Porsche 911 (993)
The Porsche 911, internally type 993, is the fourth generation of the 911 model of Porsche sports car, manufactured and sold between 1994 and 1998, replacing the 911, type 964. Its discontinuation marked the end of air-cooled 911 models.
The 993 was much improved over and quite different from its predecessor. According to Porsche, "every part of the car was designed from the ground up, including the engine" but nevertheless "only 20% of its parts were carried over from the prior 911". Porsche refers to the 993 as "a significant advance, not just from a technical, but also a visual perspective."
The external design of the Porsche 993 was penned by English designer Tony Hatter. It retained the core cabin and body shell architecture of the 964 and prior 911 model iterations, but exterior panels were revised with much more flared wheel arches, a smoother front and rear bumper design, an enlarged retractable rear wing, and teardrop shaped mirrors.
Porsche engineered a new light-alloy rear subframe with an entirely new multi-link coil springs and wishbone rear suspension design, dubbed the Weissach axle – making significant progress with the engine's impact on the car's handling, putting behind the previous lift-off oversteer and providing an improved driving experience and creating a more civilized car overall.
The 993 had several variants, like its predecessors, varying in body style, engines, drivetrains, and included equipment. Engine power was increased by the addition of the VarioRam system, that added particularly in the mid-range of rpms, and also resulted in more throttle-noise at higher revs. The VarioRam system resulted in a 15 percent increase in the new 911's engine power over its predecessor.
The 993's available all-wheel drive system replaced the 964's centre differential with a viscous coupling, similar to the 959's, making the new system significantly lighter. The 993 was also the first 911 to receive a six speed gearbox, which came standard. Rear-wheel drive models remained available with Porsche's Tiptronic 4-speed automatic transmission.
A 993 GT2 was used as the safety car during the 1995 Formula One season.
Overview
Technical improvements
A major change was the implementation of all alloy multilink rear suspension attached to an alloy subframe, a completely new design derived from the 989, a four-door sedan that never went into production. The system later continued in the 993's successor, the 996, and required the widening of the rear wheel arches, which gave better stability. The new suspension improved handling, making it more direct, more stable, and helping to reduce the tendency to oversteer if the throttle were lifted during hard cornering, a trait of earlier 911s. It also reduced interior noise and improved ride quality.The 993 was the first generation of the 911 to have a six-speed manual transmission included as standard; its predecessors had four- or five-speed transmissions. In virtually every situation, keeping the engine at its best torque range above 4,500 rpm was possible. The Carrera, Carrera S, Cabriolet, and Targa models were available with a "Tiptronic" four-speed automatic transmission, first introduced in the 964. From the 1995 model year, Porsche offered the Tiptronic S with additional steering wheel-mounted controls and refined software for smoother, quicker shifts. Since the 993's introduction, the Tiptronic is capable of recognising climbs and descents. The Tiptronic-equipped cars suffer as compared to the manual transmission equipped cars in both acceleration and also top speed, but the differences are not much notable. Tiptronic cars also suffered a increase in weight.
The 993's optional all-wheel drive system was refined over that of the 964. Porsche departed from the 964's setup consisting of three differentials and revised the system based on the layout from its 959 flagship, replacing the centre differential with a viscous coupling unit. In conjunction with the 993's redesigned suspension, this system improved handling characteristics in inclement weather and still retained the stability offered by all-wheel drive without having to suffer as many compromises as the previous all-wheel drive system. Its simpler layout also reduced weight, though the four-wheel drive Carrera 4 weighs more than its rear-wheel drive counterpart.
Other improvements over the 964 include a new dual-flow exhaust system, larger brakes with drilled discs, and a revised power steering.
