Total 911 No. 216

Find me an all-rounder sports car that’s better value for money than Porsche’s 996. Your task will be a difficult one, for this sub-20k 911 can do most things your later (or earlier!) example of automotive exotica can achieve, at least in real-world driving. Sure, your opinion of those ‘fried egg’ headlights will be subjective, but it can’t be argued otherwise that the 996 suffers from inferior build quality compared to the air-cooled 911s before it. Some context is needed here: the lavish but financially unviable 993 with its ageing air-cooled engine nearly killed Porsche, and so the 996 was produced on a relative shoestring budget as the company just about kept its head above water. “If you own any post-Millennium bluechip Porsche such as a Carrera GT, GT2 RS or GT3…

Porsche has given one million Euros (£830,000) towards providing emergency aid for people affected by the country’s humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Of that headline figure, 750,000 Euros (£623,000) will go to the UN Refugee Aid, the German partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The agency has been active in Ukraine since 2014 and is a longstanding partner of the Volkswagen Group. Porsche’s donation will be used to deliver crucial practical support on the ground. A further 250,000 Euros (£207,000) has been earmarked for donation to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, which supports children and young people in particular. The foundation will use the donation to help organisations such as SOS Children’s Villages, which is helping to evacuate children and families to safety and providing those who…

Porsche has been celebrating the birthday of Walter Röhrl, who turned 75 at the beginning of March. A Porsche brand ambassador since 1993, the former two-time World Rally champion is one of the only drivers to have won world championship races in both rallying and circuit racing disciplines. Walter’s involvement in the development of the 959, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder supercars are among his career credits as a Porsche test driver, and until recently Walter was still putting the finishing touches to the firm’s new production cars on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Today, Walter remains an active part of Porsche with appearances at Porsche Heritage and Motorsport events such as Porsche Sound Night. Most recently he could be found teaching journalists how to drift on ice in a range of Porsche models.…

Volkswagen Group is considering listing Porsche on the stock exchange. Executive boards at both companies have welcomed the decision, which would see non-voting shares offered to the public. Some 12.5 per cent of Porsche would be floated, but the Porsche-Piëch family and Volkswagen would still retain ultimate control. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) process is designed to enable both Volkswagen Group and Porsche to release funds to boost their progress in the field of electric vehicles. Reportedly, VW would raise at least 20 billion Euros (£16.6 billion) from the IPO based on a current valuation of Porsche putting its worth at 90 billion Euros (£74.8 billion). As part of the deal a one-off bonus payment of 2,000 Euros (£1,663) would go to 130,000 Porsche employees in Germany.…

Porsche takes first Formula E victory Porsche celebrated its first win since joining Formula E with a historic one-two finish in round three of this season’s Formula E championship at the Mexico City E-Prix. Pascal Wehrlein started on pole position and took victory driving the Porsche 99X Electric. He was followed home by teammate André Lotterer at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. Porche 911 GT3 Cup scale model shines This detailed collector’s scale model of the 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup – as seen in Porsche Supercup in 2021 and Porsche Carrera Cup GB from this season onwards – is new to shop. porsche.com. Finished in the launch livery of silver with black and blue graphics, the £63 1:43 scale model would look great on any shelf or desk. Its Porsche item number…

Porsche Club America has unveiled a completely restored 996 courtesy of Grant Larson’s Special Projects department, which has been rebadged ‘Classic Club Coupe’. Revealed at the 2022 Werks Reunion, this 1999MY 996.1 Carrera was bought by PCA and sent to Zuffenhausen for Porsche Classic to dissasemble, strengthen and rebuild from the ground up, with several unique touches. The car as it stands today is said to mimic the 997 Sport Classic, borrowing its ducktail wing profile, double bubble roof and Fuchs wheels. The 996 is finished in a unique Sport Grey Metallic paint, with Club Blau accents. Its engine, chassis and running gear has all been upgraded to 996.2 GT3 spec, delivering 381bhp at 8,000rpm. Inside, the 996 boasts a Slate grey hue with Pepita inserts on the seats and doors. The…