In autumn 1993, Porsche unveiled the 993, the fourth generation of the 911, at the IAA. The 993 generation remained true to the fundamental character of the sports car. Visually, the designers modified many details, including the front headlights, which now lay flatter in the wings, which in turn were lower and wider overall – no longer the distinctive ‘tunnels’ of previous versions . The front and rear sections were made more elegant, and the designers gave the rear a gentler slope. The roof line was practically the only thing to remain unchanged – the rest was new. This included the interplay of concave and convex forms, and the integrated bumpers. At the time, few Porsche fans were aware that the 993 would be the last air-cooled six-cylinder boxer.
Porsche invested around 400 million Deutschmarks and four years of development work in the model. The brand risked a lot of money because it urgently needed a top seller. The fact was that, back then, the 911 had to carry the company practically on its own, as the transaxle model series (924/944/968) was being gradually phased out. When designing the 911, Porsche focussed on a wide customer base. Multi-link rear suspension would improve ride comfort, along with the car’s overall handling.
For a 1994 model year Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé, the starting price was 125,760 Deutschmarks. Porsche built a total of 68,881 examples of the 993-generation 911 up until the 1998 financial year.
