• Beautiful pearlescent paintwork

• Distinctive styling
• Outstanding interior condition
• Hard- and soft-tops

The original Porsche 911 first appeared in 1964, and the basic concept has remained the same ever since. But in the 1990s, facing financial difficulties and amid rumours of possible takeovers, Porsche finally recognised that the signature air-cooled flat-six engine that powered the-then current iteration of the 911, the 993, was reaching the end of its life. 

Stricter emissions regulations across the world forced the company to come up with a replacement for the air-cooled unit and it realised that, to keep the 911 lineage going, other radical changes would be needed. 

At the same time as designing the water-cooled replacement for the 993 (and developing the sister car, the Boxster, in parallel) the company revamped its production processes to increase efficiency. 

The 996, launched in 1998, was the first 911 to undergo a complete redesign. Styled by Pinky Lai, under design chief Harm Lagaay, the 996 carried little over from its 993 predecessor, as Porsche saw the car lasting into the new millennium. As well as the company’s first water-cooled engine, the car had a new body and interior. 

The all-wheel drive Carrera 4 came along in 1999, with a major upgrade following in 2002 that included the ‘teardrop’ headlamps, a glovebox and sports steering wheel, plus a larger 320bhp 3.6-litre engine. 

 

R 100 OBE was first registered in March 2003. The vendor purchased the car in March 2021, from an owner who had had it since 2017, and had spent a lot of money on it – including replacing the engine with one from a donor car, and replacing the notorious intermediate shaft (IMS) bearing. 

The vendor has decided to sell the car because he has subsequently bought a Porsche 911 Turbo and can’t justify keeping both cars.   

The car comes with a big folder of paperwork, including receipts for major work done over the last few years. These include receipts for the engine, clutch and flywheel replacement in 2019, and for a partial respray, also in 2019.

There are MoT certificates for just about every year since 2006, and the current certificate expires on 1st June 2022. 

The car is finished in a striking pearlescent blue paint – it was partially resprayed in 2019 and the paintwork is still in fabulous condition. It’s pretty much unmarked, although the hard-top has a slight crease just above the driver’s door. With the hard-top removed, the mechanism for raising and lowering the soft-top works smoothly (the roof mechanism was serviced in 2019) and the hood itself is in excellent condition. 

All the brightwork, lights and badges are in excellent condition. The vendor had the headlamp lenses refurbished, as they are known for ‘yellowing’

All four wheels are unmarked and look stunning, while the tyres all look to have plenty of wear left in them. (The previous owner reports that the split-rim BBS alloys were refurbished in 2019 and were powder-coated instead of painted.)

At the time of our visit, the rear nearside tyre was in need of reinflation, as it looked a bit soft. The vendor has a spare set of tyres, which he is happy to supply with the car.    

The interior belies the car’s mileage. All the seats, carpets and door panels are in remarkable condition for a car that is eighteen years old. It’s clear that previous owners have treated the car well and it has been carefully looked after. In particular, both front seats show few signs of wear, while the ‘+2’ seats look good, with a slight dent visible on the nearside one. The carpets have been protected by custom overmats embroidered with the car’s registration. 

The dashboard, dials, switchgear and centre console also look extremely good. The top of the dash has no signs of fading or cracking, suggesting the car has been carefully stored throughout its life. 

The radio works and the door-mounted Bose speakers produce great sound. The sat-nav appears to work but needs the navigation discs to be loaded – they are supplied with the file of paperwork. 

Under the bonnet, there is a reasonably spacious and very clean and tidy luggage space, plus a jack, wheel-brace and warning triangle. The lining is virtually unmarked, as is the cover for the battery compartment. The battery looks to be recent and presumably just needs a charge.  

At the time of our visit, the car had a flat battery and required the use of a jump-starter pack. Once this was deployed the car started easily and the engine runs smoothly.

The gear lever moves readily and quietly into each slot. The car’s previous owner reports that: “The engine was replaced in 2019 with a used unit which had done 74,000 miles when it was fitted, (so that engine has now done 84,000 miles). It was bore-scoped and the all-important IMS bearing was replaced. The work was carried out by Porsche specialist McPorsche in Glasgow. At the same time the clutch and flywheel were replaced.”

All the radiators (two for coolant, two for air-con), have been replaced, as they are a noted issue on the 996. 

The car has been fitted with a sports exhaust, which sounds great. 

In the engine compartment, everything looks clean, tidy and well-maintained. The rear-lid struts were replaced in 2020. 

Underneath the car, as far as one can see, everything appears to be in good order.

     

The Porsche 911 is a motoring icon that has been in production, in its various forms, for approaching half a century. The 996 iteration retains the classic 911 silhouette and combines it with modern performance and reliability. 

R 100 OBE is clearly an example that has been well cared-for and the file of paperwork tells the story of work done in recent years to keep the car at its best. The pearlescent blue paintwork looks stunning and the car’s appearance, both inside and out, makes it difficult to believe the odometer reading. 

With the added benefit of the hard-top, this is a 911 to be driven and enjoyed all year round.