The 996 generation of the Porsche 911 may even be one of the most “unloved” by fans of the brand, but it has not lost its importance in the already long history of the iconic German model.
After all, it was the first generation of the 911 with a water-cooled engine, the first to give up round headlamps and started the GT3 saga, factors that already guaranteed it a special place in the model's history. The fact that it was also the basis for the only armored 911 in production only adds to its importance.
Well, in the mid-1990s, Porsche decided to accept the order of one of its customers and from a 911 (996) painted in a flashy “Dragonfly Turquoise Metallic” created the only bulletproof 911 in production.
The (much) thicker glass denounces that this 911 (996) is not the same as the rest.
How was it done?
Currently part of the Porsche Museum collection, this Porsche 911 (996) was born like any other model of its generation, having been arbitrarily chosen off the production line before becoming bulletproof.To ensure that this 911 Carrera was able to service up to the famous James Bond, Porsche equipped it with 20mm thick reinforced glass specially designed for it.
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To ensure that the bodywork was capable of stopping bullets, Porsche turned to a composite material called Dyneema. Despite weighing the same as steel, steel is 15 times stronger.
Despite being almost invisible, all these transformations allowed, according to Porsche, to make this 911 (996) capable of stopping projectiles from a 9 mm pistol or a .44 Magnum revolver.
There is no beauty without fail
With an interior similar to that of other contemporary 911s (and packed with equipment), the main difference on board this unique example is the fact that it is quieter, courtesy of the (much) thicker glass.
As you would expect, all this protection “pass” a bill, with the weight of this Porsche 911 (996) Carrera going to more than double: 1,317 kg soared to 2722 kg. Despite this, it continued to rely on the 3.4 l flat-six with 300 hp and 350 Nm — it clearly deserved an upgrade to the 420 hp 911 (996) Turbo engine, which would be released later.
With no follow-up, the project for an armored 911 (996) remained a one-off for two very simple reasons: there was no demand for an armored 911 and the price was exorbitant. No wonder the typical choice at the time was a four-door saloon, and probably like a three-pointed star sporting the hood.