1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Convertible

Description

Porsche’s 911 is an automotive icon, and its origins are legendary. Its history harks back to 1964 when the first iteration was launched, and that platform remained the primary basis for the 911 until 1998. In that year Porsche introduced the Type 996 model 911 and this represented two major changes for the venerable German two-door sports car: a water-cooled flat-six engine replaced the original air-cooled unit used in the 911 for 34 years, and the body shell received its first major re-design. Needless to say, this did not go down well with the Porsche aficionados but nevertheless the 996 set the tone for all future 911s, up to today. The 996’s styling was an evolution of the original 911 but broader in beam, and it wore front end sheet metal shared with Porsche's mid-engined entry-level model, the Boxster. This too was controversial at the time, as was the new interior which was criticised for its plainness and its lack of relationship to the earlier 911 interiors. Engine displacement was now 3.4 litres, and it featured a change to an "integrated dry sump" design and variable valve timing for a power output of 221 kW. The Porsche 911 Type 996 spawned over a dozen model variations, including an all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S (the latter which had a 'Turbo look' body in facelift form) models, the club racing-oriented GT3 and GT3 RS, and the forced-induction 996 Turbo and GT2. On convertible variants the folding roof took 19 seconds for operation (speedy then) while an electronically activated rear spoiler (rising at speeds over 120 km/h) was another 996 feature, though this could also be raised manually by an electric switch.