Nice video, as a 40 Jahre owner for the past 15 years (London based), it is of all the cars I own, the one I will never sell (unless someone offers me a 7 figure price of course) and I will sell my F355 Berl. in a blink of an eye if I had to sell one. I love it that much. My car is also factory spec although with different options than that one , the only modification I have is that I had the short shifter installed by Porsche when I purchased the car. It is better but would I have enjoyed the car without it, yes probably just as much. The 40 Jahre is for me the perfect combination of vintage 911 feel with modern driving experience and it feels like it has been CNC'd from a single piece of metal, at least mine does and doesn't seem to have aged at all, not a single rattle (at least since I replaced the front suspension ball joints that were barely starting to rattle)... And it is sporty when you want, relaxing when you are not in a position or mood to attack and it is every bit as fast as my F355 maybe faster?(and it doesn't feel like a GT with a F1 engine like the Ferrari). There is only one mistake in your video, there is no third radiator on the 40 Jahre. Lots of engine modifications and a completely different oil pan. I also talked to a few owners who had put their cars on a Dyno and they measured 360-380bhp instead of 345. And I went on a race track with a friend's 996.2 GT3 and straight line performance was fairly similar in the one digit percentage advantage maybe if anything at all although he would beat me in the corners ... Obviously (steering, down force, tyres ... hard to say)
@Photoandcargeek I'm a 911 40th owner, too, and have followed your comments on UA-cam. You've got great info on these cars and perspective on their important place in Porsche history. Always enjoy seeing what you have to say about them. You may have already seen it, but we (including the owner of the 911 40th in this video) are all part of the 911 40th Registry and in that regard I'd like to make contact to get a few more details about your particular car for the Registry. We have a great website and are on FB with both a public page and a private group only for the owners (present and previous). If you search on "40jahre911" you'll find all of it. Again, thanks for letting everyone know what great cars these are and hope to connect to chat more about them with you. Cheers.
Great cars, but your friend in the 6-3 wasn't getting on it if you were keeping up. A full second in the quarter mile difference between the two. I'd believe it closer if it was a first gen, but not a gen 2 6-3.
Bought a 40th about 7 years ago or so. Loved it, but when I had a bit more budget, I sold it and ended up getting a 996 Turbo. After 6 months realized I made a mistake, sold the turbo and picked up another 40th. It is far more engaging than the turbo was and you did not have to drive it like a felon to enjoy it.
the E36 set the stage for the next 20 years of BMW, across the range 996 almost did the same 987 is the right amount of 550 aswell He knows exactly how to use elements of a brand's past to carry them into the future.
@@-avinash2344 They are Ford cars from the 80s/90s that were designed and sold by Ford Europe. Pinky Lai worked there, albeit briefly, before moving to BMW and then to Porsche. For me, the 987 Cayman is his masterpiece - but he was involved in a lot of other legendary cars that are all becoming highly sought after. There's some interviews with him if you search his name.
The inlet header certainly is NOT lighter than the normal plastic. It is heavier! The 1998 model year (3.4 ”wire throttle car”) before the PASM actually had the option of LSD (straight from 993). I actually have one. The best improvement in the X51 is the oil system with a better sump and an extra scavenger at the rear end on the 4-6 head. Ive upgraded my engine with the X51 oil system. I was trying to buy also the inlet headers but the seller asked for thousands euros from it. Not worth it. The difference in between the standard and M030 suspension is surprisingly small in rate and damping numbers. The 996 is a fantastic car. It is still small and intimate. It fits well extremely well to the narrow B-roads. It could use a bit more power. I think for road use the optimum is between 300-400 hp. Anything above that is so rarely used and starts to make things dangerous. The 996 is lighter than both 993 and 997. It is such a marvellous car to drive, feels like an extension of the body (and I dont mean that part) or like gloves that fir perfectly. It is very reactive and with the LSA- suspension (Leicht, Stabil & Agil … derivative of the Weissach suspension of the 928) it is very forgiving allowing lots of trailing as long as you get on gas early enough. The steering feel is vintage Porsche and the brakes are good to very good but not perfect. The gear change and ratios leave a bit to desire. Very often you can go through a B-road with just one gear (3rd or 4th). ALso the flywheel is a bit heavy and the response at light load is a bit slow for heel and toe at low revs (
The oiling system in the heads, the secondary return pump and the sump design is what makes the X51 power pack so special, not the power.. Much better engine design should have been like that on all the 996 models. As you say, developed for racing by the GT team as an alternative to the Mezger in case it failed homologation, they did a version of the Aerokit car in Japan called the "911 Power Up" which had all the GT3 bits and the X51 engine instead of the Mezger.. That's an interesting car!
