Originally Posted by 03Targa

I hated this post when it was first made and I still hate it now that it is bizarrely resurrected. I hate it because I read too much of this 'our cars are the best cars' crap over on the aircooled boards. I really am a Porsche nut because I love em all, right down to the 914's and the Cayennes (yes I said it). they are all done with style and awesome engineering execution.

Originally Posted by Benjamin Choi

I hardly think the 997TT's stock wheels are "blingy" and the LED turn signals "ricey" or more appropriately, "bratwursty".

Originally Posted by J-RAD

Perhaps. Either way, the 997TT same up short in the design department IMO. It should've looked more like the GT3. Nearly all of it's distinct styling items loo like an afterthought. The wheels are mediocre at best. It is the only 997 design that hasn't completely won me over - the rest are off the hook.

Originally Posted by Edgy01

How can you not like this look? All Porsches are great! Just give it time to sink in.

Originally Posted by palladio

Interesting debate. I might as well put on my flame suit and and say that I don't think any of the 911's are particularly "beautiful" in a pure aesthetic sense. I have an acqaintance who is a life long car junkie and as a kid I can remember drooling over all his cars. However, I didn't continue to drool over the 911, the 930 or the later P turbos that went through the garage after I saw them next to the Ferrari 308, the Testarossa, and the 550 Maranello that also shared the same space over the years.

To me the 911 has always looked a bit like a glorified VW beetle. What made the design great to me was not so much looks, but the purist germanic "form follows function" design and the fact that Porsche honed the design subtly over 40 years rather than feeling the need to come out with whatever was "fashionable" at the moment. The design has stood the test of time better than any other in automotive history, which is clearly evident in the high resale values of 911's from every era. You can barely give away one of their 928 flagship cars now, and 944's and other odd variants haven't fared much better in terms of resale (not that they all weren't great cars from a pure driving/engineering perspective).

In my opinion, the 993 Turbo is probably the ultimate expression of the model thus far. I didn't like the 996 much when it came out, just too flat sided and not "curvy" enough for my taste. The design grew on me in time, however, and I have come to love the C4s and TT variants. I respect them in that it was Porsche's attempt to continue to modernize the 911 form within a basic framework. I have yet to warm to the 997. The base model looks better than the 996 from the rear end (more curves!), but the front end and headlights seem to be a step back in a way. It's as if Porsche said "gee we need to make this car more like the 993 because people are complaining" rather than just keeping with the form follows function path of evolution. When designers consciously aim for a "retro" look, to me it's a bit self-conscious and at times just plain silly (anyone here want a '96 T-bird?).

So maybe I'll eventually warm up to the front end of the 997, but for now, my vote still goes to the 993 and 996 C4's and TT's.

Originally Posted by pongobaz

I like the 997 looks generally particularly in GT3 form, but I think they missed an opportunity with the 997 C4S to make it distinct like the 996 C4S. I actually prefer the lights of the MKII 996's over the retro treatment on the 997; but I must be one of the only ones.
The 997 TT exterior is a bit fussy with those ricey LED turn signals and the blingy wheels. the angled cut line from the rear bumper to the quarter panel looks arbitrary; should have stayed horizontal like all previous generations IMHO.
While the interior quality of the 997 is excellent (particularly with the full leather), the design leaves me a little cold; a little to generic missing some of the idiosyncrasies that all 911 (yes even the 996) have had over the years. I love the new seats though. Sports Chrono hump looks like an afterthought and should be better integrated into the IP.
In the end, I like all generations of the 911 with all their faults and foibles. The question is: if the 997 embraced "retro" or "heritage" styling, where do you evolve from there? Back to the more modern looking 996?

Originally Posted by ncp

Guys, reading through this thread, I'm reminded of the overwhelming negative response that came about at the debut of the 996 back in 98/99. And it wasn't just the syling that had Porsche rocked back on it's heels. The last of an air cooled, hand built icon was gone. The raw, visceral feel so characteristic of the Porsche legend went by the wayside. If you've never driven a 993 or previous model, then you have no idea what I'm speaking of.

It's interesting to hear comments that the 997 styling just doesn't cut it. Because the 997 is supposedly Porsche's answer to the critics of the 996 that have complained all along that Porsche "took all the lines out of the car," namely, out of the 993.

Coming from a 993, my first experience into a 996 was extremely "underwhelming" and for the first time ever in a Porsche, I felt as if I had just stepped into a Japanese import with a Porsche crest on the hood.

Once again, if you've never driven an older model Porsche, then I suggest you take the time to do so (say a 964 or 993 Turbo). I think you'd find the whole experience to be eye popping. And if you think that going from a 996 to a 997 is like stepping into a Japanese import, wait until you experience the difference between the last of the air cooled, hand built jobs and your 996.

For what it's worth... just some added some perspective.

Cheers

Originally Posted by bstaneland

For those of you that bash on the 996 headlights calling them scrambled eggs and such, take a look at photos of the short-lived, but hugely successful, 904 racer. Even though it was a mid-engined car, you can see the similarities in the headlights. Now one would think that the late-90s headlights were done primarily for the boxster (being also a MR) as a 904 throwback, but we're still talking true Porsche racing heritage in the styling. Why not use the same front clip on the 996? It's too bad that some people were so stuffy that they didn't want their 996 to look like a Boxster. When did P-car owners develop the Ferrari-snob stigma? Porsches are Porsches, even the 924.