Rare as they are nowadays, the two-door coupé to me is still the perfect car design if style is more important than practicality. Those long doors just make the difference. Add a front engine and rear-wheel drive and you get something that can take many forms, from a hardcore sports […]
The sixth-generation 911 with the internal code 997 was an evolutionary update of its predecessor, the 996. This means that much of the buying advice for the 996 also applies to the 997, especially the 997.1 (pre-facelift) model. The 997.1 differs from the 996 mostly in terms of sheet metal […]
Like for the 996, Porsche offered several wheel styles for the 997 Carrera models. 997.1 The standard wheel for the Carrera was the Carrera III wheel in 18″. This is somewhat similar to the 996’s Carrera wheel, being a five-spoke design. The standard wheel for the Carrera S was the […]
Default wheels The W211 E-class came in three trim levels: Classic, Elegance, and Avantgarde. All came from the factory with alloy wheels of different styles, which were changed with the facelift. 16″ was standard. Pre-facelift: Classic : 7-hole design Elegance: 13-hole design, a reinterpretation of the classic “manhole cover” wheels […]
Why? I’m a pretty devoted BMW driver and I love the E39 530i that I’ve driven for almost four years. But at 21 years old and 340,000km on the odometer, it was developing some minor if annoying issues like doors and windows not opening and closing properly. Given that I […]
This compilation of Porsche 997 colors is based on price lists that I have found on the Internet. I’ve only looked at the Carrera colors, there might have been other color choices for other models. Interior The early 997.1 could be had with five different standard interior colors: Black, Stone […]
History Porsche’s introduction of the second-generation water-cooled 911 with model 997 in 2004 marked a return to the familiar round headlights – not unsurprising given all the hate that the 996 received for its “fried egg” headlights. Underneath though the changes were small. The engine, while carrying a new code […]
Porsche’s fifth-generation 911, the 996, was a milestone – it was the first water-cooled 911, and, together with the 986-model Boxster, lead to the growth and prosperity of Porsche as we know it today. There was also much criticism leveled at the 996: besides the outcries of the air-cooled lovers, […]
Interior The 996 could be had with five interior colors: Black, Graffiti Grey (a light grey), Metropole Blue, Savannah Beige, and Space Grey (which is a bit darker than Graffiti Grey). Space Grey was later replaced by Nephrite Green. For the early cars, Nephrite Green and Boxster Red were available […]
The default wheel size for the Porsche 996 Carrera 2 was 7×17 up front and 9×17 in the rear. For the pre-facelift model, the default wheel appears to have been the M396 turbo-look wheel. For the facelift 996.2 model, this was the 10-spoke Carrera II wheel. The Carrera 4 used […]
While my motorsports exploits (when I was young) were limited to autocross and regularity competitions on the Hockenheimring and Nürburgring, and my current Sim Racing hobby is centred on circuit racing, too, my first and true love when it comes to motorsports is rally. My formative years in this regard […]
Most racing-related (auto)biographies focus on the drivers. But there are other interesting stories to tell about racing in general and Formula One in particular. Adrian Newey’s autobiography offers a unique insight into the world of Formula One. Newey knew from an early age that he wanted to design race cars. […]