Top of the morning from New Hampshire USA..Love my 996 4s which i lucked into in 2009..it does have the x51 pkg its a 2005 one of the last 996 produced.keep cranking out the great content
Great video and a great car! I have a manual C4S with the X51 power pack but have never seen another with it, definitely a rare option. I absolutely love it though, such an overlooked car.
Congrats! I have a regular C4S and wasn't aware this existed until this video. I thought it was only a turbo option. I did a little digging just now and this is what I came up with. These are all base coupe prices. C4S: $83,400 With X51: $97,400 GT3: $99,900 Turbo: $118,400 So that might explain the rarity. Cost brings it up to just shy of a GT3.
Splitting hairs as I do, the wheels are polished, not chrome plated. (Per August Achleitner, product manager.) This American likes them. 40 Jahre #644.
This car makes a nice sound. Though the back looks a bit naked without a mild whale tail. Superb silver color really. TQ4rev. Oh, I see the rear wing rising.... Still looks naked with it retracted..
Off topic a bit. But wonder whether any example of the Porsche Super 90 still exist - in going condition. Keen on them in 1956 at High School in Melbourne Australia. Could add a Judson Supercharger. Those were the days.
I believe the more you look at the 996 the more you start to appreciate it, respect it and even love it. I feel we have been engineered to view the 996 as the unwanted illegitimate child of the 911 breed. To scorn it, shake our heads and turn our noses up at the 996 without proper thought. Like a school boy more concerned what his mates thinks of a girl than what his heart in saying. But the tide has turned. The 996 is now one of the only affordable legendary 911's available and this has woken people up to take a more careful look... and I think they are starting to admire what they see.
Frankly, I have to somewhat disagree. The rear lights of the 997 turn me off as much as the 996 front lights turn off a lot of others. And that goes both for the 997.1 and 997.2.
Agree with you on the exhaust. Mine came with a Dansk on it, and its farty as hell until you come on cam, then its just loud. BTW you should try X74 suspension! It's bloody brutal on our roads.
the 4S version of the 996 is a watered down 911 experience, because it is heavier than the base model, due to its larger body and components lifted from the turbo, but has the same engine and transmission of the base model, which is obviously faster because lighter. Also, the only pure way to drive a 911 is in REAR wheel drive form. period.
Wow... a run-out special that was produced in more numbers than my 964-gen 911 Turbo. That says something about just how many of these first-gen water cooled 911's there are.
I much prefer narrowbody cars but I couldn't live with the 996.2 headlights and certainly not the goofy turbo front bumper. The standard 3.4l 996.1 is so pure and beautiful that even the GT3.1 adornments detract from it. More eager to rev than the standard 996.2 3.6l too, apparently, though I do like the idea of good mid-range torque in a road car. The front track is wider 996.2 cars and I don't know if it is possible to re-engineer a 996.1 accordingly, or back-date the 40-jahre to look like a pre-facelift car. Might be an idea to change the dampers to something more modern (Ohlins? Koni FSD?) to fix the ride on this one, and yeah, retrofit a B&M or better yet a 997 GT3 shifter I suppose. I'm surprised the traction control is rudimentary, I would have thought these come as standard with second iteration PSM? Early 996.1s only had T/C, or, in the case of the very early cable throttle cars, no traction control at all. I wonder if the X51 sump baffle system is worth retrofitting to a 986. And I wish I had those sports seats...
Esthetics aside (and I prefer the headlights of the .2 a million times over the ones of the .1) and as a 40 Jahre owner from almost new, I can tell you that the engine is amazing and the feel/precision of the steering is such that everything that is not GT3 will disappoint in any car maker (although I have heard great things about McLaren steering but have never driven one). The difference between 996.1 and 996.2 Jahre is significant, power, torque at any rev and top rev joy. That being said, the 40th anniversary is not driftable on public roads like the 996.1 C2 is, too much tyre at 285 ... Maybe on a roundabout if you are brave but not on the road. In track it is nice to drift. Regarding suspensions, there is nothing to fix, MO30 are great, sure you could get more compliance on the road and the same firmness on the track but then you would change the character of the car same, having thought about it, it is not something I would do on mine. So yes the jittering at very low speed is annoying but at higher speeds you don't get it and it is nice to drive as it is.
