Saturday, July 7, 2007

The Porsche Type 993, part 2


The Carrera resembles the "base model" of the 993. It was equipped with the naturally aspirated 3.6 liter M64 engine, further developed from the 964 and combined with a new dual-flow exhaust system featuring now two catalytic converters. In contrast to the 964, Porsche deleted the "2" from the "Carrera" name tag.

The option list of the 993 Carrera (and most other variants) was very long and offered the possibility to configure highly individualized cars: it included up to five different sets of wheels, various suspension set-ups, at least three different seat styles (comfort, sport, racing), uncountable upholstery options including the possibility to have almost any interior element of the car covered with leather, wood or carbon, and various hifi-systems including digital sound processing. Further, Porsche offered to paint the car in any color the customer chose. Even more, the Tequipment- and Exclusive-Programs added further options and built to order almost any specific wishes of customers such as special consoles or even fax-machines or bright yellow interior upholstery.

The Cabriolet, introduced 1995, features a fully electrical softtop reinforced with metal sheets and an automatic windblocker.

Both versions were available with all wheel drive under the tag 'Carrera 4'. From outside the Carrera 4 is distinguishable by clear front turn markers and rear red markers (each instead of orange). The brake calipers are painted silver as is the 'Carrera 4' badge on the hood. The center wheelcaps carry the Carrera 4 logo instead of the Porsche crest.

In contrast to most of the following other variants, production of the Carrera Coupe and Cabriolet ceased in 1997 with the end of model year 1997, except for a very few produced in a shortened 1998 model year.

The Targa version of the 993 was introduced in model year 1996 and saw the debut of a retractable glass roof, a design continued on the 996 and 997 Targa. The glass roof would retract underneath the rear window revealing a large opening. A shade was there to help prevent the greenhouse effect of the closed roof. This system was a complete redesign, as previous Targa models had a removable roof section and a wide B-pillar functioning as a roll bar. The new glass roof design allowed the 993 Targa to retain the same side-on profile as the other 911 Carrera variants and finished with the inconvenience of storing the removed top of the old system. The Targa has the body of the Cabriolet with the Targa glass roof replacing the fabric roof.

The Targa was equipped with distinctive 2-piece 17 inch wheels, which could be ordered as an option on all cars not having standard 18 inch wheels. These distinctive split rim wheels for the 993 Targa where actually much heavier than normal in order to offset the extra weight of the Targa roof, to balance the center of gravity.

A classic limited production vehicle.

technorati tags: porsche ,ferrari ,jaguar ,lamborghini ,lotus ,bugatti ,aston martin,maserati ,alfa romeo,cars,sports cars, exotic cars

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