tech options, this car is painted in refrigerator white and is equipped with simple, black 19-inch wheels.

Next to it, the 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera seems as if it's from another age. Even though this 993 version of the 911 represents the third of the five generations of the 911 that Porsche distinguishes, it seems as small and simple as the first Porsche "901" that appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Auto Show, and even its 17-inch wheels look toylike.

Though the silhouettes are consistent, it's extraordinary how much bigger the contemporary car looks. The bodywork of the 993 appears to have been shrink-wrapped around its mechanicals, its low nose exaggerating the near vertical windscreen that is the trademark of this shape. In comparison, the 997 appears to be wearing a baggy sweater, as it's 7.5 inches longer and 2.9 inches wider, a response to man's physiological evolution as well as the ongoing crusade for greater safety.

The Inside Tale
The Porsche 993 represented a big step forward in technical sophistication for Porsche, and it wanted to present an all-new interior design as well as the new chassis concept. Unfortunately Porsche lacked the time and resources, so the basic architecture of the 993's cockpit still resembles that of the 1963 original. The five circular dials in the instrument pod, which includes the tachometer positioned directly in front of the driver, look little changed since the first 911.

The front wheels kiss the road through the steering made weighty with lots of caster for stability.

Meanwhile, the ergonomics are dreadful, but there are indications of modernity like the LCD tripmeter. You'll find front airbags and antilock brakes (this was the 1990s, not the Stone Age), but no stability control — a reflection both of the technology of the time and the resentment the Porsche driver still has toward electronics of all kinds.

There's no disguising that the 993 hails from a different era, yet there's also an integrity about the cabin that no modern car can match. The substantial action of the doors as they slam close, the depth of the carpets and the quality of the switchgear are nothing less than extraordinary from our perspective today. This car is 16 years old, but everything works and feels like it's a step beyond the current car, not two steps behind.

In contrast to its hand-built predecessor, the modern 997 feels mass-produced, and not in a good way. The leather is now so thick with chemical treatments that Daisy wouldn't recognize it. The switchgear no longer has the weight and solidity of old, while the modern instrument dials lack that timeless charm. Sitting in a 911 is now less of an occasion, but this reflects changing tastes and more emphasis on ergonomic correctness, not a wrong turn in design. By contemporary standards, a modern Porsche 911 is extremely well built, and also safe and comfortable thanks to its plethora of electronic gizmos. Just as the Porsche 911 has always been, the 997 is an everyday sports car, only we expect more from everyday transportation today than we did in 1994.

Cooling by Air or Water
In 1998, the air-cooled, 3,600cc M64 flat-6 that had famously served the 911 so well became a victim of the modern world. The demand for more power, coupled with concerns about fuel-efficiency and air emissions, meant that Porsche had to change tack. The 3,614cc M96 engine that followed was still a flat-6 and still sat behind the rear axle, but it was cooled by water.

The engine in our 993 produces 272 horsepower at 6,100 rpm — 300 hp was then seen as frivolously superfluous in a Porsche — and 243 pound-feet of torque is available at 5,000 rpm. In comparison, the flat-6 of the contemporary Carrera boasts 345 hp at 6,500 rpm and 288 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. The new car is heavier, though, weighing in at 3,120 pounds in British spec, exactly 100 pounds more than a British-spec 993 from 1994.

Porsche's estimates of performance say the 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera with the company's first six-speed manual gearbox would reach 60 mph from a standstill in 5.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 168 mph. Today, Porsche claims the 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera will get to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 179 mph.

The Emotive Bit
It only takes a few yards to appreciate the difference in these cars. Sixty-four-thousand miles and 16 years have not dulled the reactions of our carefully cared-for Porsche 993. When you change gear, you can feel the cogs engage and hear the cam belts working in the engine. The front wheels kiss the road through the steering made weighty through lots of caster for straight-line stability in this rear-engine package.

Just like the original 911 (and the Volkswagen Beetle to which it can trace its heritage), the 993 has pedals that hinge on the floor, an amazing anachronism from today's perspective. On the whole, this is a very mechanical car that demands engagement. You have to commit and work with it, caressing it into corners. Because it's a rear-engine car on a short 89.4-inch wheelbase, you want to steer smoothly into a corner, balance the car and then get hard on the power when you can see the exit, reveling in a surfeit of traction. Let the revs rise past 5,000 rpm and you'll hear one of the automotive world's most evocative soundtracks, as if you were Steve McQueen in the opening sequence of Le Mans.

The Porsche 997 delivers a very different experience. Though it rides on a 92.5-inch wheelbase, it feels like a much larger car from the driver seat, while the rakish windscreen makes it seem more normal. The variable-ratio power assist for the steering makes effort levels much lighter at low speed, yet the steering feels artificial overall. The shift action is quick and effortless, but heavily sprung so the mechanical interaction feels muted. This is a precision instrument for the PlayStation generation.

At the same time, the contemporary 911 is much easier to drive hard. It serves up an instant hit of confidence, encouraging you to push on and explore its considerable repertoire. Compared to a 993, you can chuck the 997 into a corner, as it's less demanding of steering technique and throttle application. You can lean on it without fear of retribution and there's no shortage of electronic aids to gather up the mess if you run out of talent.

The 997's standard 3.6-liter engine really needs the optional sport exhaust to express its personality, but it's absurd to suggest it's got no soul compared to the air-cooled engine.

Track Time
Just as in the U.S., the British distributor of Porsche has undertaken to help people learn to drive in the Porsche manner. The Porsche Experience Center next to the Silverstone Circuit in the English countryside north of London offers dedicated tracks for wet-weather and dry-weather driving, an ideal playground for our duo.

A special low-grip wet surface simulates icy traction, and the consequences of lift-off oversteer and power oversteer are soon absorbed. But in the 997, these challenging dynamics are much more controllable. You can tease and play with this car, reveling in the quick-witted steering. In this exercise, the 993 feels almost clumsy in comparison, its shorter wheelbase exaggerating its responses and making it that much harder to catch. The aluminum double-wishbone rear suspension introduced on the 993 might have tamed the snap-oversteer of the earlier 911 with its trailing-arm rear suspension, but you never forget that the engine's dangling out the back.

On a dry track, the difference between the 993 and 997 is less pronounced, of course. You're not allowed to go for quick lap times at the Porsche facility — a condition of its zoning and insurance certification — but the corner speeds suggest we're a little slower in the 993 than the 997 even though we're working much harder. You have to concentrate all the time in the older car, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. Isn't a sports car meant to both challenge and reward?

Will the Real Porsche 911 Step Forward?
There is an extraordinary amount of nonsense spoken and written about the Porsche 911. The concept didn't die with the Porsche 993; it was just reinvented for a changing world. And while the Porsche 996 undeniably took this reinvention too far, the 997 feels like a descendant of the original 1963 car. The 2010 Porsche Carrera is what a contemporary 911 has to be, and it's a fabulous car as an entry-level, all-purpose 911. This is arguably the best all-around version of the contemporary 911, which comes in so many different configurations these days (of which our heart makes us choose the GT3).

It's ludicrous to claim that the Porsche 993 is a better car than the 997, but it is the more engaging drive and the more emotive choice. The 997 feels more mass-market, and each successor will mark a subtle improvement on this theme. In other words, when the 998 arrives next year, the 997 will feel like simply a less good version of a modern 911.

In comparison, the 993 will always feel like a special moment in history. The dictates of the modern world mean there can never be another car like it, so it will continue to be hailed as the last classic 911. This 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera is one of the finest sports cars ever produced, and that is why M172 LPB belongs to us.