nick49

Porsche styling has always captivated me with an unexplanable element that left a positive impression on me that is hard to describe. This has gone on since the early '60s and may have peaked with the 996 which I thought was the most awsome street Porsche ever.

Am I the only one that can't warm up to the 997? I have looked at them in the showroom and the appeal is a shiny brand new car...same appeal that a brand new Hyundai or Kia or Chevrolet has. There is nothing there that screams "PORSCHE" to me, it's like the magical styling that had lured me to become a happy buyer is absent. They have the look of a Mazda Something or a culmination of several bits and pieces of the hundreds of car models out there. It's like all the stylists energy was expended on the 996 and when a facelift was needed in the 997 there was nothing unique left to give.

Am I alone? Makes my 996 Cab look better the longer I have it. What do you guys think?

BrockPorsche

If you are feeling frisky go say that in the 993 forum

ArneeA

I too cannot appreciate the 997 design.

ElTorrente

I hated the 996 when I first saw one.

I couldn't believe they changed the 911's styling, and I was very dissapointed. After a while, I began realizing that I was just biased because I guess I never wanted Porsche to change what I thought was already perfect. Eventually, I began lusting after them just like every other 911. Change isn't a bad thing, and the 996 slowly became beautiful to my formally biased eyes.

I like the 997's looks even better, and I will own a 997S one day.

dgcate

I'm hearin ya...

Check out the picture of the '08 Turbo Cab...

http://euroautoforums.com/forums/ind...t=0&#entry4633

To me, the black car has more of a Japanese flair. I know exactly the "mystique" you're referring to. I've owned several of the 911 line of cars in my life (eight?), and that black car is the first I've seen that has almost zero mystique to it.

My theory...(and bear in mind, this is the opinion of an "over-the-hill" hehe 48 years old man), Porsche doesn't really care what I think about mystique, they're goin' after the 20's and 30's age group. That's the age group that is Porsche's future. Too young to remember the "magic" of the design. What's more important to Porsche now seems to be to get "closer to the pack" in design...kind of the same phenomina (sp?) that american car designers followed japanese and german designs in the '90's. Heck, it got hard there for awhile to tell what country ANY car was made in, they just all looked alike. Porsche is goin' after the market, and, in doing so, we're loosing something magical...emotional. As I said in another post, the '08 cab bears so little resemblence to the 911, that, in my mind anyway...

It's now official...the '08 cab marks the end of an era. Porsche has officially declared the 911 mystique now a thing of the past. This car cannot be referred to as a 911 at all....at least in the sense of that "undefinable mystique" in looks. Character is what we're talkin' about. They're becoming emotionless.

fwiw...I just bought an '80 MGB. That car has more character, in spades, than the latest Porsche models. And that's coming from a life-long, 40 year worshiper of Porsche, precisely for the unique character they've always had, in relation to other marques..

Nicolaasdb

never liked the 996...and I still bought one.....the 997 went back to their roots...round headlights!! remember Jaguar in the 80's....square box with square head and tailligths...nearly killed the already suffocating brand....they went back to round shapes.."triangle taillights and round headlight....and they still exist!! Sometimes going back to the original design isn't a bad thing!! I admit they could have designed the 997 with oval headlight more like the carrera GT...just my 2cnts.... just to clarify...I LOVE MY 996!! but even more after the 2 conversion....

AndyK

I agree, mostly. Until the 993, I never really loved the ancient styling of the previous models. To me, the 993 smoothed over all the rough 60's edges and made the car look like it belonged in the 90's.

The 996, although simpler and rounder, also made me want one. Sleek and modern, yet a serious sports car (which is why I always liked Porsche to begin with)!

To me, the 997 is the 968 of the 911 line. Porsche got a ton of flack for having odd headlights, so the scrambled and came up with the 997 - round headlights and all. Like the 968 is really a 944 with improved looks and handling, so the 997 is really a 996--with "improved" looks and handling.

A "true" 911 looks like an antique. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But I don't want to drive an antique car!

Make sense? It's early!

potxoli

I also can't get too excited about the 997. Don't get me wrong it's a great looking car, but I don't feel it looks any better than my C4S. Actually, I think few cars out there look better than a C4S, but that is just me

I'm especially bummed about the 997 turbo. I had had a half baked plan to upgrade to a 997 turbo for my 40th birthday in a few years if I could convince my wife, but I really don't like the way it looks... they've made it so "busy" and to me it does not have the sleek and massively aggressive looks of a 993 or 996 turbo.

BruceP

Here's the personal web site of Pinky Lai, the guy who designed the 996, and you can see some of his concept sketches for the car:

<http://www.designnstyling.com/>

IMHO, the 996 is a historically important Porsche, even if too many were sold to ever make it collectible. The designer's challenge was to pay tribute to the line while reimagining it the future (so it wouldn't die). He had to reduce the 911 concept to its essence as a sort of fresh starting point for that future. I think that basic purity is what appeals to me about it. I actually believe that the 993 really was the last of the classic 911s, but the 996 represented a promise by Porsche that it would't turn its back on the formula no matter what the future brought.

designman

I like the both 996 and 997 styling. My problem with 997 is the handling. IMO they went over the top, made it civilized for the luxury buyer. Doesn't feel like a 911 any more.

kmo

Although I like the headlights of pre 996 911's there is something about the 997 that looks forced. Just doen't seem to work as well as the older 911's. The interior is a bit cheesey, but overall I like the changes.

washington dc porsche

The 997 looks good to me.

MechanicalEng

I like all 911s of all years, they all have their flaws and virtues...

mrsullivan

I'll come over and make this thread a little frisky

There are many that would say the 996 looks the most DIFFERENT from any other 911. If you look at the silouhette, the headlights, etc... all 911 variants, including the 997, share certain characteristics. The curvy hips, the bug-eye headlights, etc. The 996 doesnt have those attributes to the same extent.

I dont dislike the way the 996 looks....I personally would prefer the C4S or TT to the other variants....but I dont have anything negative to say about the standard 996. Just a little surprised when I read this post, because many (including very happy 996 owners) would probably say that the 997 is (asthetically) a move BACK to old 911 looks.

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