Porsche - Porsche 911 (993) Carrera 4S Coupe

Porsche 993 Carrera 4S

The Porsche 993: the last air-cooled 911
In late 1993, exactly thirty years after the introduction of the first 911 (901) the last model Porsche 911 was introduced which had an air-cooled engine: the 993. By some fans, the 993 is seen as "the last true Porsche" because the brand later switched to liquid-cooled engines.

Many will say that the 993 and its predecessor the 964 are quite similar. The doors and roof are identical but overall there were many external and mainly technical changes. The 993 has a completely redesigned body with the wider wheel arches as the most notable difference. These fenders however had a function because the new aluminum multi-arm suspension needed more space to accommodate the wheels. This broader and more stable suspension helped to reduce the notorious tricky handling (oversteer when the gas paddle was released) were previous 911's were known from.

993 Carrera 4S: The ultimate 993
The 993 Carrera 4S was at its introduction in 1995 and even today, the absolute top model of the 993 Carrera series. For the development of the Carrera 4S Porsche didn’t have to make expensive new developments in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The Carrera 4S was simply the ultimate combination of already available and proven technology from the other 993 models.

Basically the Carrera 4S was largely identical to the Turbo version. The Carrera 4S got the body of the 993 Turbo and was only missing the wing and the turbo under the hood. Furthermore, the car was similar to the Turbo including the heavier brakes which ensures that the vehicle stops from hundred kilometers per hour to zero in just 2.6 seconds. The 4S is equipped with a powerful 6 cylinder boxer engine which produces 285 horsepower. A sprint to 100 km/h takes only 5.3 seconds and the top speed is 270 kilometers per hour.

At the front the Carrera 4S has the same front bumper as the Turbo. The rear of the 4S differs from the other Carrera models by its "flared" fenders which are 30mm wider at each side. The Carrera 4S sits also another half centimeters closer to the tarmac than other Carrera models making it look even more wider from behind. Other visible features of the 993 Carrera 4S are the side skirts on the bottom of the door between the front and rear fender, the red brake calipers, the white turning lights in the front and the red rear turn signals.

Despite the similarity of the looks with a 993 Turbo and the standard 18" Turbo wheels with wider tires (and hub caps with 4S logo), the chassis of the Carrera 4S is much more adjusted as a typical 'touring car'. The standard sports chassis of the 4S is noticeably tuned softer. The lack of the Turbo makes the 210 kW Varioram engine more comfortable to drive and makes the 4S more suitable for everyday use.

Four wheel drive
As the "4" in the type designation already indicates, the Porsche 993 Carrera 4S is powered on all four wheels. Thanks to this all-wheel drive system the 993 Carrera 4S is in his element when the roads are wet and slippery. Under all circumstances this advanced system provides high safety reserves because of its neutral and superior handling.

The layout of this four-wheel drive system was based on that of the Porsche 959, meaning that their aren’t three but only two differentials in the car. The third differential was replaced by a space and weight-saving and almost maintenance-free viscous-coupling. This powertrain was a lot lighter than the four-wheel drive system on the 964. Partly because of this the driver would experience a lot less understeer than with previous four wheel driven Porsches.

By default all Carrera 4S models are equipped with an active differential lock on the rear axle to improve the traction at speeds below 70 km/h. The performance is especially better when starting on wet or slippery road surfaces. The fuel consumption difference of the four-wheel drive 993 in comparison with the rear wheel drive version is very limited; an average of only 0.1 l/100 km.

Taking all of the aspects of the 993 Carrera 4S into account and compare it with the other embodiments of the Porsche 911 (type: 993), the 4S was a welcome and attractive addition to the 911 range.