Porsche 911: Back to the Nineties: the 993 RS, GT2 and Turbo S revisited.
Back to the Nineties: the 993 RS, GT2 and Turbo S revisited.
For many 911 enthusiasts, the air-cooled 993 still is the most beautiful 911 ever to roll out of Zuffenhausen. Its aggressive appearance, round shapes and straight flat-six sound make the 993 an instant classic. In the following article we provide special attention to three very special versions of the 993, to this day regarded among an exclusive collection of ultra-rare Porsches: the 993 RS, GT2 and Turbo S.
Specs:
3.8L N/A flat-six, RWD
300bhp at 6500rpm
0-62mph/0-100kph in 5.0sec
Top Speed at 173mph or 277kph
1052 units built
Current Price: €90.000-€125.000
The Porsche 993 RS
Specs:
3.8L N/A flat-six, RWD
300bhp at 6500rpm
0-62mph/0-100kph in 5.0sec
Top Speed at 173mph or 277kph
1052 units built
Current Price: €90.000-€125.000
Although regular 911's are enough to satisfy most Porsche customers, a small band of hardcore enthusiasts are always yearning for more power and less weight. Porsche have long since indulged this special bunch of drivers with extreme 911’s that have generally come to be regarded as the most collectable examples of the breed. Nearly always designated with the fabled RS insignia, the 993 line-up was blessed with its very own similarly titled hot rod. Going into production during February 1995, the 3.8-litre Carrera RS remains, for many, the ultimate evolution of the normally-aspirated air-cooled Porsche 911.
New parts included additional cross-bracing, thicker fully adjustable anti-roll bars, stiffer steering track rods and cross-drilled and ventilated brakes from the Turbo. 18-inch wheels were fitted and the ride-height was dropped by 30mm at the front and 40mm at the rear. The RS was the first 993 to get Porsche's 3.8-litre Variocam engine, the 3.6 having been bored out by 2mm for 3746cc. Designated Typ M64/20, output was up 28bhp, 300bhp now being produced at 6500rpm. Variocam worked by changing the length of the inlet pipe according to the rpm of the engine and thus greatly improved the efficiency of the air-cooled motor in all respects. Higher ratios were used on the first three gears and the RS was blisteringly quick, top speed rising to 173mph whilst 0-60 dropped to five seconds dead. A few subtle modifications were made to the bodywork including a wraparound front spoiler and body coloured fixed rear wing. There were also deeper side sills, seam-welded body panels and flared wheelarches, thinner glass being used along with a lightweight aluminium front lid. Inside, the normal leather seats were replaced by Recaro buckets with body coloured backs. A smaller diameter steering wheel and simplified door trim reinforced that the RS meant business. The rear seats were junked along with the airbags (now optional), most noise insulation, the central locking and electric mirrors. In this form, the RS weighed in at 1320kg. Customers could further enhance their RS by specifying the Club Sport package. Equipped with even more extreme aero devices, the Club Sport was kitted out with a deep front splitter and huge dual plane rear aerofoil. Weight was further reduced by ditching the electric windows, electric seats and headlight washers, an additional 50kg having been lost in the process.
There was no official RSR version because of the GT2 customer racing programme, however, a number of mysterious Club Sport Evolution's were reputedly built. Information on these cars is currently scarce but from what we understand, they were equipped with Carillo rods, titanium valves, slide valve injection and programmable engine management. Output was in excess of 400bhp, adjustable Bilstein dampers and uprated ABS with four piston Brembo calipers having been utilised. An open competition exhaust with quick-change muffler and twin oil coolers in the front wings were other additions of note.
Specs:
3.6L turbo charged flat-six, RWD
430bhp (450bhp for 1998 model) at 5750rpm
0-62mph/0-100kph in 3.9sec
Top Speed at 184mph or 301kph
57 units built
Current Price: €150.000-€250.000
There was no official RSR version because of the GT2 customer racing programme, however, a number of mysterious Club Sport Evolution's were reputedly built. Information on these cars is currently scarce but from what we understand, they were equipped with Carillo rods, titanium valves, slide valve injection and programmable engine management. Output was in excess of 400bhp, adjustable Bilstein dampers and uprated ABS with four piston Brembo calipers having been utilised. An open competition exhaust with quick-change muffler and twin oil coolers in the front wings were other additions of note.
