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The 'Porsche Type 997', or simply '997' (nine-nine-seven or nine-ninety-seven) is the project code name for the current version of the sports car Porsche 911, built by the German manufacturer Porsche since 2004. Production began in July 2004 and two variants, the Carrera and Carrera S coupés, were available immediately. The all-wheel drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S versions began shipping in November 2005, while the Turbo and GT3 derivatives went on sale in late 2006 and 997 GT2 going on sale in 2007. The new 530 horsepower GT2 has a claimed 0-60 of 3.6 Seconds and Top Speed of 204 MPH, the first production, street-legal Porsche 911 with a 200+ MPH top speed. The Targa top models are also available, in Targa 4 and Targa 4S forms. The 997 is the most commercially successful 911 of all time. As of July 2007 it has sold 100,000 units since its introduction in April 2004.[1]

Contents

Design

Performance

Special editions

Turbo

Turbo Cabriolet

GT3

Targa

GT2

Statistics

See also

References

External links

Design

The base Carrera has essentially the same 3.6 L flat-6 (Boxer) engine that its predecessor, the Type 996 Carrera used, producing 239 kW (325 SAE hp/329 PS). The Carrera S uses a new 3.8 L flat-6 engine producing 261 kW (355 SAE hp/ 360 PS). The US$16,900 X51 powerkit with a 381 hp power output is available as an option for the Carrera S, Carrera 4S, and Targa 4S models.
While the exterior styling is changed--in fact, the 997 Carrera S and Carrera 4S models share only their roof panels with their predecessor, the 996--it is again more evolution than revolution, typical of Porsche and the Carrera. British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson (a known detester of Porsche, especially the 911) has often voiced the opinion that Porsche have "the laziest design team in the world" due to the almost unnoticeable change in external appearance between the 997 and earlier models. The most notable difference between the 997 and outgoing 996 is the return to circular headlights, like those of pre-996 Carreras, with separate indicator units. The interior has been almost entirely re-invented and all the controls are new; however, it is more reminiscent of classic 911 interiors than of the outgoing 996.


The 997 is due for a slight redesign in 2008 (as a 2009 model); planned changes include a revised front bumper with larger air intakes, new headlamps with dual HID projectors, new taillights, direct injection, and a dual clutch gearbox.^[1][2]

Performance

According to testing carried out by several American automotive publications, the Turbo model can go from 0 to 62mph in about 3.4 seconds. The Carrera S model is capable of going 0 to 60mph in as little as 3.9 seconds, and carries a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), while the base Carrera model is slightly slower, able to run 0 to 60mph in 4.4 seconds, with a top speed of 285 km/h (175 mph). Note, however, that these figures contradict the conservative official Porsche figures.
The Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S will use the same engines as the Carrera and Carrera S, respectively. Visually, the rear bodywork is nearly 2 in (50.8 mm) wider over larger tires. The all wheel drive system sends between 5% and 40% of engine torque to the front wheels as needed.

Special editions

In 2006, the Porsche 911 Club Coupe was produced in limited numbers (50) as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Porsche Club of America (PCA). The first production model was returned to the Porsche Museum in Germany and one lucky PCA member won the fiftieth model in a sweepstakes drawing. The remaining 48 models were offered to randomly chosen PCA members who applied to purchase this extremely rare car. The Porsche 911 Club Coupe which is available only in the unique Azurro California color, comes equipped with a more powerful 381 hp motor thanks to the X51 Powerkit. Other features unique to this special model include a vehicle identification number (VIN) which ends with the production number and special commemorative badging and door sills which adorn the interior.

Turbo

The 997 Turbo debuted in February 2006 at the Geneva Motor Show. It uses a new front bumper with LED parking lights in a horizontal bar through the air intake. The fog lights are moved to the corners of the bumpers. Large air intakes in front of and behind the rear wheels are other obvious visual cues. The retractable rear wing is also one of the highlights, a feature which has been available on the 996 Turbo too.
The engine is reported to be based on the rugged and very reliable 964/GT1 design at 3.6 L with power output at 353 kW (480 PS) and 620 N·m (457 ft·lbf). The turbochargers will include BorgWarner's new Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG), which uses guide vanes located in front of the turbine wheel that modulates inflow angle and speed. While the 911 Turbo is the first non-diesel production car to feature a variable geometry turbine, a similar approach was used by Garrett Systems starting in 1989 with the Shelby CSX, that used variable nozzles instead. The optional ''Sport Chrono Package'' includes a temporary 2.9 psi overboost, upping peak torque to 680 N·m (502 ft·lbf) for ten second bursts.
According to official Porsche figures, it produces 480 hp, accelerates 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds with the manual transmission, and a has 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of just 3.4 seconds with the manumatic Tiptronic S transmission, which is more than enough to edge out its current rival from Ferrari, the new F430. It has also recorded a 0-60mph time of 3.2 seconds at the hands of US motoring publication Motor Trend - eclipsing all of its major competitors and even Porsche's own Carrera GT supercar. The 997 Turbo has a top speed of 311 km/h (193 mph).
Possibly one of the most astonishing feats of the Porsche 997 is its 40 - 60 mph time. In second gear, it takes just 1 second.^[3] The car is also able to launch from 0-30 mph in just 1.1 seconds.

