When I'm bored in front of the computer I often find myself gravitating to Top Gear clips and car stuff. I thought I'd compare the 0-60 times of the 911 from my '99 996 car through todays car and I have to say I was a bit surprised.

I realize that our beloved P-cars aren't so much about straight line acceleration as they are overall handling and drivers' experience, but you have to admit that 0-60 time is one of the most often-quoted car stats, and the one that becomes most evident when some other sports car fan wants to see who can get up to the speed limit the fastest at a stop light.

The data I found was this:

The 1999 '996 C2 was tested by Motor Trend to have a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds. Not too shabby.

Eleven years later, it seems that the 2010 997 C2 with a bigger engine and 45 more horsepower makes it to 60 in 4.7 seconds. Not really the sort of delta that I'd be excited by if I shelled out $80k+ on a 2010 model and a 1999 model was basically able to keep up with me.

On my last fun drive with the local PCA, I noticed I was able to keep up with the new Carreras in my '99 model. I'm sure the handling on theirs has evolved well past mine, but as far as acceleration I guess Porsche was either (a) really on the cutting edge back in '99, or (b) have thought the acceleration in the base model 911 is basically 'good enough' and put their development elsewhere in the past decade.

Any opinions?

 

Look at the weight of the newer ones. I don't have the figures right in front of me but I am willing to bet that the 997.1 and 997.2 are heavier than the 996.

 

I think you can find lower published 0-60 on the 997. Maybe 4.5-ish. With a G-timer, I've hit 4.7 in my 2002 996 - not sure if that is accurate...

 

0-60 and quarter-mile times are more about the driver than the car. Neither have anything to do with racing or performance. Anything can go in a straight line fast so where it gets real is in the curves over a distance where the car and driver ability and skills are properly tested and evaluated.

 

We're talking about tenths of a second here. Even if a new C2 had a "dramatic" improvement in acceleration, it would probably still be in the low 4s.

Anything under 5 seconds is quick, no matter what year.

 

The 997S is slightly quicker than 996 C2. The standard 325hp 997 is a bit slower

 

It is also about HP to weight which is where the 997 suffers I bet. The 99 996 was one of the lightest versions made in the newer cars... under 3000 lbs.

 

When Top Gear--the original UK version (and the only version I'll watch)--compared the 996.2 and 997.1, they were effectively identical in performance. The greater HP of the 997.1 was offset by its greater weight. The two models had the same HP/ton which is the number that matters in 0-60 times.

Nice to know that all the High School physics I took actually works when it really matters!