WellDressedCar

Is there any differences between the 997 models we buy here in the US and what is for sale in Europe? Does anyone know of any good resources for this info?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on the subject.

myw

im positive that i head that the eur spec 997 has a lower standard ride height and north american curb laws required the NA cars to be higher.

google would be your best firend on the topic

sandwedge

I've heard the same thing. Which if correct means that lowering a US car is not a "mod" at all but a return to factory specs.

wc11

Wasn't it that bumpers have a minimum North American height which is now the same.
Emissions may be different as well. Especially if headed to California.

Minok

May not affect our cars, but there are different bumper strength and structural strength requirements.. or used to be. Eg the radiator support on my 94 car had to be steel vs the plastic ones allowed in Europe (on a VW Golf), because of low speed crash damage standards (likely established in the 70's given its the US). We used to have different headlight patterns but thats been unified for the most part.. I'd imagine the biggest diff would be the maps loaded on the PCM NAV system, and the FM radio tuning step increments.

ilko

Headlights are still different. Sharp cut out for ROW cars. Also US cars get painted bumperettes and ROW cars don't. And the key is on the right side of the steering wheel in ROW cars. Kidding!!

Tcc1999

All cars imported into the U.S. have to pass all 50 states emissions' standards. That is, all cars, regardless of destination in the U.S. have to meet the most stringent standards for emissions established by each state - e.g. for PM it doesn't matter what the standard is in NY, if it's highest in CA then it is the latter standard that must be met, even though NY may not require it to be as stringent - and so on for emissions metrics. (And, being from/in California, I'd just like to take the opportunity to apologize for this).

dasams

When did this happen? It used to be that a car manufacturer was welcome to make a 49 state car if they so desired. No one does it as they don't want to be locked out of CA. The last example I recall of a <50 state vehicle was the V10 TDI Touareg.

Tcc1999

Well, when I moved here 15 years ago from Virginia I was worried that my car wouldn't pass emissions. I think it was CA DMV who told me that all cars have to meet CA emission standards (as they tend to be the most stringent in here U.S.). I thought about it for a moment and it did make sense, otherwise, you'd have cars destined for different markets that met emissions standards that were all over the map. Insofar as it being a "law", well, I didn't mean to imply that (sorry if I did); but it would seem to be one of those invisible economic laws. (Knowing next to nothing about the Commerce Clause, I do wonder if not making a 50 state car is somehow an impediment to interstate commerce - at least among U.S. Automakers and dealers who move/trade sheet metal on a regular basis. Eh, this is too much for my pea brain to dwell upon.)

WellDressedCar

Interesting answers everyone has given. I wonder if the Europeans laugh at us American P-Car addicts when we try to change our rides back to Euro spec?

997v2cabrio

I heard somewhere that the USA P-cars have louder exhaust.

Bodu

Answer is no, at least from my French point of view.

We (usually) like it better when the cars are closer to factory specs,
And cheaper for us as well when we import them back to Europe, and have to change them to meet our European standards

Higher ride heights are