Classic pearl of the future: Porsche 997 Carrera
12/01/2022
The Porsche 996 did not win over all 911 fans. After seven years of production, the successor 997 was presented in summer 2004, which largely adopted the technical basis, but took a step backwards and forwards visually. Harm Lagaay and his team once again gave the sports car round headlights and an elegant waistline.
The 997 looked almost like a direct successor to the 993 and was initially available with 3.6 and 3.8 liters of displacement (Carrera and Carrera S). 325 and 355 hp were enough to give the approximately 1.4-ton coupé competitive performance, but no more. However, the Turbo and GT models were soon upgraded.
In summer 2008, the 997 underwent a facelift (997.2) and immediately featured bi-xenon headlights and upgraded rear lights with LED lights. The interior was also revised. More important, however, was the newly designed engine with direct fuel injection and 345/385 hp. It finally solved the problems that had plagued both the 996 and the first 997 generation (known as the 997.1): defective crankshaft oil seals could cause the water-cooled six-cylinder engine to fail prematurely, or at least lead to expensive repairs. The 997.2 was much better in this respect, which is one reason why it is also more popular. The 997.2 also saw the introduction of the PDK in the 911; the dual-clutch transmission was very popular right from the start and soon overtook the manual gearbox.
Although the 997 variants (in 2022) are not even quite youngtimer age yet, their value seems to have long since stabilized and is already on the rise again, a clear indication of a golden classic car future. It is therefore almost too late to describe the 997 as the classic pearl of the future, but the more normal Carrera and Carrera S versions are still reasonably affordable. This is no longer the case for the special models, as the Sport Classic was an investment from the very beginning.
With over 40,000 997s built each year, this 911 generation built from 2004 to 2012 is not exactly a rarity, but the large number of types and versions puts the sheer total production volume into perspective.
P.S. More pictures of the Porsche 997 can be found in a small picture magic series.
