The reason I love the 993 (all air-cooled 911s really) is how you can trace the lineage back to the 901s with things like the engine, dashboard, roofline and rain gutters. If I'm not mistaken the 993 was meant to lose the rain gutters but it couldn't happen because of budget constraints, just like the interior update. I'm glad it stayed though, the way the line of the gutter continues immediately into the gap between the rear fender and rear lid is a great example of how perfectly design and engineering are balanced and compliment each other in these air-cooled cars. Congrats on finding this car man, if I were you I would want to keep it forever.
I agree on all your quirks! One more: everyone like the 993, no distinction, so many people wave, smile or ask questions about them. Btw if you pass by SF one day, I have two silver 993, one c2 cab and one turbo, that can be a nice family picture
+1 for the 993 series Porsche 911. .. My husband shares the Porsche Stupid Gene with many of you. .. He labored 8 months before ordering his '98 Carrera 2S coupe so much,,, even I know the paint & options codes; The 993 spec build followed the top range TT models equipment/options sans the TT and 4wd. Artic Silver, Full Leather Blk, Racing Seats - heated, R. Wiper, HiFi CD something, Interior lighting, Computer LCD, Leather sun visors , air bag, steering column & R. Mirror. .. He loves that 993C2S. Cheers, Ingrid
Thanks for this great video. I’ve owned my 1997 C4S since 2001. Definitely the off-set steering wheel is the strangest quirk. Does not impact driving and you are right that you don’t even notice it until you do. Everything else makes sense. I love my car and will own it forever.
Oh yeah, and the mirrors are offset like that on all air-cooled 911s. It's just a form-follows-function thing. Visibility wouldn't work at all if they were positioned symmetrically.
I can't believe no one explained why the outside mirrors have to be placed asymetrically on the 993, and every other 911. Hello?? If you sit in the driver seat and think about it for two minutes, you'll figure it out: the outside mirrors have to be asymetrically placed on the body because the outside mirrors need to be visible to the driver, who sits asymmetrically near the door. If the driver seat were symmetrically placed (i.e., in the middle of the cabin), then the outside mirrors could be symetrically placed on the body.
your car is very well spect! Hardback seats and full leather airbag are selling for a kidney these days. It’s a pity the C2S are not coming with full leather interior…
I've had my '97 993 Cabriolet for nearly 22 years. I found out the first owner blew the engine. How? My mechanic said the engine oil pan wasn't varnished. Porsche only did that for production cars. I thought I knew my car well. I always appreciated the solid door thump, the speed activated spoiler (which aids engine cooling as well as downforce), the overall quality (in 80,000 miles it only needed tires, brakes, oil changes, a belt and battery, and a replacement top). The assymstric side-view mirrors were news to me, I just knew they were where I could see them. Oh, the only thing I still find annoying is the left side ignition. It's November, so I just prepped her for hiberanation. Each April, I feel like I get a new car!
Thanks. I've had a 993 for 20 years and there are some things I didn't know. Love the info about the wheel caps. Had to go to the garage and see for myself. Cool information, thanks for sharing.
I think you should point out that the widebody is 3" wider than the narrowbody, that tacks on a massive premium! Great video, I didn't know about all those quirks, I just scooped up a 1996 993 Carrera 4S and am pumped to start driving it!
I agree, great video. The WB does add a premium, but it isn't massive. When looking for my 993, I seeked out the NB because to me it just looks more balance. Plus, the NB has the same engine and is quicker than the S. That in itself is a nice quirk to add.
Not sure they're all quirks, but pretty good list. Some of them are awesome (e.g. door shut). I've had 993s for years and I never knew about the mirrors!
Nice video. I’m a similar age to you and just bought my 993 C4S in August and learned a few things! Need to get my center caps oriented correctly, had no idea. The immobilizer is a really interesting quirk as well. Love the floorboards, need to add those to me list. Look forward to more videos of your 993. Love to see another young 993 driver. Cheers
The key on the left story I heard was the same as you stated, however, I'm starting to hear its actually a cost saving feature back in the day when Porsche/VW were broke. It saved a little bit of wire because the fuse box is on that side as well.
seat and pedal positioning! I went straight to my 993 Targa and check-out the ones I hadn't noticed - thanks for doing this video. extremely well done!
Love my 98 S. Great build quality.. until you get to the windshield rattle lol. And you didn't mention that there's actually wood floorboards. That surprises a lot of people. And that it was the last 911 where a lot of it was hand assembled and fit.
+1 ... This original 1998 Carrera S owner agrees... The windshield bonding issue is a pain in the ass.. . 3 months after delivery Porsche NA replaced the windshield several times fishing for a squeak remedy. The 3rd windshield was a charm...
You can actually see the evolution of how all the switches found their spot on these 911s. They just always picked the best spot left, when adding these extras year by year.