Turbo Cabriolet

Porsche AG Announced on May 7, 2007 that the 911 Turbo Cabriolet will go on sale in September 2007. The Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet is one of, if not the fastest convertible sports car in production. It is capable of reaching similar top speeds, and acceleration, of the standard Porsche 997 Turbo Coupe. This is considered an astonishing feat because usually the convertible version of cars are much slower than the hardtop variant, due to its slightly less stable aerodynamics associated with its soft roof, and its extra weight caused by the retracting system for the folding and stowing of the roof.

GT3

The 997 GT3 model also debuted at Geneva in 2006. Like previous GT3 models, it is a way for Porsche to homologate aerodynamic features for racing, as well as a starting model for customer racing. The 997 GT3 is priced at US$106,000 and uses an updated version of the naturally-aspirated 3.6 L flat-6 dry-sump engine from the 996 GT3. This engine produces 415 hp(PS)/409bhp (309 kW) with a new variable intake system. It has an 8400 rpm redline which is the same as the 612 bhp Carrera GT's. Torque is also up to 299 ft·lbf (405 N·m). The 3.6L dry-sump engine does not seem to share the rear main seal (RMS) problems of the 3.6L/3.8L wet-sump engine.
The GT3 body includes a special front bumper which increases cooling for the front-mounted radiators as well as a split spoiler at the rear. The GT3 also includes a special rear bumper and center tailpipes which draw heat away from the engine. It is lowered and rides on 30-series 305 mm (12 in) tires on 19 in (483 mm) wheels. The car weighs 3075 lb (1395 kg).

The 997 GT3 is more driver-friendly than its predecessor, with "comfort" seats and the Porsche Communication Management system installed. The special RS model will strip most of these luxuries out to focus more on track-oriented driving (although the car is still road-legal). The package will also include a full rollcage and carbon fiber seats to add to that race-car-for-the-road feel. The RS version will be released in Europe in October 2006; the North American release is spring 2007.
The ratios on the six-speed transmission are more aggressive, allowing the GT3 to hit 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.1 seconds, while the RS accomplishes the same in 4 flat. It will continue to 100 mph (161 km/h) in 9.2 seconds and has an ungoverned 193 mph (311 km/h) top speed.

Targa

The Targa 4 and Targa 4S versions, like the Porsche 911 Targa of the 993 and 996 generations, are equipped with a glass roof and hatch. At any speed, the roof can be opened where it drops down an inch and slides a metre back underneath the hatch. As the roof weighs an additional 60kg the suspension has been modified from Carerra models. When the glass roof is retracted, a small glass deflector above the windshield is raised to aid in aerodynamic stability.
Unlike previous versions of the Porsche 911 Targa, the Porsche 997 Targa 4 and Targa 4S have an all-wheel-drive drivetrain, hence the "4" in the name. The naming is to fit in with the naming trend of other Porsche models, namely the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S, whose "4" in the names are also due to their all-wheel drive systems. The Porsche 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S are slightly slower than the Porsche 911 Carrera models, because the heavier roof and all-wheel-drive drivetrain increases the weight, and, subsequently, the inertia associated with acceleration.

