Before Andreas Preuninger was onboard for his first big project, there was the 996.1 GT3. This first attempt at a hot, water-cooled 911 was criticized some for brakes not quite up to the task of hard lapping, but having a few rough edges added to its raw charm. This first attempt at a hot 911 with a water-cooled engine wasn't quite perfect, but …
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Recent Posts from: Mezger
Has Porsche Finally Built A Cayman GT4 That’s Better Than The 911 GT3?
Big wings, a gaping maw, the right amount of badging, and an exhaust note that sounds the business. All these qualities solidify the impression of aggression this car leaves on anyone looking at it for more than two seconds. Oh—and its 414 horsepower also helps. It's a classic, unfiltered, intense sports car for someone in need of a rolling …
Continue to the full articleHere’s Why The 996 Turbo Is The Steal Of The Century
While some of us might've missed the best opportunity to grab one when the 996 Turbo was selling for little more than a well-optioned Civic, it remains a bargain. In its day, its top speed was something special; just five miles per hour shy of the coveted 200-mile-per-hour-mark. But beyond the obvious straightline shove, the 996 Turbo offered a …
Continue to the full articleNeed A More Exciting Weekend Porsche? This 996 GT2 CS Wants To Join Your Collection
Have a spare $211,000 lying around? This might tickle your fancy. The 996 GT2 took all those horrible critiques of the 996 and replaced them with a new set of critiques more aimed at its murderous tendencies than its unreliability. The 996 GT2 had been designed with more understeer than any rear-engined, twin-turbocharged car ought to …
Continue to the full articleWhat It’s Like When A 996 Turbo Goes Under the Knife for New Coolant Pipes
The one chink in the Mezger's armor is its flimsy coolant pipes. For such a bulletproof motor, it seems strange that Porsche just glued the coolant pipes on. Though press-fitted, these coolant lines are known to pop off under high RPM load. Hoovie's lousy luck meant his first trip to Heartland Motorsports Park was interrupted by his own lines …
Continue to the full articleThe Lousy Luck Of A Porsche 996 Track Day Explosion
Though Hoovie hasn't enjoyed the best luck with his purchases, he's a brave soul who never fails to see the potential in his Porsches. His latest acquisition, a 996 Turbo, had to see the circuit, and Hoovie took some additional precautionary measures to help avoid some of the trackday headaches he's suffered in the last few years. After the …
Continue to the full articleReviving Hans Mezger’s Personal 911S
Per Michael Eiden, the current owner of this red 911S; “The previous owner was really desperate. He had the body of the car restored and also replaced the side panels with the corresponding spare parts. But when assembling it, nothing fitted together again – it was like it was jinxed.” But the reason the bodywork wouldn't fit back together wasn't …
Continue to the full articleHow Much GT3 Can You Buy for $23,000?
For a long time, the 996 was ridiculed, and now that I'm more familiar with these cars, I'm struggling to see why that was ever the case. There are the fried-egg headlights, sure, and the potential for IMS/RMS issues with the M96 motor has some prospective buyers gritting their teeth. However, there's still a dynamic, sure-footed, and exhilarating …
Continue to the full articleA Look Back: Developing the 911 GT1
"Stretching the production car rules to the limit," the 911 GT1 started its life based largely off the design of the 993 GT2, a machine then competitive in classes like the BPR Global GT Series, but not wholly dominant. When McLaren began to steamroll its rivals in that category, which later became FIA GT1, an irked Porsche responded by developing …
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