Were ceramic brakes an option from the start of 996TT production? I've been browsing dozens of ads and I haven't seen a single car advertised with them, though I've seen a couple owners that painted their calipers yellow.

I've got the 2000-2001 dealer booklet and they're listed as an option, but maybe they didn't show up until later, or were they just not a popular option.

Also, how are they holding up? Initially Porsche said they were good for the life of the car, but some of the Porsche mags (911 and Porsche World, GT Purely Porsche) have reported short lifespans for them...

 

You really want to do a search. A LOT has been written about PCCBs. Just go to the yellow line above the Google search box and click on it and type in PCCB and you will be amazed at how many discussions about these there have been. Lots of info. Not all accurate but interesting and reading through them will give you a great education.

Basically, I don't think they *really* were available until they appeared on the 2002 MY GT2 as standard. As you read through all the discussions you may agree with my thinking that if you do not abuse them and read up on them and treat them correctly, they actually hold up quite well. A lot of people say they turn to junk after track use but GMG Racing has the early [inferior to the later version] PCCBs on their well modded white GT2 and have had no problems with them. However they are hugely expensive to purchase and even more so to replace in small bits. Most people agree that at this point in time a set of large steel rotors and 6 piston calipers are the best bang for the buck with very little in the way of reliability issues.
JR