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Yes, ok, well up until the 996 it enjoyed 34 years of refinement on the same fundamental platform. It was the "old" air cooled flat-6 to which I referred.
Depending on the breed of 911 enthusiast you happen to be speaking to, the 996 is either an evil bastard child or the next progressive step. Hmm, sounds kinda like discussion here on the 9-3 board. :-)
Although the 996 engine was a redesign (based in large part on developing commonality with the new evil bastard sibling, the Boxster), it was done bottom-up in house at Porsche, which is fundamentally different from what Saab's done for the new 9-3. The new 9-3 I-4 is a significantly modified Saab version of an outsourced GM platform motor. That is not the same thing as an in-house Saab redesign, even if that redesign included radical changes to the engine (like water cooling or twin cams).
It's a reality of the changing nature of the car business that shared platforms and parts interchangability between models are inevitable. That brings both good and bad with it. It's a reflection of our increasingly trendy, disposacar, sheepish society (baaaah). Car companies are just giving people what they want; I can't blame them. I guess us free spirited individualists will just have to content ourselves with older cars, or come up with the cash for an exotic. C'est la vie!
In time, the 911 enthusiasts may learn to love the water-cooled 996. Twin turbos and higher output will certainly help! Is the 996 a technological advance over the 993? Almost certainly. Will the average driver notice the difference? Unlikely. Will the 996 maintain the elusive intangible soul of the classic 911 that enthusiasts so treasure? Remains to be seen. Passionate enthusiasts will initially always resist the change. The real question is whether the new car will earn their respect.
The same goes for the Saab 9-3.
Cheers,
'Roo
posted by 12.13.238...
, Thu, 24 Oct 2002 21:48:22
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