The Porsche 993 GT2
Specs:
3.6L turbo charged flat-six, RWD
430bhp (450bhp for 1998 model) at 5750rpm
0-62mph/0-100kph in 3.9sec
Top Speed at 184mph or 301kph
57 units built
Current Price: €150.000-€250.000
The GT2 was Porsche's customer race car for the 1995 racing season and thereafter. Named in recognition of the class it was built to contest, these evocative machines were pitched against the likes of Chrysler's Viper, the Venturi 400 GTR and Callaway's Corvette. To be homologated, 25 road-going examples had to be built, from which any racing variant had to be closely derived. Porsche's experience with the 964 Turbo S LM (raced by the factory between 1993 and '94) served as a useful inauguration for the GT2. It consequently went on to dominate in much the same way as its illustrious forebears.
Based on RS underpinnings, the rear drive-only GT2 featured adjustable suspension with solid bushes, variable stabilisers and adjustable anti-roll bars all round. There were also new front axle kinematics, a stiffer rear subframe and link bearings for more precise wheel control, particularly at the rear. Ventilated and perforated 322mm discs got four-piston aluminium calipers. Mechanically, the GT2 featured a 3.6-litre engine based on that of the production Turbo, however, those units fitted into these homologation specials were tuned to produce 430bhp. They were designated Typ M64/60R and displacement remained unchanged at 3600cc along with compression at 8.0:1. Where the 60R motor was a bit special lay in its re-mapped engine management and increased turbo boost, the latter having been upped from 0.8 to 0.9bar. The result was an extra 22bhp over the production Turbo, this being developed at an identical 5750rpm. Weighing in an amazing 200kg lighter than the Turbo, all GT2's used a reinforced Typ G50/32 six-speed gearbox and unsurprisingly posted the best performance figures for any 993. Top speed was a monumental 184mph, 0-60 taking a meagre 3.7 seconds.
Visually the GT2 was a stunning looking automobile, its dropped ride-height lending an aggressive stance that was enhanced by the wild aero devices and massive wheelarch extensions. At the front was a wraparound chin spoiler, air being fed into a supplementary nose-mounted oil cooler. Much of the bodywork was reinforced, the pop-riveted fender flares having been manufactured from lightweight fibreglass. Deep body-coloured sills ran between the wheels, the new front spoiler being joined by a radical bi-plane rear deck wing that featured integral engine cooling pods located on either side.
The cockpit was stripped in much the same way as Porsche's normally aspirated 3.8-litre Carrera RS, the GT2 having its rear seats junked along with nearly all the electrical equipment and even the airbag. Leather-covered bucket seats were standard. Customers could go a stage further and specify the optional Club Sport pack that included a fully integrated roll cage, race-spec Recaro bucket seats with six-point seat harnesses, a battery cut-out switch and a fire extinguisher. Those who wanted to go in the other direction could have their cars equipped with a stereo, leather sports seats from the Turbo 4, driver and passenger airbags, air-conditioning and even electric windows. Production began in March 1995 after the GT2 made its debut at the Geneva Salon. 57 road cars were built (seven of which were right-hand drive) in addition to 110 racers. That wasn't quite the end of the story though as in April 1998, Porsche introduced an Evolution version that was available by special request. Introduced to homologate a more extreme racing variant, 21 road-going Evolution's were eventually manufactured, all of which featured high output 3.6-litre engines producing 450bhp at 6000rpm. The extra 20 horses knocked a tenth off the 0-60 sprint (now 3.6 seconds), top speed rising to 187mph.
The Porsche 993 Turbo S
Specs:
3.6L twin-turbo charged flat-six, 4WD
424bhp (450bhp DIN) at 5750rpm
0-62mph/0-100kph in 4.0sec
Top Speed at 187mph or 300kph
183 units built
Current Price: €130.000-€200.000
For the 1997 model year, Porsche produced the most exclusive road going 993 of all and what became the last air-cooled 911 Turbo - the Turbo S. Based on the standard Turbo, the Turbo S (pictured below) was enhanced with a number of special features.
Outside were Aerokit II front and rear spoilers, brake cooling ducts alongside the front indicators and engine cooling scoops carved out from the rear fenders. Inside, Porsche equipped each car with a carbon fibre instrument panel, carbon door inserts and door pulls. Special 18-inch Technology wheels fronted distinctive yellow brake calipers, Turbo S scripting being found on the rear deck lid, wheel centres, door threshold panels and steering wheel. Mechanically, the 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat-six was pumped up to 424bhp making it the firm's most powerful production engine yet.