Take a Look – 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Exterior

The fifth generation Porsche 911 (type 996) introduced a new 911 body design. Let’s see what the 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera looks like.

1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Exterior

The 996 was almost completely redesigned. The classic proportions of the 911 remained, but the car was much larger than before. The 996 is 185 mm longer and 30 mm wider than the former 993. Also the wheelbase is longer. It was lengthened by 80mm. However, the 996 was 50 kg lighter than the 993.

The most striking design details of the 996 are the new headlights. The round headlights had become one of the characteristics of the 911. These new headlights, with integrated indicators, earned them the nickname “fried eggs”. For the 1999 model year the light units were updated. The indicator inserts in the headlights and side indicators are now white and in the taillights white-gray instead of orange.

Stremlined Body

Although bigger, the design is still elegant, classic and clean. In revising the classic silhouette of the 911, Porsche’s designers found an angle for further improvement. The windscreen is around five degrees flatter. This makes the the transition from the windscreen to the roof now flowing even more smoothly and elegantly than before.

Furthermore, the entire main body was made sleeker, for example by means of smaller gaps and windows that were fully flush with the body. The wings are no longer as muscular as on the former model, since the entire body as such is wide enough to accommodate the suspension and tyres of a high-performance sports car. The two exterior mirrors are no longer affixed to the door but are mounted onto the side window triangle.

Streamlined and smoothened throughout, the 911 offers far better aerodynamics than its predecessor. Although the body itself is wider and the frontal area larger than before, overall air resistance has been reduced to a level even lower than with other sports cars. The drag coefficient, compared to the 993, is down from 0.34 to 0.30.