"Water Pumper" is the derisive term coined by 911 enthusiasts back in the late '70s when Porsche first tried its hand with water-cooled production engines. Front-engine cars such as the 924, 944 and 928 had their moments, but they never became legends like the 911.
Little did the 911 devotees realize that the day would come when their beloved air-cooled, rear-engine coupes would also sprout radiators and water pumps. After all, several of Porsche's own racecars were water-cooled and eventually that technology trickled down to the forward-looking 959 road car.
That day came for the 911 in late 1997 when the Type 996 coupe made its debut in Germany as a 1998 model. For the U.S. it was spring 1998, when the 996 was unveiled as a 1999 model.
In addition to its new water-cooled engine, the 996 also created some controversy, with a front end shared with the entry-level Boxster and a series of engine problems, some of which took a few years to sort out. It gave the air-cooled crowd some "we told you so" solace.
But the secret to the 911's longevity for almost five decades is its evolutionary adaptability. Porsche made the changes necessary to upgrade the styling, engineering and material quality to improve the 996 over its lifespan. And by the time the 997 debuted in 2005 with a muscular look that harkened back to its air-cooled days, even the hard-core had to admit that the latest 911 is indeed the best 911 to roll out of Zuffenhausen.
See for yourself in our gallery of the water-cooled Porsche 911.
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phillipk2 says:
09:12 AM, 07/10/2011
I also like this review.Its a new water-cooled engine.If it had a remote starter ,It can also creat auto cooling system. If you need more information about remote starter please visit http://carremotestarter.net .
keyboardwars says:
05:54 PM, 03/05/2011
never mind :-)
epbrown says:
11:21 AM, 03/05/2011
isend2c says: "Just gonna totally ignore the Boxter, Cayman, Panamera and Cayenne? They might not have the "history" of the 911, but they're all still good. Add them, please."
Maybe my computer screen is defective, but from here the article is titled "Liquid-Cooled Porsche 911," so why would those models be included?
a1c_scg says:
07:12 AM, 03/05/2011
isned2c-
They have nowhere near the heritage the 911 does.
keyboardwars-
They already did an air cooled feature.
isend2c says:
09:07 PM, 03/04/2011
Just gonna totally ignore the Boxter, Cayman, Panamera and Cayenne? They might not have the "history" of the 911, but they're all still good. Add them, please.
keyboardwars says:
03:53 PM, 03/04/2011
Please do a feature for the air-cooled models.
billymay says:
01:40 PM, 03/04/2011
The 996-to-997 transition was one of those rare success stories where a carmarker came back from a styling disaster in convincing fashion. The 993 is probably going to go down as the best since the original long hood 911s, but the 997 is a handsome car and the spy shots of the 998 look promising.
compressor says:
01:32 PM, 03/04/2011
ralphhightower wrote:
"But officer, I was doing 70 in the 70 MPH zone."
"Bull, I saw the rear wing raised. On the 2009 911, the rear wing raises at 75 MPH"
Busted.
___________________
Or...
"Bull, I saw the rear wing raised. On the 2009 911, the rear wing raises at 75 MPH"
"True, but I had the manual override on which raises the wing regardless of speed.
Likely still busted though.
agnh says:
11:44 AM, 03/04/2011
The biggest problem I think I have with P-cars is the absurd annual price increases. I just spec'd out a 2011 C2S and I swear it is about $5k more than a 2010 comparably equipped.
a1c_scg says:
07:40 AM, 03/04/2011
Lot of redundant info and pics, but cool homage nonetheless.
As much as I love this brand, and as much as I love the delicate, chuckable nature of the 996's, they certainly haven't aged very well. Was for sure one of Porsche's most awkward styling endeavors.
My three picks-
997 GT3RS v.2
997 Turbo S
Nordic Gold C4S Targa
In that order.