Skip to content
911.SHOWCASE
993 Carrera S — generation timeline photograph

911 Carrera S

1997–1998Coupé

The Carrera S arrived for model year 1997 as the rear-drive answer to the 4S: the same Turbo-sourced wide body and front panel, but without the all-wheel-drive hardware or the Turbo's 322 mm brakes. Output stayed at 285 PS from the 3.6-litre VarioRam flat-six, routed through a six-speed manual or Tiptronic S. Production ran to roughly 3,700 cars worldwide — most destined for North America — and a handful of Cabriolets were hand-built through Porsche Exclusiv although never catalogued. Enthusiasts call it the 2S, and it is today among the most valuable standard-body 993s.

SpecificationsSound: Porsche 911 R (1967)Edvvc · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons (opens in a new tab)

Unofficial fan showcase · media licensed per asset

Specification plate

Numbers as published

Every figure below is quoted from the sources listed at the foot of the page. A dash means the number was never published — it is never estimated.

Engine

3.6 L

M64.21 naturally aspirated flat-six with VarioRam

Power

285 PS

0–100 km/h

0–100 km/h 5.7 s (Sport Auto 02/97)

Top speed

270 km/h

168 mph)

Weight

1,390 kg

3,064 lb)

Drivetrain

Rear-wheel drive

Transmission

6-speed manual; 4-speed Tiptronic S (optional)

Production

3,714 worldwide

1,752 of them North American, per Wikipedia)

Body styles

Coupé

Torque

340 Nm

250 lb-ft) @ 5,250 rpm

3D viewer

Spin it yourself

Reduced motion — still frame shown

Reduced motion is on — a still frame stands in for the live viewer

Mona x Supercars (Car2022) · CC Attribution 4.0 · e8e06ddd8d3f4419a5252d187f6f217e

Paint

The viewer is not mounted, so there is nothing to tint.

Wheels
StockSportTurbo

The viewer is not mounted.

Gallery

7 views of the Carrera S

Click a frame · Esc closes · ←/→ move

Watch

4 films on the Carrera S

Variant-specific films first, then the curated set for the generation. Every player is an embed that loads on click.

  • Generation · 9WERKS TV

    Porsche 993 Carrera buyer's guide: full story on the last air-cooled 911

    best single summary of the last air-cooled generation

  • Generation · MotorWeek

    Retro Review: 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo (993)

    the 400 PS twin-turbo that made the 993 turbo standard

  • Generation · Petrolicious

    1995 Porsche 993 Speedster: Unicorn Conversion

    factory Speedster conversion, one of a handful

  • Generation · Tedward

    Driving the 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS - 300hp 3.8L Air Cooled Lightweight (POV Review)

    binaural POV of the 3.8 RS, the driver's 911 of the era

Compare

Set it against its neighbours

911 Carrera 4S1996–1998Same body, same era911 Turbo S1997–1998Same body, same era911 Carrera 41995–1998Same body style
Compact specification comparison between the 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Turbo S, 911 Carrera 4
Spec911 Carrera S1997–1998911 Carrera 4S1996–1998911 Turbo S1997–1998911 Carrera 41995–1998
Years1997–19981996–19981997–19981995–1998
Engine3.6 L M64.21 naturally aspirated flat-six with VarioRam3.6 L M64.21 naturally aspirated flat-six with VarioRam3.6 L M64 twin-turbocharged air-cooled flat-six, larger Triple K K-24 turbos3.6 L M64 air-cooled flat-six, twin-spark, VarioRam from 1996
Power285 PS285 PS450 PS285 PS
0–100 km/h0–100 km/h 5.7 s (Sport Auto 02/97)0–100 km/h 5.3 s0–100 km/h 4.1 s (Porsche)0–97 km/h (60 mph) 5.2 s
Top speed270 km/h270 km/h300 km/h275 km/h
Weight1,390 kg1,450 kg1,500 kg1,420 kg
DrivetrainRear-wheel driveAll-wheel drive (viscous coupling)All-wheel driveAll-wheel drive (viscous multi-plate clutch, rear-biased)
Transmission6-speed manual; 4-speed Tiptronic S (optional)6-speed manual6-speed manual6-speed manual (no Tiptronic offered)
Body stylesCoupéCoupéCoupéCoupé · Cabriolet
Production3,714 worldwide (1,752 of them North American, per Wikipedia)6,948 (Wikipedia production table; not independently corroborated)345 built (Porsche Exclusive); other Porsche Newsroom pages state 336 or 4357,166 (4,744 coupés + 2,422 Cabriolets)
Open the full comparison

Pairs load as /compare?a=993/carrera-s&b=993/carrera-4s

Sources (4)

  1. Porsche 911 (993) — Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
  2. 1997 911 Carrera S Coupe (993) specifications — Excellence (opens in a new tab)
  3. Thirty years of the 993-generation 911 Carrera — Porsche Newsroom (opens in a new tab)
  4. Model 911 (type 993) — Porsche Classic (USA) (opens in a new tab)

What the sources do not settle (2)

  • Excellence records 0–60 mph 5.3 s and a 171 mph (275 km/h) top speed; the Sport Auto 02/97 test via Wikipedia gives 5.7 s to 100 km/h and 270 km/h. Wikipedia's figures are used here.
  • Total worldwide Carrera S production is given by Wikipedia as 3,714 while the same article quotes 1,752 for North America only.

Credits

Media on this page

Full licence register →