Porsche Index: 993 RS Carrera 4S
HISTORY & TECH
Most of the fundamentals of the 993, the last air-cooled 911, are to be found in its immediate predecessor, the 964. This was a determined attempt to modernise the 911 and featured a completely re-engineered chassis with conventional struts at each corner replacing the long-serving torsion bars. Such refinements as power steering and ABS at last became standard.
Further emphasising its advance, the 964 was first introduced in its 4WD version; the rear-drive car arrived a year later. The twin differential transmission was heavy, so the 911 C4 would weigh some 200kg more than its 3.2 predecessor. A substantial reworking of the flat six, increasing its capacity to 3.6, was necessary to provide the performance uplift expected of a new 911.
However, Porsche had miscalculated with the 964. It was fast enough, and in C2 form had the traditional enthusiast-pleasing dynamics, but its conservative styling and lack of refinement slowed sales and tended to attract only existing Porsche fans. New management at Weissach, engineering director Ulrich Bez and design chief Harm Lagaaij, rapidly took this situation in hand and barely
