WHAT 800 EMISSIONS-COMPLIANT HP LOOKS LIKE
Porsche's 996 model was, arguably, the most significant product launch in the company's history, making the flagship 911 a modern car, instead of an air-cooled anachronism.
The 996 was initially shunned by many Porsche purists, but quickly became a favorite tuning platform for tuners.
As we mentioned before in these pages, the 996 featured an engine derived from Porsche's cost-no-object GT1 program, which was shelved at the end of the 1990's, and the engine's bullet-proof construction has allowed us to push the stock internals of the 996's successor - the 997 - to
incredible power levels, far beyond what was possible with the older air-cooled cars.
A robust platform is just one part of the puzzle, however - rapid advancements in both machining, software, and rapid-prototyping technologies is another, and development partners like
TiAL Sport have made the most of these new tools, providing us with state-of-the-art turbine housings that manage airflow and heat more efficiently than even the most advanced racing turbos of just a few years ago ... which got us thinking.
Our primary focus has been on the newer 997 model Porsches (more on those, later), but what if we revisited that platform with current knowledge, using a new turbo based on TiAL's latest Alpha housings (plus a few Switzer tweaks to optimize it for the 996 TT)? What would that car be like?
The results (below), speak for themselves ...
SMOOTH AND LINEAR AND NEVER STOPS PULLING
... over 670 whp on 93 octane with 200-cell catalytic converters in place, and a super-smooth curve that gives the car a "Jekyll and Hyde" duality of smooth cruising and easy driving around-town, followed up by Veyron-baiting performance when the nanny-controls are off and the pedals hit the metals.
Considering the current market prices for 996 turbos, Tym feels a car like this delivers the ultimate daily driver/weekend track-day experience by offering a reliable driveline, capable suspension, and excellent braking with the stability and confidence of AWD. He says it best himself,
"This is an 800 hp pump-gas Porsche that can be driven to the track, run hard all day, and driven home. In short: I couldn't be happier with the results, and - most importantly - neither can our clients."
Pricing for this new "P800" 996 TT PKG starts at 18990 USD for Tiptronic Porsche 996 TT, and replaces our existing
PREMIUM POWER 996 packages. These prices reflect the same "best bang-for-the-buck" philosophy as our
BEST VALUE POWER packages, which start at $3995.
