You probably bought the cheapest Porsche 996 Turbo, that’s true. Jalopnik is the Porsche 996 family-On the market a year ago, and I’ve mostly happily racked up the miles on the odometer ever since. I’ve been working on building my own with a proper wheel set for some time, some additional carbon trim, and a GT3-style center console. I also fixed a few of its minor quirks, as it had been the previous owner’s track rat for a few years, and had cosmetic challenges.
The front bumper and hood don’t match, but I don’t like the gray factory seal color anyway, so I’ve been waiting for the winter when I’m not driving the car to send it in for a little paint and bodywork. Today, knowing it would take a month or two to fully mature, I ordered the carbon fiber roof which will be installed at the same time.
A few months ago, I started following c1composites on Instagram, where they are now building an all-carbon 996 track car, and I was intrigued. I wouldn’t go as far as they wanted, but a carbon roof and hood were definitely in my plans. When I reached out and found out that the roof would only cost me $1,600 plus two bills to ship it, I was surprised. It’s still hard to swallow losing $1800 on one part when there’s nothing technically wrong with the roof my 996 Turbo came with from the factory.
If you want a carbon roof for your 911 from the factory, it will cost you about $4000! I’m sure there won’t be significant installation costs once the car goes into the paint and bodywork, but hopefully getting it all done at once will make the process a little easier and a little less expensive. I still think I can fit a carbon roof on my 996 for less than what Porsche will charge you to put a roof on a 992 GT3.
By deleting the sunroof and replacing the cold hard metal with this piece of carbon, I have to remove approximately 70 pounds from the top of the car. With a few other modifications, I’d like to see how far I can get the car from the original £3380. This is a big step in this direction.
My goal with this project is to develop a period-specific 996 Turbo that matches today’s 911 S/T or 911 Sport Classic. There will be some tweaks, but mostly it will be a push to make the 911 Turbo lighter and more attractive without resorting to the completely track-focused (and sometimes deadly) 996 GT2. A little carbon here, a little extra horsepower there, and some excessive use of color to set this car apart from the others.
Right now, it’s fall, so I’ll keep driving the car through the boost season, but then it’ll go under the knife for a little reconditioning. I’ll leave you Porsche nerds with a few key words to stimulate your imagination.
Ocean Jade Metallic paint. Exposed carbon roof and hood. Complete green nephrite leather interior. Green wool tweed seats with a single sports seat with a hardback for the driver and a comfort seat for the passenger. The hard shell, half cage, center console, and gauges are color-matched to the exterior. Yes, this would be good.
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