Variants
Carrera coupé / cabriolet
The Carrera was available in rear- and all-wheel drive versions. It was equipped with the naturally aspirated 3.6-litre M64 engine, further developed from the 964, and combined with a new dual-flow exhaust system now incorporating two catalytic converters. The 993 Carrera originally was equipped with orange turn indicators on the front, side, and rear, black brake calipers, black Carrera logo on the rear, and 16-inch alloy wheels with black Porsche logos on the center wheelcaps. The 1994 coupé version had a curb weight of . This model's ground clearance was 110 mm, except for the US version, which had a ground clearance of 120 mm. This was further lowered with the M030 sport chassis option to 90 mm. The coupé is the stiffest, tightest, most solid, yet lightest of the 993 models.The Cabriolet, introduced simultaneously alongside the coupé in April 1994 for the 1995 model year, featured a fully electrical and hand-stitched soft top reinforced with metal sheets and an automatic wind blocker. On the rear of the Cabriolet, a small spoiler was mounted with the third braking light. The 993 Cabriolet was slightly heavier than the coupé variant and has a curb weight of. A high percentage of the total Cabriolets produced ended up in the US. Both the coupé and convertible variants of the 993 were available with all-wheel drive.
Porsche also offered the 993 Carrera as an all-wheel drive version called the Carrera 4. In contrast with the 964, Porsche deleted the "2" from the rear-wheel drive "Carrera" name tag. Among enthusiasts, though, to differentiate between the rear-wheel and all-wheel drive variants of the Type 993 Carrera, they were commonly referred to as "C2" and "C4". The Carrera 4 has an automatic braking differential; it brakes the inner wheel when accelerating out of a corner. On the exterior, the Carrera 4 is visually distinguishable by clear front and side turn indicators and rear red turn indicators. The brake calipers are painted silver, as is the Carrera 4 badge on the engine cover. The center wheel-caps carry the Carrera 4 logo instead of the Porsche crest. The Carrera 4 has a curb weight of, same as the standard Carrera cabriolet, and in both instances more than the Carrera coupé. Key feature on the 993 Carrera 4 is the weight saving in the all-wheel-drive system as compared to the 964, a lower maintenance viscous coupling unit that transfers 5-50% of power to the front wheels and changes the driving behavior of the car compared to the standard Carrera. The 993 Carrera 4 all-wheel drive is suited to cope with bad weather conditions, which provides extra security in rain or snow, though on a dry circuit, the C2 is the faster car, and the C4 is of course heavier than the C2. There was no Tiptronic option available on the Carrera 4.
The options list for the 993 Carrera offered many choices, including up to five different styles of wheels, various suspension set-ups, and three different seat styles. In addition, many upholstery options were offered and various sound systems including digital sound processing. Further, customers had the option of any colour other than standard shades. Even more, the Tequipment and Exclusive-Programs added further options and built to order almost any specific wishes of customers such as special consoles, fax machines, or even brightly coloured interior upholstery.
In contrast with most of the other variants, production of the Carrera coupé and Cabriolet ceased with the end of a very small number produced in a shortened 1998 model year.
Targa
The Targa version of the 993 was introduced in the 1996 model year and was the debut of the so-called "greenhouse" system - a retractable glass roof, a design continued on the 996 and 997 Targa. The glass roof retracts underneath the rear window, revealing a large opening. This system was a complete redesign, as previous Targa models had a removable roof section and a wide B-pillar functioning as a roll bar. The new glass-roof design allowed the 993 Targa to retain the same side-on profile as the other 911 Carrera variants and finish without the inconvenience of storing the removed top of the old system. The Targa is based on the 993 Carrera cabriolet with the Targa glass roof replacing the fabric roof.The Targa was equipped with distinctive two-piece wheels, which could be ordered as an option on all cars not having standard wheels. Common problems with the Targa include excessive heat in the cabin, creaking noises on rough roads, and a very complicated and unreliable roof mechanism. In addition, the Targa roof is heavier than the coupé's roof, and that extra weight is at the top of the car, raising its center of gravity and decreasing handling performance.
Targa production numbers:
- 1996: 2,442
- 1997: 1,843
- 1998: 334
- Total: 4,619
Turbo
The 993 Turbo was one of the first production cars in the world to have an OBDII diagnostics system. The successors of the 993 Turbo since have had water-cooled heads. The car also had larger brakes than those on the base Carrera model.
Throughout the production run of the Turbo, two distinct differences existed. The 1997 and 1998 cars had these differences from the 1996 cars:
- Stronger transmission input shafts were used.
- The ECU was able to be flashed and modified.
- With the addition of a Porsche child seat, the passenger airbag was cut off.
- Motion sensors for the alarm were integrated into the map light above the rear view mirror.
- Standard wheel center caps had "turbo" embedded on them.