Porsche 996 vs. 997 - An Early Water-Cooled Showdown

Porsche had Le Mans-sized shoes to fill with its first fully-water-cooled 911 engine. Replacing the legendary air-cooled, two-valve, single-overhead-camshaft flat-six was a water-cooled engine with double the valves and camshafts. The new engine, dubbed the M96, made more power than any...

It’s no secret that we in the US have missed out on more than a few great models over the years. Emissions and crash safety regulations have played spoiler to many, leaving us no choice but to sit and wait for the 25-year import rule to roll around. Now, for an entire generation who grew up on...

By the time the mid-nineties rolled around, the 911’s chassis and engine were over thirty years old. To keep up with evolving technology, Porsche had to reinvent the 911. An all-new chassis with revised suspension mounting points, improved aerodynamics, and an all-new engine were designed for the...

The Porsche 996 has gone from hated to celebrated in the last few years as everyone slowly caught on to what they offered. As the cheapest 911s available on the market, more people became exposed to the light chassis, ample power, and sharp handling of the first water-cooled 911. Of course, when...

Porsche’s first water-cooled 911 carried a polarizing design when new, but its engine and braking performance was never in question. Across the entire range, Porsche fitted three distinct brake packages that got larger as power and performance went up. The stock brakes, no matter which size, are...

A Porsche 996 911 front brake pads and rotors replacement is one of the most important general maintenance jobs you can perform on your vehicle. Whether driving on the street or the track, spirited driving increases the degradation rate on your front brakes. Replacement intervals are recommended...

Clutch or torque converter? Three pedals or two? That’s the question prospective buyers asked themselves around twenty years ago when ordering their new Porsche 996 and the one you need to ask yourself before looking for a 996 on the used market. Porsche offered their first water-cooled Carrera...

Along with a love for European cars, many employees here at FCP Euro love winter sports. Our location in Connecticut puts us within shouting distance of countless mountains with powdery snow and scenic trails, though we aren’t the only people with that access. Whether you ski out west in...

There are few automotive manufacturers as prestigious and accomplished as Porsche. The company's founder spent decades engineering successful road and racing cars before building the first road car to bear his name in 1948. Beyond their cars, Porsche was and still is an engineering firm, tackling...