This 3.7L Hartech Rebuilt 996 is a Perfect Porsche 911. But at What Cost? 

Whether it makes financial sense or not: I deeply admire people who set out to do things right, cost be more or less damned. I tip my hat at this man.

What I love about the older 911's is the size of them. The new ones are too wide for British B roads. They might be quick around the Nurburgring but that's not the real world. 😮

Glad you enjoyed the work we did on the engine

While I may be biased since I have a 996, but I really like the 996 headlights. The clear versions are like the GT1 Strassenversion which is a cool feature all while being different from the other 911s. Of course the classic 911 headlights are iconic, but the car still retains the classic 911 shape all while being a great car.

Day 1 of asking jay for garage tour/ fleet update

Love some Hartech!! I did something similar, hunted for a C4S with a blown engine. Rebuilt to a 4.0 and swapped the tiptronic out for a manual. I timed the market right and could still sell it and get all of money back, plus some. Side note, I did the build myself over 2 years, using a Nickies 4.0 block and stage 1 Hoffman heads. Fully documented on the Rennlist 996 forum.

I can never get bored of that flat 6 sound

I have done something similar(ly stupid). Bought healthy & running 996 and let independent specialist renew the engine and accessories, suspension and brakes. Never had any, not even the most minor, issue with it during my entire ownership of three years. I think the car deserves to be in shape and has plenty to offer to offset the initial cost. My bill was about 14k Euros for the job, plus purchase price which here on the continent is slightly elevated now (25 to 30k Eur). As a bonus, it's vintage enough to feel unique and different in every aspect if you are young and used only to new cars like I was. Second bonus, its ridiculously easy to obtain any parts you need.

i own a 996 with a rebuilt 3.9 hartech engine. Yes it was super expensive but it was worth it and it's a forever keeper.

996.1 owner here. I had mine for 12 years. Great cars

Awesome. I’m biased, I own a 1998 996 3.4 in manual with 18” rims and I simply love it. I spent ages trying to find a pristine example here in Australia and have kept it completely standard. I replaced the suspension, dampers and bushes with OEM parts and have never regretted it - what a car. It might have “only” 300bhp but it absolutely flies across country. I’ve got a good friend who owns a new 992 Carrera S with PDK and we regularly go driving through the national forest back roads in convoy with him - and the 996 has never let me down. Not only does it keep up - and even sometimes pull away, if I take a brave pill (although I’m undoubtedly busier behind the wheel), it always astonishes me (and my friend) at just what cross country pace it has in the dry. Porsche knocked it out of the park with this car - you just need to find a good one, which is getting harder and harder these days.

Having just bought a restored 996 with a broken engine I really enjoyed this and feel vindicated in my choice.

I also own a 1999 C2 manual 996, and it just ruins everything else I drive when it comes to feel. It also confirms to me that 300bhp and 1320kgs is all you really need on British roads. I firmly believe that in time the values of the early cable throttle manual 3.4's will catch and maybe surpass the C4S.

I have the exact same car and bought it from its first owner in 2002. It’s been sitting in the garage too much, but I really enjoy driving it. This inspired me to get it back on the road again

I bought my 1999 C2 for 21,500 USD. Opened the glove box and found a surprise: paperwork and photos of an engine rebuild from one year before for 17K! I pretend this means I spent 4,500 for it.

I have a 986 Boxster and love it, think it has aged gracefully and the orange headlights are just cool now. Hopefully soon I can upgrade to one of these…

Biased 996.1 owner here. Yes, its the best 911 money can buy. Its far better than any earlier iterations, and compared to the newer 991 and 992 versions, its smaller in any aspect, lighter and its a liveable car you dont have to morgage the wife and kids or be so afraid to use. All the hate on the 996 is due to incompetence and by ignorant people. Mine is a september 1997 one of the first, it has its second gearbox, fourth engine and clocked 220.000km. It has a Numeric shifter and cables, center console delete, mechanical LSD (from factory), MO30 sports suspension (from factory), the 996 GT3 carbon bucket seats and a RUF-Raid steering wheel. With the new Micheline PS5 rubber its a dream to drive.

