Everyone’s a critic. We all have our likes and dislikes. Some of us like red, some blue, and some purple. One of us hates pasta while someone else can’t get enough. This is especially true about cars. We have Ferrari fans, Lamborghini fans, BMW fans, even Reliant Robin fans as Jeremy Clarkson found out. Most if not all of us here, are Porsche fans but even so, we still have our preferences. For example, I’m in love with the 997.2 911’s design while my dad despises it. I love the sound and passion of a GT3 while all my friend cares about is 0-60 (0-100 kph) times, he prefers the 911 Turbo. But as Porsche fans, I think we can all agree on 2 things: our love for the brand, and our love for the 993 911 because who doesn’t love the 993?
Produced from 1995-1998, the 993 911 was the last of the air cooled 911s meaning that in the eyes of the purists, it was the pinnacle of the 911. The market seems to agree as well; 993 prices are skyrocketing. The cheapest 993 I could find on Autotrader was $31,000, and this car had over 90,000 miles and a clunky tiptronic transmission. I couldn’t find a manual 993 under $50,000. I find this funny for half the price of that tiptronic 993, one could buy a manual 996, which is objectively better in every way, except it isn’t. Performance wise, the 996-and any succeeding generation for that matter-is superior to the 993. It has more power, better suspension, better handling, faster acceleration, the whole 9 yards. So what made the 993 so special, double the price for a slower car special? Driving feel, that’s all there is to it.
There’s a reason air cooled 911s were so special. The sounds they made, the way they steered, the way they felt to thrash around a corner was something truly special; something that was clearly lost after it. The air cooled engine combined with a manual gearbox gave you a sense of emotion that just isn’t there anymore. With the 993, no corners were cut, everything was precision crafted, no detail was left behind. This precision was felt everywhere, from the way the 993 cornered, to the famous “clunk” it made when you closed the door.
The 993 was a driver’s car. Back then, there was no need for “back to basics” models like the GT3 Touring or the Carrera T, ALL the 911s were like that to begin with. For better or worse, Porsche is not what it used to be. Porsche was all about the experience, about the driver, about the car, the sports car. People loved their cars so much, that Porsche had to evolve into a business. Their cars are faster, louder, and better looking than ever but like the 996, they’re lacking something. They’re just not the same. After the 993 came the Boxster and then the Cayenne, Porsche essentially “grew up” after the 993.
The 993 was the end of an era, the end of an iconic chapter in the story of Porsche. And it had its flaws, yet it was so perfect. Driving a 993 today is like reliving your favorite childhood memories. How could you NOT love the 993?
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