Question for you James: have you considered swapping the question in the thumbnail with the bold statement in the video title? I'm more a fan of bold but true statements rather than rethorical questions, but I don't know if there's an unwritten rule about what to put in thumbnail and what in the title.
Do you prefer the 40 Jahre or the Cayman R? I have a manuel Cayman R and considering taking a side step to the 40 Jahre, as have always loved the 996. Or maybe this would be a crazy move.
Because it is great to drive(for some of us, cars are about driving, not the looks) somewhat cheaper than other 911s and because it is still a pretty car.
Chrome wheels, don't look Chrome on my phone screen, maybe a cleaning is in order🤔 Did the owner paint those front grills silver? Surely Porsche wouldn't do something so ghastly🤮🤮🤮
996 for me is the best looking Porsche. Love it.
Nice video, as a 40 Jahre owner for the past 15 years (London based), it is of all the cars I own, the one I will never sell (unless someone offers me a 7 figure price of course) and I will sell my F355 Berl. in a blink of an eye if I had to sell one. I love it that much.
My car is also factory spec although with different options than that one , the only modification I have is that I had the short shifter installed by Porsche when I purchased the car. It is better but would I have enjoyed the car without it, yes probably just as much. The 40 Jahre is for me the perfect combination of vintage 911 feel with modern driving experience and it feels like it has been CNC'd from a single piece of metal, at least mine does and doesn't seem to have aged at all, not a single rattle (at least since I replaced the front suspension ball joints that were barely starting to rattle)... And it is sporty when you want, relaxing when you are not in a position or mood to attack and it is every bit as fast as my F355 maybe faster?(and it doesn't feel like a GT with a F1 engine like the Ferrari).
There is only one mistake in your video, there is no third radiator on the 40 Jahre.
Lots of engine modifications and a completely different oil pan. I also talked to a few owners who had put their cars on a Dyno and they measured 360-380bhp instead of 345. And I went on a race track with a friend's 996.2 GT3 and straight line performance was fairly similar in the one digit percentage advantage maybe if anything at all although he would beat me in the corners ... Obviously (steering, down force, tyres ... hard to say)
@Photoandcargeek I'm a 911 40th owner, too, and have followed your comments on UA-cam. You've got great info on these cars and perspective on their important place in Porsche history. Always enjoy seeing what you have to say about them. You may have already seen it, but we (including the owner of the 911 40th in this video) are all part of the 911 40th Registry and in that regard I'd like to make contact to get a few more details about your particular car for the Registry. We have a great website and are on FB with both a public page and a private group only for the owners (present and previous). If you search on "40jahre911" you'll find all of it. Again, thanks for letting everyone know what great cars these are and hope to connect to chat more about them with you. Cheers.
Great cars, but your friend in the 6-3 wasn't getting on it if you were keeping up. A full second in the quarter mile difference between the two. I'd believe it closer if it was a first gen, but not a gen 2 6-3.
And to follow up, a stock x51 pack car usually puts down about 300 on a dynojet. A 6-3 gen 2 is 350-360whp.
@@sklyrovka what is a 6-3 gen 2?
@@Photoandcargeek sorry, rennlist speak. 996 GT3.
Bought a 40th about 7 years ago or so. Loved it, but when I had a bit more budget, I sold it and ended up getting a 996 Turbo. After 6 months realized I made a mistake, sold the turbo and picked up another 40th. It is far more engaging than the turbo was and you did not have to drive it like a felon to enjoy it.
but i like driving like a felon
Pinky Lai is an absolute legend. He also did the E36, Escort, Sierra, Scorpio and the 987 Cayman.
the E36 set the stage for the next 20 years of BMW, across the range
996 almost did the same
987 is the right amount of 550 aswell
He knows exactly how to use elements of a brand's past to carry them into the future.