I own 911 997 C4S , factory full aero kit with the multi spoke rims tan leathers over midnight blue , it’s had a full HARTECH REBUILD I love it so much 😊

Lee is my kind of owner. He spent his money on what he loves and clearly doesn't give a damn what other people think. Jay, you are spot on about the M030 suspension. I owned two '99 996s, one with the M030 and the other with the M029 setup. I always felt the M030 was too stiff for daily driving duties. That car had the 014 package with the 993 hollow spoke twists and all the desirable 996 specs. I sold the car with the M030 suspension and kept my other '99 with the M029 setup. I'll be doing a similar rebuild to my 911's engine when the time comes. These cars are gems and have gotten a bad rap for way too long. Luckily for me and guys like Lee, we picked up our cars for cheap while they were still disliked.

love these 996s now starting to offer classic fun

Very nice. 996 is a great car. I’ve had a 3.4 and C4S and currently a turbo. For reliability turbo wins but 3.4 the best drive.

This is how a car SHOULD be restored. It will provide him with twenty years plus of pleasurable driving. Well done. Excellent review again James

The 996 will always stand out and it definitely has a lot to offer😊

What a great car and journey - well done Lee - just don’t EVER sell it !

Lovely, understated quality.

Just got my 997 C4S back from Hartech after rebuild and 4.1 conversion. Have to say very impressive. 😅

I have a silver 997 (06) with a Hartech engine. Enjoyed video and love the car. Traded in a Boxster (987 base) for it and in lots of ways miss it, especially during the summer. Enjoyed the video and thanks for being so driver focused when so many are not.

Another excellent video Jay. Loved your comments on the suspension; original is best. Buy the best you can. Anything under £15k is going to be an expensive project. I bought of FGP, who you mentioned, and have never looked back. My 996.2 has cost me nothing but a minor service in 2 1/2 years. I drive it at least once a week and never lose the enjoyment that driving it gives me. These cars are awesome.

Very timely video, just got my 4.3 litre ‘m97 engined’ C4S back and in everyday driving, it’s quicker than my 991.2 GT3. Yes, if you rev the GT3 to the redline, it is faster, but the R43 is shockingly quick, with serious grunt from below 3k rpm. Flat 6 Innovations did the rebuild/upgrade and after working with them for a year, they are to m97 engines, what Ruf is to 911’s - legendary.

@ 12.30 'Coil over sounds so much sexier than bushes' :)

996 is on many points in a difficult stage in its life. Here in Belgium you pay around €2300 of taxes every year to keep them on the road + MOT, that is without insurance and fuel. So that is already a hefty bit. Once they're 30 years they can get the oldtimer status and les expensive road taxes. Also if they just gotten the bare necessities of maintenance, they will need a certain amount of work. Despite these costs and only driving mine around 5-6000km every year I'm still more than happy with my purchase of what was last year I think the cheapest 996 of the country. It was been parked for 3 years with the previous owner due to ilness. Now almost 1 year later I've put in around €5500 in parts and maintenance (almost a complete suspension overhaul in the right way) and for some preventative maintenance. Car is now at 219500km and engine is still pullling strong (second engine though), ims, rms, aos, clutch have been replaced by the previous owner so I'm pretty safe. But I thing between now and 5-6 years I think my engine will be rebuilt. Luckily I do almost as much as possible myself. :) Good story with this car. The 996's deserve these treatments for the fun and nimble sportscars they are. The 996.1 c2's are also the closest to the older aircooled cars because of the cable throttle.

Beautifull car done just right....the owner is to be commended. Great Review getting to the heart of the matter. Thx from NZ

