This is a cross post I had on the Rennlist...
I was up all night at the hospital, so this may be a little incoherent, but something struck me about the upcoming 997 this morning (sometimes I will experience these little episodes of mental clarity after an exhausting night on call ...or maybe I'm just too tired). ANYWAY, I like what I am hearing about the 997 so far: better engine/ more power, return to classic styling, new technologies (PSM-LSD)...should be a great car and I'll probably buy one. But when I look at the attributes of the 997 and the GT3 I come to the conclusion that Porsche AG did not have the intestinal fortitude to develop the 996 properly.
If more emphasis had been placed on performance over profits the 996 would have been a better car than it is IMO. I love my 996, there is not another sports car I would have at this time. All one has to do is to look at the GT3 (Mk1&2) , TT, and the new 997 (hopefully). These cars all have better , higher quality components than the 996.
The GT3/TT cars have engines that evolved directly from the GT1/ 993 engine. The GT3 engine should have been the base Carrera engine, a bullet proof dry sump 4V water cooled engine with excellent power, instead we have the M96 engine with its "integrated dry sump". The integrated dry sump is so good you have to perform a $2000 oiling upgrade to avoid oil starvation on the track....and then they void your warranty. There is no reason that the GT3 based engine could not have been mass produced for the 996 series. The M96 is a good engine in terms of specific power output, but not bullet proof and too prone to RMS failures , so ultimately not a reliable track engine.
The 6 speed gearbox could be better too IMO. The 6 speed (G96/00)transmission was not derived from the G50, has fewer bearings (2 instead of 3) and has a 1 piece housing. Better yet, it cannot be serviced and the entire unit has to be replaced...WTF??? Of course the GT3 and TT cars get a 6 speed (G96/50/51/88) "heavy duty gear box" derived directly from the G50 unit found in the 993 series cars. This is what the 996 should have for a gearbox.
And now it appears PAG is going back and retro-grading the 997 to what the 996 should have been in the first place. So what was the 996, a f**king aberration that we should just forget about??
In conclusion, Porsche AG/ Wiedeking et al, didn't have the guts to give us a 996 that was truly an evolution from the 993, instead we have a car with all new components geared primarily towards maximizing profits. Or maybe hey DID give us what we wanted and they are laughing all the way to the bank:roflmao: . Could you imagine what a hell of a car the 996 could have been if Porsche gave us the good stuff.
OK I'm off the soapbox.
:cheers: :bigbye: .

 

Doug I am right with you bro.
I too wish Porsche threw us a little more by way of the 996 - ohhh well time to sit and wait for the next generation!

 

The engine case used in the 996TT / GT2 / GT3 is a redesign of the 13 year old 1990 911 C2 style case, very old technology in the automotive world. In order to make it meet new US and World requirements it needed to have much better engine temperature control. So Porsche 996TT / GT2 / GT3 used water-cooled heads and more engine sensors and more modern computer ignition & fuel control on the old dry sump engine case. The true dry sump 996TT / GT2 / GT3 engines base cost is about $8,500 more then the standard 996 engine according to Porsche. Base prices for 2003 models if they all had the true dry sump engine case would have been:
Coupe $ 77,100
Targa 85,500
C4S 90,300
Cab 86,900
C4Cab 92,500
They can’t sell these cars now at discounted prices
Also Porsche rushed the intro. of the 996 for Porsche’s anniversary

 

Bob, I agree the GT3 engine would cost substatially more. But, assuming this architecture was used in the base model 911 costs would be reduced IMO. There would be no need for Titanium rods or other exotic components as the rev limit and output would be a little less. Then build 20,000 per year instead of 2000 (hypothetical numbers) I would bet the cost differential would be less.
But you're right the cars would still be sitting on the lots.