What are the Sierra and Scorpio
@@-avinash2344 They are Ford cars from the 80s/90s that were designed and sold by Ford Europe. Pinky Lai worked there, albeit briefly, before moving to BMW and then to Porsche. For me, the 987 Cayman is his masterpiece - but he was involved in a lot of other legendary cars that are all becoming highly sought after. There's some interviews with him if you search his name.
I owned this model about 10 years ago. I had number 18. Gutted that I sold it!
had my 40 Jahre since 2009. Love it. Best car I've ever owned.
PSE sound is the best! Deep and just the right tone.
The inlet header certainly is NOT lighter than the normal plastic. It is heavier!
The 1998 model year (3.4 ”wire throttle car”) before the PASM actually had the option of LSD (straight from 993). I actually have one.
The best improvement in the X51 is the oil system with a better sump and an extra scavenger at the rear end on the 4-6 head. Ive upgraded my engine with the X51 oil system. I was trying to buy also the inlet headers but the seller asked for thousands euros from it. Not worth it.
The difference in between the standard and M030 suspension is surprisingly small in rate and damping numbers.
The 996 is a fantastic car. It is still small and intimate. It fits well extremely well to the narrow B-roads. It could use a bit more power. I think for road use the optimum is between 300-400 hp. Anything above that is so rarely used and starts to make things dangerous. The 996 is lighter than both 993 and 997. It is such a marvellous car to drive, feels like an extension of the body (and I dont mean that part) or like gloves that fir perfectly. It is very reactive and with the LSA- suspension (Leicht, Stabil & Agil … derivative of the Weissach suspension of the 928) it is very forgiving allowing lots of trailing as long as you get on gas early enough. The steering feel is vintage Porsche and the brakes are good to very good but not perfect. The gear change and ratios leave a bit to desire. Very often you can go through a B-road with just one gear (3rd or 4th). ALso the flywheel is a bit heavy and the response at light load is a bit slow for heel and toe at low revs (
The oiling system in the heads, the secondary return pump and the sump design is what makes the X51 power pack so special, not the power.. Much better engine design should have been like that on all the 996 models.
As you say, developed for racing by the GT team as an alternative to the Mezger in case it failed homologation, they did a version of the Aerokit car in Japan called the "911 Power Up" which had all the GT3 bits and the X51 engine instead of the Mezger.. That's an interesting car!
Do the cooling and lubrication developments decrease the risk of bore scoring?
Wow! "Auf Wiedersehen!" und "Bis bald!" sounded almost perfect native German.
I have to agree, the original PSE is by far the best sounding exhaust on the 996. Brutally expensive to retrofit though.
Is this the same type of 911 that Sam from seen through glass had and sold recently
And at 8:45 James answers my question 👍
Top of the morning from New Hampshire USA..Love my 996 4s which i lucked into in 2009..it does have the x51 pkg its a 2005 one of the last 996 produced.keep cranking out the great content
I’ve always loved the 996 C4s… I should’ve bought it two years ago. They’re now 50% more expensive than I remember. Great cars.
Looks just like my bargain basement 986.2 Boxster in many ways. Very happy with it and enjoying the roof down experience.
Such a unique exhaust note. Sounds so much like an older one with no cats.
That exhaust note...👂🤗
Great video and a great car! I have a manual C4S with the X51 power pack but have never seen another with it, definitely a rare option. I absolutely love it though, such an overlooked car.
Congrats! I have a regular C4S and wasn't aware this existed until this video. I thought it was only a turbo option. I did a little digging just now and this is what I came up with. These are all base coupe prices.
C4S: $83,400
With X51: $97,400
GT3: $99,900
Turbo: $118,400
So that might explain the rarity. Cost brings it up to just shy of a GT3.
Harm Lagaaij did a lot of good things for Porsche. - The sound is really nice. Better than I remembered it. Great Review!
Love your German bits! :D Greetz from Germany, Hannover.
Nice episode James, just enjoyed watching and scoffing down some beef stroganoff :)
**Liked the Germanic "bye bye" at the end...
Thanks for the history of this 996. I finally know how to pronounce “Jahre” now!
Cracking video of an ace car
Love my 996 Carrera , I don’t get the fuss over the lights it’s a cool looking car
Splitting hairs as I do, the wheels are polished, not chrome plated. (Per August Achleitner, product manager.) This American likes them. 40 Jahre #644.