I am not sure I agree with everything said here. You mentioned IMS, RMS and bore score. Both IMS and bore score were a much bigger issue on the 996.2 facelift car, and RMS is a minor issue, just an oil weep, easily fixed. In fact, the IMS issue on the 996.1 was so rare that this car wasn't even covered by the US lawsuit, just the facelift. You then claimed that you were sure that there were many other issues too, but that really isn't the case. It is a very good and reliable engine with one or two potential issues. You finally said that you couldn't do any preventative maintenance to avoid them, but you absolutely could. The IMS bearing could be refreshed any time, and clutch replacement was a good time to do it. There are several better options from third parties, but originally only the Porsche item would have been available. Part of the problem was that Porsche had spec'ed the bearing as being sealed and that it should last a lifetime, but the way they used it, the sealed-in grease would eventually leak out, and this was when the problems would arise. If you switch it every 80000 km or so, you would likely never see the issue. Bore scoring was tied to over revving, among other things, so since there is a rev limiter, you only really had to worry about not exceeding redline on downshifts. If you treated the engine properly, bore scoring would likely not happen either. Overall, it was a massive step up in drive quality over the air-cooled cars, and a fantastically fun and dynamic car. You can argue about the headlights, and people do, but honestly, I quite like them. The 996 was by far the most-selling 911 up to that point, so apparently lots of people agreed. Apart from a couple of bills to get the car back into shape after a mildly neglected previous ownership, the running costs of mine have been less than 2000 Euro per year, often closer to 1000, and I have never driven a more fun car. The way it flings out of corners is just so deeply satisfying. In my opinion, the 996 is a more satisfying 911 to drive than both the 993 and all 911s which came after. The 997 was relatively boring, and its main advantages were round headlights, which again you could argue about, and a slightly better interior. The 992 and 991 are just too large for a 911, in my opinion. They are wider than a Jaguar XJ! I still love the earlier 911s, apart from the 993, which was really Porsche's attempt to make a 996 without changing very much, and in my opinion, the design was a failure, as it looked neither classic nor modern, just a sort of awkward in-between. The customers echoed my opinion, as it sold very poorly.

I used to have a delightful 997.1 Carrera S as a daily and sold it last year for a 718 Cayman S. It had an epic Bose sound system- which is far better than the Bose in a 718 (for god sake go for the Burmester if you’re speccing one). Harmon Kardon on my previous M2 sat somewhere in between them. As for driving, that 911 was epic- a lovely blend of analogue and digital, and felt very connected to the road and had a lively engine which screamed at full chat.

The lustre of that paint - Lovely! Great close ups. Cheers James

Kudos to Lee for taking the perfect daily driver exotic sports car and turning it into……… well, the perfect daily driver exotic sports car with a long and reliable lifespan ahead of it. A combination of the classic Porsche iconic design, genuine patina and 20/20 hindsight from Porsche aftermarket specialists can’t go far wrong 👏👏👏

Jayemm, you may want to drive my 996.1 GT3 CS - it may re-configure your perception of driving a raw, analogue car made by Porsche. Happy for you to have a go - I don’t think you have ever had the original GT3 on your channel…

Can’t knock a man who loves his car. Financially unwise but I can only imagine how good it makes him feel

Thanks for all the details and prices on the upgrades and refreshes

Excellent video, and nice to see some footage of a tastefully modified car

I love my 996.2. On my second motor at 135k, but it's been worth it. I do all work myself, so I save a ton. It's got a few parts on it and is a great driver's car. Glad to see you review another 996 Jay. Nice work.

Great review. Thank you. It's a beautiful car. Time will show its better looking than its given credit for.

That’s a lot of commitment and spend in a category of 911 often left to die. In that respect, kudos to Lee. On the other hand, I’m still amazed at the mark up on marked up service that Porsche Indies give. That bill is ridiculous. I appreciate some of the additional labour and service like head skimming etc but really even if you rebuilt four fiesta engines it still wouldn’t add up to that much. Their isn’t any particularly special materials or precious parts used. A lot of non Porsche engine builders (and mechanics) could do the work for a lot less. In respect to the suspension, interesting they went Bilstein B4 for the dampers. Not an OE part. It must be very supple. I’ve B8/H&R/19” on mine and that’s not particularly harsh. It’s interesting how all cars seem to do the cycle of being desirable when “tweeked” and improved and then even more desirable when stock fresh. Nostalgia and romanticism? Either way, it’s great to see another 996 kept alive and kicking……still have a 993 over it though. 😊

IF i had the means this would be the first exotic car i would buy with no hesitation!

a 996 carrera for 20k with some new suspension is just my dream

Nice to hear some sage advice and new attention on a 911 bargain? Well done!