GT2

The Porsche 996 911 GT2 was superseded by the 997-generation GT2 in 2007.
On Friday July 13th, 2007, an official brochure of the 997 GT2 was unofficially released on the internet. [2]
According to this brochure, the 997 GT2 has a twin turbocharged 3.6 litre 6-cylinder engine, which generates 530 hp at 6500 rpm, even though the Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S variant has a slightly larger engine at 3.8 litres. The GT2 accelerates in 3.6 seconds to 60 mph and in 7.4 seconds to 100 mph and has a maximum top speed of 204 mph. This makes it the first Porsche 911 to exceed the 200mph top speed, with the exception of the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Race Version (which is not considered an actual Porsche 911 due to its mid-mounted engine. The Porsche 997 GT2 also has a curb weight of 3175 lbs, 505 lb-ft of torque from 2200 to 4500rpm, and a 6-speed manual gearbox.
A few official pictures of the Porsche 997 GT2 have also been leaked to public recently. [3] Its appearance slightly different from its sister-car, the Porsche 911 (997) Turbo, in a few ways. It does not have fog lights in the front bumper, it has a revised front lip, it has a different rear wing (with two small air scoops on either side), and it has a different rear bumper (now featuring titanium exhaust pipes).
The Porsche 911 (997) GT2 is also different from the Porsche 911 (997) Turbo because the GT2 is rear-wheel-drive rather than all-wheel-drive. This causes the Porsche 911 GT2 to have a slightly slower acceleration from 0-62mph than the Tiptronic Porsche 911 Turbo by 0.2 seconds.
The Porsche 911 GT2 will be out by November 2007. [4]

Statistics

Model	MSRP (Cost)	Horsepower, Engine	0-60 Acceleration ★	Top Speed	Slogan	Official Model Site
911 Carrera	$82,400	325 hp @ 6800 rpm, 3.6L wet-sump	4.8 s	177 mph/285 km/h	The dream lives on.	[5]
911 Carrera S	$89,600	355 hp @ 6600 rpm, 3.8L wet-sump	4.6 s	182 mph/293 km/h	Same soul. Even more heart.	[6]
911 Carrera Cabriolet	$92,600	325 hp @ 6800 rpm, 3.6L wet-sump	5.0 s	177 mph/285 km/h	The top goes down. Spirits rise.	[7]
911 Carrera S Cabriolet	$96,800	355 hp @ 6600 rpm, 3.8L wet-sump	4.7 s	182 mph/293 km/h	Let the sun chase you.	[8]
911 Carrera 4	$89,200	325 hp @ 6800 rpm, 3.6L wet-sump	4.9 s	174 mph/280 km/h	911 to the power of 4.	[9]
911 Carrera 4S	$98,400	355 hp @ 6600 rpm, 3.8L wet-sump	4.6 s	179 mph/288 km/h	The perfect distribution of power.	[10]
911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet	$88,400	325 hp @ 6800 rpm, 3.6L wet-sump	5.1 s	174 mph/280 km/h	Open to take any corner.	[11]
911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet	$98,600	355 hp @ 6600 rpm, 3.8L wet-sump	4.7 s	179 mph/288 km/h	Take control of the road and sky.	[12]
911 Targa 4	$85,700	325 hp @ 6800 rpm, 3.6L wet-sump	5.1 s	174 mph/280 km/h	Skydriving.	[13]
911 Targa 4S	$95,900	355 hp @ 6800 rpm, 3.8L wet-sump	4.7 s	179 mph/288 km/h	Best of both worlds.	[14]
911 Turbo	$122,900	480 hp @ 6000 rpm, 3.6L dry-sump	3.7 s	193 mph/311 km/h	A new interpretation of masterwerk.	[15]
911 Turbo Cabriolet	$136,500	480 hp @ 6000 rpm, 3.6L dry-sump	3.8 s	193 mph/310 km/h	Best of all worlds.	[16] (minisite)
911 GT3	$106,000	415 hp @ 7600 rpm, 3.6L dry-sump	4.1 s	193 mph/311 km/h	Origin Motorsport.	[17]
911 GT3 RS	$123,200	415 hp @ 7600 rpm, 3.6L dry-sump	4.0 s	193 mph/311 km/h	Origin Motorsport.	[18]
911 GT2	$192,500	530 hp @ 6500 rpm, 3.6L dry-sump	3.6 s	204 mph/328 km/h	Respect required.	[19] (minisite)

★ Note: This table shows official Porsche performance figures, which are usually conservative. Independent automobile magazines may find acceleration times less than those shown above.

★ Note: 0-60 acceleration times refer to the time taken to reach 60 ''miles'' per hour (about 97 kilometers per hour).

★ Note: MSRP prices are set to the United States.

See also

★ Porsche 911

References

★ Geneva Giant: Porsche’s race-bred 911 is back
1. Car & Driver - Spied: 2009 Porsche Carrera S
2. Details on Porsche’s 2008 911 update
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-LKNc3s7T4

External links

★ Official Porsche website

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★ Porsche 911 (997) models at official Porsche website

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★ Official 911 (997) Turbo minisite

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★ Official 911 (997) GT3 minisite

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★ Official 911 (997) GT3 RS minisite

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★ Official 911 (997) Targa minisite

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★ Official 911 (997) GT2 minisite