This car makes a nice sound. Though the back looks a bit naked without a mild whale tail. Superb silver color really. TQ4rev. Oh, I see the rear wing rising.... Still looks naked with it retracted..
I've always like these! I wish they took a cue from the 30 Jahre and did it with the wide body and awd.
Very cool car. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Agreed on the exhaust it gives it some bass most aftermarket exhausts sound thrashy imo and this doesn’t
Off topic a bit. But wonder whether any example of the Porsche Super 90 still exist - in going condition. Keen on them in 1956 at High School in Melbourne Australia. Could add a Judson Supercharger. Those were the days.
My absolute favorite Porsche 911! The one I would have if ever I could afford one...
better buy one now, they won't get any cheaper
The 40th is a gem of the 996’s!
My 40AE has the same leather on the backs of the seats and not the painted backs. I actually like the polished wheels.
The new 911s sound good but my god this sounds on another level
Definitely one to keep! The chrome bezels on the gauges are usually an aftermarket mod; looks nice. Nice video!
They are standard on 40th Jahre edition.
They are an aluminum look, not chrome.
I believe the more you look at the 996 the more you start to appreciate it, respect it and even love it.
I feel we have been engineered to view the 996 as the unwanted illegitimate child of the 911 breed. To scorn it, shake our heads and turn our noses up at the 996 without proper thought. Like a school boy more concerned what his mates thinks of a girl than what his heart in saying. But the tide has turned. The 996 is now one of the only affordable legendary 911's available and this has woken people up to take a more careful look... and I think they are starting to admire what they see.
I don't think the 996 was that ugly. The 997 was better tho. The 993 best ever. In my opinion
Frankly, I have to somewhat disagree. The rear lights of the 997 turn me off as much as the 996 front lights turn off a lot of others. And that goes both for the 997.1 and 997.2.
Why do people like the 993? I don't get it. It's an aircooled vintage car, essentially. The 996 was and is an improvement.
Time to compare first year base manual 996.1 vs this final model. That will be illuminating….
Agree with you on the exhaust. Mine came with a Dansk on it, and its farty as hell until you come on cam, then its just loud. BTW you should try X74 suspension! It's bloody brutal on our roads.
Mach's gut, bis zum nächsten Mal.
@6:25 the police officers "pull me over" flag when the spoiler raises at 76mph lol
Great video, great car. +1 for German pronunciation
Great review. I'm very much a fan of the 996 also.
the 4S version of the 996 is a watered down 911 experience, because it is heavier than the base model, due to its larger body and components lifted from the turbo, but has the same engine and transmission of the base model, which is obviously faster because lighter.
Also, the only pure way to drive a 911 is in REAR wheel drive form. period.
Wow you pronounced “40 Jahre” astonishingly good. Well done
Danke
Wow... a run-out special that was produced in more numbers than my 964-gen 911 Turbo. That says something about just how many of these first-gen water cooled 911's there are.
174,000 of them!
When people refer to it as hated I always find it funny given how much of a huge sales success it was.
Thanks J, another interesting car!
I much prefer narrowbody cars but I couldn't live with the 996.2 headlights and certainly not the goofy turbo front bumper. The standard 3.4l 996.1 is so pure and beautiful that even the GT3.1 adornments detract from it. More eager to rev than the standard 996.2 3.6l too, apparently, though I do like the idea of good mid-range torque in a road car. The front track is wider 996.2 cars and I don't know if it is possible to re-engineer a 996.1 accordingly, or back-date the 40-jahre to look like a pre-facelift car. Might be an idea to change the dampers to something more modern (Ohlins? Koni FSD?) to fix the ride on this one, and yeah, retrofit a B&M or better yet a 997 GT3 shifter I suppose. I'm surprised the traction control is rudimentary, I would have thought these come as standard with second iteration PSM? Early 996.1s only had T/C, or, in the case of the very early cable throttle cars, no traction control at all. I wonder if the X51 sump baffle system is worth retrofitting to a 986. And I wish I had those sports seats...
Esthetics aside (and I prefer the headlights of the .2 a million times over the ones of the .1) and as a 40 Jahre owner from almost new, I can tell you that the engine is amazing and the feel/precision of the steering is such that everything that is not GT3 will disappoint in any car maker (although I have heard great things about McLaren steering but have never driven one).