You definitely have a soft spot for everything porsche I've just bought a 2013 NC on the back of one of your videos the BBR 200 and glad I did

My '03 C2 has an LN 4.0L with full bolt ons and it's a dream machine.

Great to see this review

This car is nearly identical in spec to my 2002 C2 (without the engine upgrades). A brilliant car that I've put over 10,000 miles on in my first year and a half of ownership. In the US, you can have one of these, or you can buy a 10 year old muscle car that's been hooned. Seemed like a no brainer to get the Porsche and it's been very kind to me in the time I've had it.

What an awesome Q 911! 👏 well done to the owner… I’ll always have a soft spot for the 996 as it was the first 911 I ever went out in 🥰

If I was faced with spending that much on my 996 I couldn't do it. I'd sell as a roller or part it out and move on. So far so good though.

Kudos to Lee for going down this route because if I can remember, there was nothing wrong with the base car other than an noisy exhaust manifold, so the engine rebuild wasn’t immediately necessary. In my mind £22k for 35 bhp/42 lb ft of torque is some spend - why not source a 40 Jahre or 996 GT3. The 40 Jahre is 345 stock and the GT3.1 is 360 bhp. All that said, for Jayemm to say it’s the best 996 that he’s driven, assuming that includes his own 996 C4s, is some accolade. Good luck with it Lee, and I’m looking forward to the comparisons with other 911’s that you have planned.

Same as my 1998 996 it also has the Hartech 3.7 build. It’s a great car and a fun engine to drive unfortunately mine suffered a problem just under 20k miles the crank bearing went snd I had to throw £4K at it so maybe not as bomb proof as people are led to believe although it now has a stringer crank bearing in That being said they’re a good company to deal with and I was just unlucky

Guys got a top sports car now that he can take out, thrash all day and not worry about bills for the next ten years plus. 👍

Cheers for the feature again. If my 3.4 ever goes pop, it's going straight to Hartech for a 3.9. I keep looking at other cars around the 30k mark but the idea of maintaining a V8 Vantage or an R8 just isn't reasonable in my mind. A Hartech build would give me such peace of mind.

Had both a 996 Targa 3.6 and C4 3.4. No IMS issues with either and both felt quick. Sold the Targa for 17k with 60k miles a few years back. Not sure I would want to spend over 30k on a 1998 C2, he won't be getting that money back. Had the M030 suspension on the C4, which greatly improved handling without being overly harsh, though I don't live in a town).

Lovely car, totally agree, an excepcional 911, and pretty standard too

Thanks J 🙏🙏

40-50K for a basically new car, better that as it left the factor vs a DB9, 360, A8 etc all of which are in very used condition, and will undoubtedly, need lots of fixing. I think he made the right choice.

This car looks exactly like my first 911 (see the phot of me driving down the corkscrew at Laguna). I LOVED that car. But bores got scored and I sold it off to a friend who promptly totaled the car😢 I still miss that thing. And to your point- redoing the car would’ve costed WAY more than it was worth. Ended up in a 718 Spyder and I love that car too, but something about the 99 911’s simplicity is so wonderful when compared to modern metal

Great video, also seen the owners own video diary on RU-vid. Having had standard and changed to M030 suspension on my 996.1 C4, I'd have to disagree about the suspension comment. M030 is only 10-15mm or so lower and not a great deal stiffer. It does have a stiffer rear with stiffer ARB. This makes it a touch sharper but I wouldn't say its noticeably more crashy. Horses for courses I suppose. I would love a Hsrtech 3.7 conversion. 😪

A lovely car done right

superb car and video. I just bought a 10/97 996 manual in identical spec here in Australia. I adore the car and the high revving, light footed nature. I havbe owned a 2.7 MFI Carrera, and a 930 prior and this car certainly holds up at least as well as them both .,.. handling is sublime on standard M029 suspension. I have taken some inspiration from Jethro Bovingdon's car, but at this stage, aside from semi solid engine (993 RS) and trans mounts, a short shifter kit and and 18" GT3 996.1 split rims, it is as it was delivered....honestly, drive a 996 hard and convince yourself they are not GREAT. especially the early revvier cars, the last analog 911 with throttle cable, and 1320kg only.

