My post yesterday on a Porsche 996 that had (badly) been updated to look a bit like a 997 got me thinking. Will someone take a 997 (or even a 996) and try to update it to look like the new 991?
Updating Porsches to look newer than they are is nothing, er, new. One of the first Porsche features I ever did, as a fresh-faced lad, was on a kit to turn a 944 into a 968 lookalike (the 968 was a new model back then). 3.2s and 911SCs with later-style 964 bumpers are two a penny. 964s have been fitted with 993 wings and lights, some more successfully than others, while a good few 996s have been treated to 997 front ends (and less often, the rear as well).
Some people turn their noses up at these modifications, even if the work’s been done properly. However, almost invariably, such conversions are more acceptable on recent Porsches than so-called classics. We featured a 3.2 Carrera with 964 bodywork in Total 911 recently and I received a particularly scathing email about it, even though it was a well-executed job. You see, many people want older Porsches to remain in exactly the form they were when they left the factory, right down to having original Stuttgart air in the tyres. Newer Porsches, on the other hand, aren’t held in such high regard and no one will lose too much sleep over a rehashed 996.
Of course, the reason for doing such mods is to make a Porsche look newer than it is – there’s always an element of the population who wants to be seen to have the newest and latest model. It was relatively simple to make a 3.2 look like a 964s because the cars had essentially the same body shape, and the same applied to the 996 and 997 – you only had to change the wings and lights to make a passable fake (at least from the outside).
But what of the new Porsche 911, the 991? Could you make a 996 or 997 look like the latest model? Tricky, because the 991 is a completely new body shape. It would be akin to making a 964 look like a 996 (tell me no one has tried!). That said, I bet someone will have a go – grafting 991 headlamps onto a 997. It won’t work, unless someone proves me wrong.
This Post Has 2 Comments
Personally i dont think 991 is better looking than 997. Is just different. So i dont think there is a reason for a “facelift”…
For a Porsche, I believe backdating is more successful and much more interesting. I just got my first Porsche 2 weeks ago; I’ve wanted one since I was 12. It’s a beautiful Guards Red 1987 Carrera 3.2 coupe with just 52,000 miles. I love it, but I’m already looking at kits and parts for ducktail widebody cars. It will be a while before I even attempt it as I have to get familiar with “Ruby”. It certainly tempting though.