1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S | Retro Review

The last of the air cooled Porsches, the '97 911 Turbo S was an ultra limited production last call before the water cooled 911's were ushered in for 1998.
Show 1715 | Original Airdate 12-10-1997
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[@Mystery_Man84]

0-60 in 3.9 seconds 25 years ago was pretty damn impressive…

[@kyoakland]

Shit that was fast as hell a mid 12 in the qm yikes

[@jamesstaggs4160]

It's impressive now. Sure you've got a Corvette that will go sub 3 on a 60 run but that 911 would still be considered fast right now. It's also got the added bonus of being able to see out of the damn thing since it doesn't need the pillars to house airbags or to be thick enough to support the weight of the entire car if it ever finds itself hurtling off a cliff upside down. Thank God the government is here to protect us. Oh and yeah, 12s in the 1/4 is very, very impressive.

[@blisterbrain]

It's still really fast. Way faster than anyone will be driving on public roads, loaded with other, regular vehicles. Who's actually out there blasting 0-60 full-throttle out of every mini-mall parking lot and from every countless traffic light on congested business zone thoroughfares? 3.9 is too fast and beyond the capabilities of 99% of drivers, anyway. That's why today's cars are filled with computer nannies. Let's go back to slower, simpler, and cheaper cars.

[@Mystery_Man84]

@@blisterbrain I’m guessing your the 1%?

[@blisterbrain]

@@Mystery_Man84 Nope, not me! I know my limits.

[@StevenEveral]

A clean low-mileage version of this 911 Turbo now goes for north of $350k.

[@esqu1re]

I think higher. There's one on bringatrailer going for 526K with 4 days left and nowhere close to the reserve price. Amazing.

[@CaptainTonus]

Yeah, more like $500k and beyond for a low-mileage S. Non-S can fetch north of $200k easily.

[@oreally8605]

I only wish Corvettes would have the same fetching price.. ( 1984 and up )

[@CaptainTonus]

@@oreally8605 Haha never gonna happen, except for maybe a C7 ZR1 or the C8 Z06 in 20+ years

[@punemax]

Real g’s know about need for speed on ps1

[@BurtSampson]

One of these is for sale in Florida right now for $900,000. That isn't a typo.

[@donteadoss]

I was 15 in 1997 wishing badly that I could afford one, and now here I am 26 years later wishing the exact same thing regarding the exact same car. 😕

[@kyoakland]

​@mipmipmipmipmip 😂

[@pbmcgme176]

Same exact position. All of the cars I wanted in that era are all unavailable or completely out of reach financially.

[@roddydykes7053]

Why don’t you lower your expectations like we all have to?

[@machomanalexyt5736]

​@@roddydykes7053"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." -George Carlin

[@billseiler4952]

Still can’t afford a 1997 Porsche

[@xxk4rilsxx]

Squad like up

[@rebelusa6585]

Welcome to our universe. Rules of thumb, only a few selected rich people, the rest are poor people.

[@earth7551]

Or a 1997 Toyota twin turbo supra

[@jeffc7486]

Or 1997 viper gts in blue. Lol

[@Mx5pro]

She’s still a beauty

[@aaronschen9896]

I remember the shock and awe when the 993TT came out. That level of performance and civility together was groundbreaking. 25 years later the performance is similar to a 4cyl cayman s.

[@gregalanbell]

I've got a 718 GTS 3.7 to 3.9 0to60 12.2 quarter mile @ 116. 20 years after this masterpiece was made, spoiled people say that my masterpiece 718 GTS doesn't sound like a Porsche. My last 3 Porsches have been flat 6, two air cooled 911s and an 06 Cayman S. All those cars were fast to me, and still are. I love my flat four it put almost all loud cars to shame! The steering is spot on too, something I've always expected in a Porsche. Hopefully in some years after Porsche stops making gas powered engines mine will be worth a lot more too.

[@aaronschen9896]

Wast a dig on 2.5t gts, have one myself with 3 pedals for good measure. Pretty similar to 993tt as stated which is impressive. Technology marches on and 992tt would run away from either in a straight line

[@roddydykes7053]

@@gregalanbelleasy to tell a Porsche owner from how up in arms they get at a perceived slight, with a spreadsheet ready to go at the moment’s notice

[@zeblackboi]

The most beautiful Porsche in my opinion.

[@GlennsCarCollection]

Great video. Not a Turbo S but I bought a 993 Turbo in 2011 for only $70k. One of the best investments I ever made.