Excellent review of a superb car! Shame about the clear indicators, but at least he kept the four spoke steering wheel - Only mod I would like to see is the 'center consul delete' - a mere £450 for the kit from your friendly local OPC!

We have a 3.7 Hartech Gen1 996 Manual coupe coming to market in the next couple of weeks. We agree James, the best 996 you can buy at any price point bar a gt3

Nearly went for one (even was talking to Lee/asking for advice) , but went for a nice Maserati Gransport instead, which ironically holds less mechanical fear if you are careful. Happy to offer it up for comparison :)

3.4 engine never lacked the top end fire works!😂

Poppopbangbang might dispute the "best 996" moniker

Great video. I have owned multiple 997 and 996 Porsches, and without a doubt 996 is the more engaging and fun car to drive. 997 has it beat on looks, power and interior quality, but suspension and steering are noticeably more direct in the 996. The 997 has variable steering and most have PASM dampers which suck. As do 19” wheels. 996s are also significantly lighter. Plus the IMSB is a serviceable part in all 996s. The only 997.1 with a serviceable IMSB are 2005 and and early production 2006s. 996>997

Lovely car, would prefer this over a new one

16:06 when your bill comes with a thumb drive detailing the costs, it's going to be a long day going through the 5 stages of grief.

If the headlights are good enough for the GT1 they’re good enough for me… in fact I love the Mk 1 lights without the orange indicators!! And for the record IMS bearing failure is very much a very rare occurrence, especially now!

Silber ober Metropol blau. Klassik!

@16:55 that’s a cool shot you got there

11:41 I hate to break it to you... M030 does not make the suspension any harsher. It makes it lower (20mm lower for RoW, 10mm for US). The springs are the same stiffness (spring rate) as the non-sport package springs, and the shocks are the exact same part (Bilstein B4). The only other difference is the sway bars, which have no impact on harshness, you should only really feel them in the form of a slight body roll reduction. Also, you completely neglected to mention the fact that the early 3.4 cars (MY99 and earlier M96/01, M960/01S) essentially don't suffer from bore score, dechunk, or IMS failures. The IMS is dual row on those cars (failure rates in the fractions of a percent range compared to about 5 percent for the single-row cars, per the class-action suit filed against Porsche over the matter), and none of the 3.4s have had a substantial issue with bore scoring or dechunking, as that was a flaw of the cylinder cooling jackets on the 3.6s and later 997 3.8s (M96/03 and onwards). Also, the gearbox is not what wears. Slop in the gearchange is the result of... plastic bushings in the linkage under the lever. You can either swap them for bearings, or replace the linkage box outright with one from a 997.1 GT3 which has metal components and bearings from the factory (albeit that shortens the throw), and that solves the issue. The G96 box is actuated by 2 cables, and is widely regarded to be one of the most bombproof transmissions Porsche ever installed. Keep up on the fluid change intervals and it should be more than happy. Only real failing has been prematurely worn 2nd gear synchros on some early examples. EDIT: 15:32 "Upgraded to the 2006 style IMS bearing." Thats a downgrade. The 2006+ (M97) IMS bearing was a single-row bearing of increased diameter... its loading characteristics were identical to the early dual-row bearings. The downside? The way it fits into the casting of the M97 means it can no longer be removed from the outside of the engine behind the clutch, and now requires you to split the crankcase. So if this car really was an early example (296 horse), it had an M96/01... which didn't have the issue to begin with. And in the process likely irreversibly modified the crankcase to fit the larger diameter bearing, potentially in a way that requires removing and splitting the engine to replace it. What an upgrade. All of this has not addressed the only genuine design flaw the early M96 ever had... oiling issues between the "Integrated Dry Sump" and the subpar oiling of certain valvetrain components on Bank #2. Both of which can be pretty easily and cheaply rectified between X51 parts and modern aftermarket offerings. X51 baffle, Porsche Motorsport AOS, and the extra oil feed line for the Bank 2 head, throw in an X51 oil pump while you're at it, and you've addressed the only real Achilles heel of the M96/01. Can't find those X51 parts? LN Engineering's UAOS is new but very highly regarded thus far on the Rennlist 996 boards.