I thought the asymmetrical mirrors was the coolest thing. It's good attention to detail. I didn't know the steering wheel and pedals were offcenter from the seat. These cars were race bread and they kept things that were developed for racing. Does the 993 have 5 gears or are they still at 4. I'm not sure at what point they added the 5th gear (overdrive?).
All normal "quirks" to me and I never complained about them. I never much liked the look of the Turbo wheels as they are called and often mentioned that they are not "sided" to Cup II wheel owners that wanted to change to them. I much prefer my Cup II wheels. My 993 is Speed Yellow. My 991.1 GTS is GT Silver.
@A.C.E. ..Agreed. .. The Cup II wheels (17") look great on the 993s body enhancements; changes over the 964 series. Ordered my '98 Carrera C2S with the stock Cup II set up .. after twenty-something years,, I'd say the Cup II wheels have aged gracefully. .. Back in the day, Ronal Wheels made an 18-inch Cup II replica alloy specifically for the 993 series.
Cool video dude. I've only had my 1996 Carrera since last September, but I have been after an Iris blue manual for a very long time. Loving it! Yours is quite a rare car, I don't think Porsche made many C2s's. The 911 is a truly 'quirky' car but that is part of the charm of this iconic sports car. Keep up the good work and hello to Montana (my wife and I travelled through the 'big sky' country a few years back, unfortunately not in a 911, Chrysler Sebring convertible actually...haha). Cheers from a locked-down Kent, UK.
When I clicked on rhe video, I thought no way you'd find 15 quirks but you pretty much nailed it! The mirrors, definitely the #1 quirk. Great job, beautiful car.
🤣that was the best version of ‘like and subscribe’ ! Cool video. Fun interesting video. I liked the explanations of why the 993 has these quirks. If I may, here are two more clarifications: At 1:10 you have a nice view of how narrow and tall the curved windshield is, explaining why the wipers are mounted so close together. At 3:45, you have a nice view along the driver’s line of sight, showing that the quirky right mirror position works. Thank you for your cool fun interesting videos
The quirks of the wheels and mirrors are very interesting. Well thanks to you, I will buy a 993 S. I was about to buy a 997.2 S, but will move towards purity: 993. Thanks for your amazing videos, best regards from Portugal
I didn't know that about the turbo engine mounted to the back. Perhaps one you missed is that the spare tire is designed (legend says) to function as part of the crash crumple zone. Also, the often overlooked button under the dash that adds 20 hp in ROW and 15 HP in US
Nice video. Thankyou for your presentation and I love the last aircooling generation 993 too. But I just can't find much videos to explore the back seats. Everybody said the back seats are only large enough for the children. But actually how it works to an adult. Asian may be suitable for it because they are shorter? ( I am Asian).
The back seats on the coupe are only suitable for children, but the cabriolet works because it’s technically a notch back, it’s the reason I went cabrio and as such find I am able to seat four medium sized adults ( I’m 5’9 cyclist my partner 5”6 small medium and kids 5”6+ small/ medium) with roof up or down. 5’9 in the back will be a challenge but doable for very very short journey. If within this parameters with a cabrio it will work also with the 996/997 cable not the 991because it’s more coupe shaped cab than notch back. Hope this helps.
I always found the door lock mechanism of the interior in a Porsche Quirky. The Rising lock is positioned to the front of the door along the top of the door sill. Oh, and the multiple oil gauges, given that the engine is Air and Oil cooled. Love the videos, recent subscriber and you're giving me heaps of ideas for my 993 find. Cheers
Nice.. so close to buying a ‘98 C2 but unfortunately it’s a cabriolet and I’m not a convertible kind of guy but I might do it anyway.. It’s so damn hard to find a coupe, let alone an S coupe for sale
Surprised me with the side mirror quirk. I have a 95 993 Cab and didn't notice the difference in side mirror placement until you pointed it out. Fun stuff. Keep it up.
OMG, your car is in such good condition. Only 1 993S manual for sale in Australia at the moment going for about $400 K! I need to spend a few $ on my rather worn out one😥
Another quirk, if u never sat in a classic 911 like the 993, try to open the fuel cap from inside the car….first time i was looking for the button or switch for almost half an hour 🤪
omg I loved the 993 before you made this video lol the wheels really bug me now. and the mirror's stand out soo much now wtf. Would love to see Jonathan Ward make it perfect and fix all the weird quirks. probably cost close to a million tho lol.
Love it! I just sold my 1995 993 C-4 Cabriolet that I've owned since 2006 and just purchased a 1996 C-2 Coupe 2/22. Anyway, I never noticed a few of the quirks or history mentioned in the video since owning my 993's. Great educational information. Great job!
How do you like the coupe versus cabriolet? Was there a reason you made the change? I sold my 95 C2 Cab back in 2019 and am also thinking of getting into a coupe this time as well but the price premium is quite significant as I’m sure you’re aware
Cork #16 The third brake light is absolutely beautiful and goes perfect with the ruf line.Are you planning on keeping her stock?or do you have other plans?Subbed
