Porsche celebrates 25 years of 996
It’s the 25th anniversary of the trailblazing 996, the first water-cooled 911 and the car that helped saved the brand
When Porsche revealed the 996 generation of the 911 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997 it was a game changer. The car broke with convention in a number of ways, and wasn’t without controversy. Some 25 years on, Porsche has been fondly recalling that era, with insights from the major players involved in its creation.
With the exception of the rear-engined, rear-wheel drive concept, pretty much everything else was novel when it came to the 996. Retaining the principles of the six-cylinder boxer engine, the new 911 broke with Porsche tradition by being cooled not by air, but water. And that wasn’t all. The