The 996 is a better looking car than the 997, there I’ve said it!

This car as it is, is for that one owner that does not have any social media app

I bought a 996 from Baz/Grant around 2002 I liked it at the time but since sold it. Chaps at Hartech are bang on I will soon be looking for a 997.2 via them guys as I think they are a much nicer style, I guess ones tastes change over the years

Sweet spot, almost? I had a 997 C2S w a man box and X51. It was annoying me with small faults so I moved it on; but she was pretty much perfect

Brilliant!!!!

I can see the logic here. Don’t know what he paid for the car, but I’m guessing that all in he has spent considerably less (maybe half) in inflation adjusted money than the car cost new. For that he has a car that is better than new in every way that matters.

This is in my opinion... The way it should be done👍

I nearly lost the IMS bearing on my 996 and considered this route, just cut my losses and walked away, managed to. It actually fell apart as it was being replaced..had it fixed before sale of course. Actually made £1k on the car.

nice car, well done! it does looks to me it has headers in addition to the 200 cell cats too

As a minimum wage guy who keeps buying scratch cards with a 500k prize I always have my eye on the 996 (the rest will go to my wife). Putting myself in Lee’s, to get peace of mind and know I’ve made a sound decision and got a reliable car I’d look at doing something similar. I always loved 911’s but the turning point was 03 for me. Outside the Mcarther Glenn outlet at York with my beautiful ex. We we’re in my £440 82 Mini. There were a couple of 996’s in the car park and that particular day they ticked all the boxes for 27 year old me. Classy, not too flashy, pretty and I guess status. I dreamed of one day owning one and being at the level in life where I could maintain one. I wanted everything that went with the 911. I see kids today watching the videos on RU-vid where everyone has a Lambo feeling the same. I think it’s a thing people with little money often do. I still dream of having a 996, hopefully one like this.

Got a 911 992 Carrera s…never even had a rattle in 3yrs..best built car I’ve ever had by a Country mile.

I spent $10,000 on a 2003 996 in Southern California for the IMS, clutch and “while you are there” parts. I just got a 2001 911 and will do just the IMS if I can get away with it. My mechanic thinks they are really reliable cars so don’t need all the extra extra.

I love this commitment and probably had no plan in paying out what he has but nearly 40k is Porsche 996 Turbo territory and none of the standard car engine issues 😮 I know which I'd rather have!!

can you try find and review 986, 987, 997 hartech rebuilt cars, id be very intrested

Jay, early 996 3.4 ltr cars have twin row IMS bearing and do not have bore scoring problems hence they motors are safe and do explode like the later cars!

Comforting to have confirmed I'm only a couple miles from those who know how to look after a 911 when I eventually* get one 😊

Never fails to amaze how much they go for, it’s just an old car it might be a good old car but still.

Perfect video.

Really nice car. Personally I would rather have done that level of work to a 996 c4s myself. I just think the rear of the 996 c4s looks beautiful and easily makes up for the front lights.

the only reason the 996 has gone up in price is because every other 911 has also increased in price, as the total industry seems to have done as well

Great car and kudos to the owner for doing what he's done but I'm struggling a bit to put sense into the amount spent, maybe time will tell

I would assume that a Hartech rebuild would address all Porsche's engineering oversights on the M96 engine. If you're going to spend the money, fix everything because if you don't those costs will hunt you down later. Yes, the owner could have had other cars for the money. But those cars would have also been older and come with their own costs to get back to spec. And a well-sorted 911 is probably better than any of those cars with work to be done.

Oh the days of £35k GT3’s 🎉

To me this, or a variation of this seems like the perfect way to own a 911. I’ve been watching the market for a while and I’ve seen a lot of cars come and go. Currently a regular 996 with sub 70k mileage in good condition with all the requisite maintenance is 27-30k. This is not a bad price depending on spec and the cars get worse exponentially the lower in price you go. So it seems like the best course of action would be to buy one of those, OR you could buy a car with a failing or failed engine, and go to one of the various companies that build flat six engines brand new with the same or higher displacement and have one of those installed. You have much more longevity, potentially more power and character, and something unique, for around the same price as a basic clean car, or maybe a bit more.