The one most owners regret selling.
What the 993 was
The 993 launched in late 1993 as a 1995 model. It was a comprehensive redesign of the 911 — new body, new suspension, refined engine. From the outside, the changes are the most dramatic of any 911 generation: the body is visibly wider at the rear, the front bumper is more deeply sculpted, the rear fenders flow into the rear bumper without a hard seam. The 993 is the chassis that established the modern 911 silhouette.
Engine: 3.6-liter air-cooled flat-six initially, with a 3.8-liter option in the Carrera S and Turbo. Output: 272 hp in the base Carrera, climbing to 408 hp in the Turbo S. The engine was a development of the 964's 3.6 with revised cylinder heads, hydraulic valve lifters (the first 911 with hydraulic lifters), and Bosch Motronic 5.2 engine management.
The suspension story
The most important change in the 993 is invisible from the outside. The 964 used semi-trailing arms with coil springs at the rear — an evolution of the layout the 911 had used since 1964. The 993 used a five-link multi-link setup that Porsche called the LSA (Light Stable Agile).
The result was a 911 that did not handle like a 911. The rear axle was more compliant in steady-state cornering, more predictable in transitions, less prone to the kind of sudden oversteer that had defined the long-hood and G-body. The 993 was the first 911 that a competent driver could explore the limit of without instinctively backing off.
The variants
- Carrera (1995-1998)
- Base car. 3.6 liter, 272 hp. Six-speed manual or four-speed Tiptronic automatic.
- Carrera S (1997-1998)
- Wide-body 911 with the Carrera's mechanical specification. Visually almost identical to the Turbo from a distance.
- Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S (1995-1998)
- All-wheel drive variants of the Carrera and Carrera S.
- Targa (1996-1998)
- Glass-roof Targa — the first 911 to use the sliding glass roof that became the modern Targa standard.
- Carrera RS (1995-1996, Europe)
- Lightweight homologation special. 3.8 liter, 300 hp. Stripped interior, ducktail spoiler. About 1,014 built. Europe only.
- GT2 (1995-1998)
- Race homologation, twin-turbo rear-wheel drive. Approximately 57 street cars built for the United States.
- Turbo (1996-1998)
- Twin-turbo all-wheel drive. 408 hp. The first 911 Turbo with two turbochargers and the first with all-wheel drive as standard equipment.
- Turbo S (1997-1998)
- Higher-output Turbo, approximately 450 hp. About 345 made.
Why collectors regret selling it
The 993 was the last air-cooled 911. The 996 that followed in 1999 was water-cooled, larger, and styled differently. For many enthusiasts, the 996 was a step in the wrong direction — and the 993 became the last "real" 911 by their definition.
Values reflect this. A clean 993 Carrera now brings approximately $80,000 to $120,000 at auction. A 993 Carrera 4S or Turbo brings $200,000 to $400,000. The 993 RS and GT2 are well into seven figures.
Owners who sold their 993s in the early 2000s — when they were just used cars — often describe the regret as one of the most expensive financial mistakes of their lives. A 993 Turbo bought for $60,000 in 2003 is now worth six times that. Some have re-acquired the same chassis at multiples of the original price, just to get the car back.