Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 4

THIS CAR HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN.

Introduced in 1998, the 996 was the most dramatic development of the legendary 911 since the launch of the original model way back in 1963. 

Virtually every part of the car was completely new, the most radical change being the adoption of a water-cooled engine in place of the traditional air-cooled unit. Even faster and better poised than virtually all previous models, it was also much more refined with significantly improved economy.

Power came from a magnificently eager and quick-revving 3.4-litre flat-six that produced 296bhp and 258lb/ft of torque, sufficient to crack the 0-60 sprint in just 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 174mph. Available as either a Coupe or a Cabriolet with a choice of 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission and two- or four-wheel drive, all were supremely capable sports cars that were equally at home pottering around town or ripping up a race track.

This particular car is a Carrera 4 Coupe with Porsche’s excellent four-wheel drive system which allows you to use the full performance all year round. A desirable six-speed manual model, it was first registered in November 2000 and has had five keepers to date.

At the time of cataloguing it had some 133,000 miles on the clock but it is in daily use so this may have risen somewhat by the time of the sale. It has 12 service stamps in the book and is said to drive well with 5 months’ tax and an MOT until January 2014. These are really thrilling cars to drive and this one looks absurdly good value at the modest guide price suggested today.