Has The Time Come To Appreciate A 2001 Porsche 911 (996) Turbo 6-Speed?

When Porsche introduced the 996 Turbo some 18 years ago, purists were shocked to see it feature a noticeably different design compared to regular Carrera models.

It looked more modern (and less raw) thanks to the wider rear wing, new bumpers, and 959-like air vents at the rear. In some ways, it was a mixture of old and new, but mostly new, especially since Porsche had decided to give the 911 so-called “fried-egg” headlights that resembled those of the first-gen Boxster. It was one of the 996’s most controversial features.

While many are wary of the regular 911 variants, you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody who wouldn’t want to have a 996 Turbo sit in their garage, if only for occasional weekend drive. Now, if you’re of the same mindset, then perhaps this 2001 low-mileage model might interest you.

It has a Midnight Blue Metallic exterior, a new chin spoiler, 18-inch factory ‘Turbo Twist’ wheels and a very clean overall appearance. The Bring a Trailer ad specifies that the car was detailed as recently as last month.

A true driver’s car

While we shouldn’t brush over the fact that its Graphite Grey full leather interior looks very clean, the most attention grabbing item is of course the 6-speed manual transmission. Driving enthusiasts often love shifting gears themselves, especially with lightweight, hyper-powerful cars such as the 911 Turbo. By the way, that’s a 997 short shifter, although if you buy the car, you get the stock shifter too.

Other features include the heated front seats, plus the optional 6-CD changer and Turbo door sill covers.

The car’s 3.6-liter flat six (water-cooled)  twin turbo engine produced 420 PS (414 HP) when new, sent to all four corners via an all-wheel drive system. The previous owner also installed a Fabspeed Performance Supersport X-pipe exhaust system with sport-cats and X50 tips back in 2016, to go with a Cobb ProTune for 93-octane pump gas.

Based on the gauge readout, the engine has just 15,136 miles (24,359 km) on it, which is a pretty low for an 18-year old supercar.