The Carrera 996 has long been the entry-level 911, but perhaps the real bargain is the range-topping and exceptionally handsome Carrera C4S.
The Turbo body design suited the 996 4S Cabrio especially as it did not have the Turbo’s rear wing which some think spoils the line hood down of the 996 Turbo Cabrio.
As has been observed before, the advent of the 996 was a revolution at Porsche. If the longest-running sports car model in history was to have a future beyond the 1990s, it would require a comprehensive retranslation for the twenty-first century. The outcome was the radical new 996, which at the time divided opinion, but the doubters would mostly be won over. Looking back a quarter of a century later, it is impossible not to admire how Porsche modernised the 911 yet successfully retained its character and appearance.
Without doubt the new 996 C4S’s best view was its rear three quarters, all but indistinguishable from the much admired 996 Turbo. Only the absence of rear spoiler gave the game away.
Once the new 996 shape was established, with the second phase in 2001, Porsche introduced new models, the Turbo, a Targa top convertible, and the S range, the latter available as coupé or cabriolet but not in Targa form. In the 1980s, Porsche had begun to realise that there was a market for a 911 Turbo “look alike.”
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