maspirito

I was wondering if anyone has done the 996 to 997 conversion of the front end ? I saw that there is a german company that offers it, but I was unable to find a price for the kit nor any idea how feasable the project is.
Thanks,
Mike

gota911

It is feasable. I have seen pics of a couple of conversions. But why would you want to? For the $$$ invilved, sell the 996 and get a 997.

Ray S

IMHO, if you want a 997 buy one, don't muss up your 996.

If you must.....Total 911 magazine has info on the conversion.

michael.s.under

A company sells this type of kit on ebay. The price is given! Cant recall!

turbo138

I was considering the 997 conversion but decided to keep it to 996.
Ray S, you are right, I'll buy a 997 when I can afford, in the mean time, I'll keep the 996 as it is.
Below are some link you can look at:

http://www.design911.co.uk/index.htm?Region=UK

http://www.betterbodiesmotorsport.com/996face.htm

Moogle

better just to upgrade to the 997.

otherwise upgrade/facelift your 996 with an aerokit.

Porsche_Smile

for the money...... save up for a 997........

rountreed

Agree a 996 is a nice looking auto on its own, the 997 is really just a nicer looking 996 with some modest updates to the interior, exterior and a bump in engine. If I had the choice yes I would rather have a 997 but I bet 90 out of 100 people could not tell the difference unless the cars were sitting side by side. I will just continue to enjoy my 996.

10 GT3

I don't really understand why people do these hybrid body upgrades, like an 02' facelift on an early 996 or a 997 conversion to a 996. Normally people do this because they can't afford the newer car, but in reality this is the poorest thing they can do financially. The resale is lower, not higher, with an out of series body swap. No Porsche dealer wants one as a trade. So you are paying a significant amount of money to lower the value of your car when you could just instead invest that money in the later car. It costs less than 10K these days to move up from a 99-01' to a 02' and an 04' to an 05' 997, plus you get all the chassis and drivetrain improvements that go with it.

NAvyC4S

Rountreed...except for the Porsche enthusiasts who will be buying the car, or more likely not buying the car from you after you mess it up.

Benjamin Choi

The 996 '02 and up don't look dated compared to the 997.

It is "dated" in the performance dept however.

Save your $. That's a lot of money you're going to be spending for pure aesthetics that's not necessarily an upgrade. If you love it enough, like others have said, just buy the new one.

10 GT3

I would consider the 02'-04' dated in styling, not performance compared to the 997. The 997 is a modified 996 chassis built with a wider track. It uses the same engine with minor intake and exhaust plumbing changes which give it 5 hp more power, but no more torque. Performance figures from Porsche are identical in acceleration (0-60 mph, 0-100 kph, 0-200 kph and top speed). The 997S has the exact same acceleration figures from Porsche as the previous 996 X51. It does have an updated exterior and interior styling as well as some extra chassis stiffness and the additional weight that goes with it. Evolutionary, not revolutionary. The next generation 998 will be an all new car: new chassis, body, engine, suspension and brakes.

Benjamin Choi

Key word "LOOK"

And performance is most definitely dated

And I am much more excited about the 998 than the 997 which gives me more time to enjoy my 996

perfectlap

997 is ugly, notice its always photographed from the back?.
Particularly the 997 GT3. Looks like if a Mazda RX8 and VW Beetle had a kid.
Not a fan of the Cayenne interior in the 997 either.

996 02-04 is modern and will never be mistaken for VW.
Best 911 design ever in my lowly opinion.

rountreed

NavyC4S either you did not read what I wrote or I did a bad job! I would never chnage the looks of my 996 outside of a 996 GT3 front and skirts. I do not have a 997 and do not wish for my 996 to look like a 997 but if I could swap cars for the same money I would. I just like the looks of the 997 better but again I do not think the average person knows.
Cheers