Story by Greg James.
Photos by Dan O’Connell.
I love reading road tests. Especially those that involve shootouts when cars are pitted against each other. However, in the traditional automotive rags that get their revenues from advertisers, it’s often comical how close any number of performance cars finish points-wise when they’re judged as a group.
While the objective figures (0-60) can’t really be fudged, it’s the subjective ones that often bring the performance laggards up in the ratings when final scores are tallied. Fit and finish, ergonomics, comfort, and other measures that can mean nothing -or something- get points that balance out the strictly athletic scores and ensure all the tested cars – even the dogs -get good marks for something (Which leaves all advertisers happy). Ok, fine with me. After all, 99% of us are regular drivers and not doing fast laps around Laguna Seca on a regular basis.
I purchased a new Porsche GT4 a few weeks ago. In my mind, it’s a fabulous car. And I mean really fabulous: Fast, sounds great, handles like it’s on rails, looks like a midweight predator ready to pounce. Etc. etc. Yeah, it’s all that! I’ve never owned a 911 GT3 and sold my F430 a couple of years ago, so I didn’t own a comp to compare it to. My 993 RS initially came to mind, as it’s also track-focused and lightweight.
However, as much as I love the air-cooled RS, its 300HP compared to the GT4’s 415 wouldn’t be fair. But they do have lots of similarities: sport buckets, six-speed manual, lightweight, nimble, tuned suspension, naturally aspirated, and as good as it gets for their respective eras. Both are great driver cars.
But a fair comparison?
Nope. The GT4 is a better (By that I mean faster, sharper, stickier, better balanced, and well, just plain faster!) car. I know that. So, why not compare apples to oranges instead and discount outright performance? A comparison with subjective stuff given equal weight to performance? Ah yes, my trusty 1996 408HP 993 Turbo and the 2023 414 HP GT4 were driven and compared. Same day. Same roads. Two very different cars. Twenty-seven years separating them. One with old-school hand-built charm, forced air, all-wheel drive, an air-cooled mill in the rear, and a leather interior adorned with comfy -but still supportive- sport seats. The other, modern, mid-engine, liquid-cooled, scalpel sharp and possessing significantly more plastic than fine grain cowhide. Game on… just for fun.
Before proceeding, it’s worth noting that I bought my 993 RS a few years ago from my friend Prescott Kelly. We’d been talking about the model for a while, and he finally convinced me to pull the trigger. A comment he made tipped the scale: “After driving a standard 993, and then comparing it to the RS, the standard car was like driving my living room couch”. Ouch. That different? “Yes” he said. I bought a 993 RS and love it.
But it had been over a decade since I’d driven a non-turbo 993 (A triple black cab that I sold in 2012), and fading memory made it hard for me to really remember how different it might’ve been from the more powerful and much lighter (By 250 lbs) 993 RS. My point is that fading memory and years between drives can make honest comparisons difficult. So it’s decided: The 993 Turbo (What I have handy) vs the GT4. Old vs new. Forced air vs naturally aspirated. Air-cooled vs liquid cooled. Rear engine vs mid-engine. AWD vs 2WD. Sounds like fun and a good excuse to do some spirited driving.
For all the differences, there are still two items they share in common: Both possess six speed manual cog swappers and a CD player. But that’s about it.
The Presentation
The 993 Turbo was the last air cooled 911 turbo. Its exterior styling is a wonderful study in curvaceous muscular -but restrained -sex appeal. Wide hipped and possessing a truly beautiful and artsy looking rear spoiler, the car positively shouts 1990’s last-of-an-era, air cooled, artisan, hand-crafted, automotive perfection. The GT4 is different. Modern, sleek, and with a decidedly more restrained, but no less sexy style.
The car is also a bit bigger (8 inches longer) than the 993. It has a modern – and more effective – rear spoiler that lets the viewer know it means business and is designed to go fast. The front spoiler is also more effective in creating downforce and stability. Both cars look great. Both project a singular purpose: covering lots of road quickly.