The difference between 996.1 and 996.2 Jahre is significant, power, torque at any rev and top rev joy. That being said, the 40th anniversary is not driftable on public roads like the 996.1 C2 is, too much tyre at 285 ... Maybe on a roundabout if you are brave but not on the road. In track it is nice to drift.
Regarding suspensions, there is nothing to fix, MO30 are great, sure you could get more compliance on the road and the same firmness on the track but then you would change the character of the car same, having thought about it, it is not something I would do on mine. So yes the jittering at very low speed is annoying but at higher speeds you don't get it and it is nice to drive as it is.
@@Photoandcargeek Lucky you! I wish you many years and miles of joy. 👍🏻
@@RzogL 40.000 in 15 years not a ton but not bad.
So James, would you go for a 40th anniversary or 996C4S??
I adore 911s in silver. Those, that is, that do not have water-cooled engines with an intermediate shaft.
Another day... yet another beetle video.... enough already 😂😉
Ahhh, the old “Model X, what the model X-1 should have been”. Can be applied to every model update ever, from toaster to Apollo space programme
Question for you James: have you considered swapping the question in the thumbnail with the bold statement in the video title? I'm more a fan of bold but true statements rather than rethorical questions, but I don't know if there's an unwritten rule about what to put in thumbnail and what in the title.
He does it because I like it and you dislike it
I owe 911 C2 again after 9 years but still scared because of engine failure saga with the last one.
Thoughts on one of these vs a 996 turbo?
You're in my neck of the woods for this video. Next time, pint in The Crown.
Do you prefer the 40 Jahre or the Cayman R? I have a manuel Cayman R and considering taking a side step to the 40 Jahre, as have always loved the 996. Or maybe this would be a crazy move.
Good video, but don't understand how you can criticize the wheels whilst wearing that shirt.
seems to be the exact same as the Boxster 550, I mean the same upgrades for the most part.
Lovely car - not sure about using the word bespoke so much though.
James please explain what you mean about slightly Dubious 5 spokes ? What’s the deal ?
I think he means they don't look good in the chrome finish. Which I agree with.
The 5 spoke are gorgeous, but the chrome ruin them (easy fix though)
@@Hookipa18 ahhh okay thanks I thought he was saying they’re weak/dangerous or something
That was good enunciation of "40 Jahre". 👍🏻
Loving your channel. Any chance youll be driving an Alpine A110?
😍
I drove an Alpine a while ago
@@JayEmmOnCars Oh, must have missed that!
Much love from Germany, viele Grüße! 👍🏻
Keep 'em coming.
The burble at about 5:40 was delicious
Schönes Auto
Update on your s2k pls
Please never stop saying “fruity” wrt exhaust sound, no matter how American your audience trends
Why are your new videos appearing and then disappearing and displaying private content sign?
Had some scheduling blunders
The 996 X51 is the only version worth considering under GT/Turbo models.
It’s nice but what it could really do with is a big wing on the back ;-)
Dos video same morning
😱😱😱
👍
Found one for GBP28k with 104k miles on the clock. If only importing second-hand cars to my country is legal...
I only like the 4S or the turbo.
996 Gt2 & gt3 does not have a crappy engine..
And the 4S engine is the same as the rest of the range, just had an extra 200cc.
Funny I've never seen a 911 being driven hard on the street..always some old biddy behind the wheel.
996 has a styling flaw that can never be forgiven. Why drive a 996 when there are more satisfying choices to spend your money on?
Because it is great to drive(for some of us, cars are about driving, not the looks) somewhat cheaper than other 911s and because it is still a pretty car.
The back end of the 996, especially that 3/4 view is the best of any 911.
@@clubracer6 so your saying it has a butter face?
@@mik3ymomo I know the face it controversial, but i do like it quite a bit. Do I like the front end of a 997 GT3 better? Absolutely!
Chrome wheels, don't look Chrome on my phone screen, maybe a cleaning is in order🤔 Did the owner paint those front grills silver? Surely Porsche wouldn't do something so ghastly🤮🤮🤮
For me it looks messy, turbo front, base Carrera rear, GT3 side skirts, .2 wheels, plus all those added badges, worst looking 996
Silver used to be a great color but silver sedans have ruined it
It just looks shit though, turbo bumper looks hideous on a narrow body
UA-camr drives Porsche
996 is the ugliest 911 in hard contest with a crashed 996.