[@dohc1067]

Still beautiful after all these years 😮 and I just saw one two hours ago in black 🖤. Smooth.

[@awakethemaster]

Beautiful. Never gets old

[@peterjamieson2441]

I'm thankful Motorweek did these videos years ago

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

That car still fast for today’s standards! Beautiful style that endured the test of time! And Porsche just keeps getting better and better every year!👌🥰👍

[@05gtdriver]

Clean, low mileage examples are $500,000 & up.

[@earth7551]

That's it

[@kirk8359]

I remember when base 993's could be bought all day in the used market for $30-40k, depreciated just like every other car. I waited. Missed out. I've been in therapy ever since.

[@Sportiummotors]

Just get 996 , 20k can get you decent one , buy now b4 you Miss another train lol

[@guinnessharvey4476]

Considering it’s a manual with no launch control, 3.9 sec to 60 is incredible

[@masterchinese28]

12.3/117mph quarter mile is impressive, even today

[@Roddy_Zeh]

I guess people in '97 had no idea how much 993's would skyrocket in value (specially this one) 25-30 years later.

[@mediocreman2]

Some people did know, based on how few miles some have.

[@gavinvalentino6002]

nor did my Dad know the 959 would do $1m+ only 2 years after he was offered one for $253kUSD in a letter signed by Dr. F. Porsche and he turned it down...

[@Chuffmaster654]

My dad had a mint base black on black 1995 993. Sold it for a new base white on blue 996. Now he drives a BMW X1 lmao.

[@mirzatajic89]

@@Chuffmaster654was he disappointed by the 996?

[@Chuffmaster654]

@@mirzatajic89 Nah, he enjoyed it. It was still a 6 speed manual. It was newer, but man, I will never forget that aircooled sound. After the 996 he had a couple Boxters and C6 Corvettes. His financials must've dived lol.

[@tagtag-connected5263]

Holy cow. Turbo S back in 1997 was $154k. Adjusted for inflation $154k in todays money is close to $200k but a pristine condition just sold for $600k. 2023 Turbo S starts at $217k. Strange world

[@ssjlkrillin]

@2 Corinthians 4:7-11 No one buys a base 911 Turbo S with no options so expect that price for a 2023 example to be over $330k.

[@billymays7210]

Dodge Demon 170s are going for 300k new, so there’s that…

[@constructionbootgazer]

993 Carrera 2S is my favourite modern Porsche. 😍😍

[@davidaubin3902]

3:31 John: AND THE COLORED KEYED SWITCHES AND SPEAKER GRILLS LOOK LIKE THEY WERE PAINTED WITH A SPRAY CAN! LOL

[@oreally8605]

400 pounds of torque in that tiny car.. Porsche. There is no substitute.

[@Benniator]

My dream car. These go for anywhere from $650,000 to $900,000.

[@Canadian_Gamer]

Much nicer than the modern era Porsche.

[@mia1shooter]

lol wrong, are you high?

[@373axle]

That's a ton of power and torque for such a small, light sports coupe.

[@fitfogey]

Dream car.

[@Detah_]

The last air cooled 911. Nobody ever knew it would be the end

[@olegloginov2953]

My jaw dropped when I heard the price. I won't even try to adjust that for inflation...

[@christianbolt5761]

Considering this price vs what they cost now. They have gotten relatively cheaper

[@billymays7210]

That’s $280,000 in 2023… so not really

[@detonator2112]

Nope. Standard 993 Turbo with reasonable miles is a $200K car now. Even the cheapest Turbo S models go for $450.000 and reaching $900.000 for the top ones. 993 GT2's are seven figure cars, all of them.

[@aa240sx]

18" wheels in a 90s car, sub 4 sec 0-60 too. this had to be the top supercar of it's day.

[@antonparks9147]

That car could be one of the most famous sports cars that ever lived.

[@MarkMeadows90]

One of my favorite 911 generations.

[@yodawg3469]

One of my dream cars,has been since '97

[@vir123456]

One of the best cars ever made.

[@PatrickRob82]

My personal choice for best looking car ever made. Its just perfect from every angle.

[@detonator2112]

It's very close. I think 993 2S/4S without the aerokit is even nicer. No matter which generation Turbo, I'd go for without the huge spoiler. But 993 Turbo is still amazing looker.

[@MercOne]

What a classic and collectable this car is now.