However, the interiors couldn’t be more different. The 993 Turbo is a study in comfortable, reassuring simplicity. No driver nannies, no flatscreen. Just the basics. The standard seats are almost luxurious. They’re covered in fine leather and adjustable for height, lumbar support, tilt and forward/reverse (And can be ordered heated). Hours of driving comfort is assured. The GT4 has racing style buckets. They’re spartan, snug, have an up/down switch, and go forward and backward manually. That’s it. They’re not particularly well suited for long leisurely drives. Both seats are high-quality, but were obviously designed for different missions.
The Drive
First out was the 993 Turbo. The drive included a short leg east on the I-90 freeway out of Seattle. It quickly heads up into the Cascade Mountains where there are plenty of offramps that lead to twisty two-lane roads through farmland and Douglas Fir forest. The 993 TT at 1500KG (3300 lbs) is Porsche’s heaviest air cooled 911 ever. However, even at that weight, its 408 HP mill delivers a serious punch that’s still relevant today and amazingly smooth and linear in its delivery.
Once the revs hit 3500, the car sits down on its haunches and accelerates smoothly-and powerfully – all the way to redline. I’ve driven plenty of air cooled Porsches including numerous 993’s, and the 993 Turbo is just that much more potent than any earlier 911, naturally aspirated or otherwise. On roads with plenty of curves, the turbo manages to effectively telegraph its confidence in handling the terrain to the driver.
No, it’s not a track car and feels a bit heavy at times, but that’s also a relative thing. Compared to anything but dedicated race cars or compact sports cars, it’s still a super composed joy to drive. The 18-inch wheels shod with 225’s in front and 285’s in the rear put plenty of rubber on the road, and the brakes are still amazing 27 years later. Yes, it’s that good and confidence-inspiring at the same time. And, as a bonus, my rear end never felt like it needed to get out of the seat and stretch. Next up was the GT4. Same drive, same roads. What becomes immediately apparent with the GT4 is that its big 4.0 naturally aspirated six wants to rev.
At idle, the mechanical whirring and sounds of the motor almost seem to beg “take me out and run me hard”. As with the 993, the GT4 has a six-speed manual. Only this time the shift movement is noticeably shorter, quicker, and tighter. Progress. On the road, you immediately feel an overall sharpness to the car that you just don’t get with the 993. Progress again, but also a result of Porsche’s intent that the car is made for the track as well as the road. It’s just that much sharper.
Also, where the 993 turbos took a bit to spool up (just a bit mind) the GT4 on the other hand delivers the goods with immediacy, and when the car gets to where it really shines, on curvy country roads, it’s a mind-bogglingly efficient weapon that never seems to lose its composure. Twenty-inch wheels with 245 front and 295 rear sticky rubber ensure astonishing road grip, while the mid-engine layout results in balance that begs to be pushed through curves at speeds that feel close to the limit. You quickly learn they’re not. And you go faster.
Conclusion
They’re two very different cars. You already knew that. However, they’re also alike in many ways. The 27-year-old 993 Turbo is more of a boulevard cruiser, and the GT4 is a track weapon. Anything more than an hour or two of driving, and the 993 is the easy choice. It’s more comfortable. More familiar. More traditional Porsche. Tearing up curvy roads? Yup, the GT4 wins hands down.
Those are the easy answers (And expected right?). But here’s the deal, both are magnificent. And while the GT4 wins on twisty mountain roads, the 993 Turbo is still better than 98% of the cars on the road today when it comes to gobbling up backcountry blacktop, and that’s amazing considering it’s 27 years old. And the GT4 for longer drives? If mine had the sport seats as opposed to race-style buckets, it might be fine for a drive to Portland or Vancouver.
But my Gentian Blue beauty doesn’t and my butt gets sore after an hour. The winner? Me! I love them equally and I can still listen to an old-school CD in both.