[@jdsk8914]

Saw a white one in December '22. Looks fast standing still

[@nighthawk0077]

Had a ride in one a few years ago lightly modified with an x-pipe on the exhaust. It's all about the carnival ride rush when (eventually) lighting up the turbo. Also love the manual gearbox with long gearing, now everything is all about beating the other guy and extracting every last millisecond.

[@bb57365]

The pinnacle for the 911.

[@o-_-ojb]

$293k+ in 2023 money for the MSRP with options shown.

[@inomad]

Similar to a 911 Sport Classic today.

[@rootsmanuva82]

These now average $476,000.... if you bought one of these new and kept it pristine, $650,000 isn't an unheard of asking price ($345,000 in 1997 dollars, a gain of $100,000 in inflation adjusted value).

[@anasevi9456]

Truly one of the greats of Porsche, and given that marque has more excellent performance cars than there are stars in the sky, it says a lot.

[@germanengineering204]

You can't beat Porsche, and I'm a BMW guy saying this!😀

[@pepster85]

Arguably the best car ever

[@detonator2112]

It's so amazingly good looking car. I'm not a 996 hater, they're great cars but design wise... WTF they were thinking?

[@CJL36]

There are zero cars I lust after more than this.

[@VintageAudioTech]

John Davis Owns Motorweek!

[@anilvirginia]

If there was a supercar GOAT, this would be it.

[@2bunphettered788]

This spec is on CarGurus for sale in Florida for $900k. 🤑💰

[@faugrad]

Still one of the best looking 911s ever made. Too bad they now command over $300k for a clean example.

[@gtboard]

Its not spraypanted its leather clad all of it. 🙄 Otherwise great review!

[@azilll]

Gosh.

[@arr0gant1]

1997: too expensive, I'll wait 25 years and get one on the used market.

[@detonator2112]

Same here. That didn't work out very well.😆

[@davidbaron6647]

OLDIE BUT STILL BEAUTIFUL

[@chriscornelius2518]

What happened with Porsche to make their cars skyrocket in price. These older models gain value. It is fascinating.

[@detonator2112]

They're so good looking. That's why. Small and compact, true sports cars.

[@tangoalpha94]

“0-60 in four seconds sweetie”

[@M14Bintang]

Motorweek Legend John Davis

[@revelare_xvii6269]

This car must’ve felt like time travel back then.

[@roddydykes7053]

Crazy to think even in the mid-90s that fake carbon fiber was becoming cliché. Love John’s dig on those tacky looking coloured controls

[@JohnMachado24]

Still would be faster than the majority of cars on the road today, amazing!

[@rich1223]

The widow maker!lol

[@ahemgee9542]

That was the 930 turbo not this one.

[@truth6242]

Why they won't put this on Forza or Gran Turismo is beyond me.

[@klowenstein483]

Ruf CTR2. Look it up.

[@laszlogaspar1244]

400 torque 😮

[@ericbritton9346]

My future car when I turn 50 years old. I love me an old school Porsche 911 Turbo slant nose in red or pearl white cabriolet. But I would have to change the factory seats out to Recaro seat with adjustable headrests similar to the mid 80s Gemballa Cyrrus cabriolet.

[@barsaf9989]

One of these is for sale on BaT right now. It's going to over half a million.

[@GodGear]

Such a beautiful car. Hope to review it one day 😊

[@mikeisaacs2314]

Wow it was 150k in 1997 money and I never seen a detachable face radio in a factory car.

[@CDeuce152]

A classic now.😢

[@ryansperception]

Why isn’t there a “S” after the TURBO on the back?

[@kyoakland]

I loved this car but I ended up with a Honda Prelude

[@jamesstaggs4160]

I'd say this is peak production 911 right here. Yeah they got faster and the new 911s basically drive themsleves but as far as "pure" 911 it doesn't get any better. Also, 424 to from an air cooled flat 6 engine and it won't break down every ten thousand miles. Ferrari never did that. To get that sort of power they needed at least 2 more cylinders, a radiator and a full engine rebuild if you looked at it the wrong way, or drove it more than once a month.

[@gtboard]

I like 997 Turbo S alot.

[@billymays7210]

While I absolutely love these, especially compared to the new ones, “Pure” would be an RS, not a Turbo.

[@ScottParisi]

Gorgeous vehicle. The holes in the front bumper for a license plate are awful.

[@babyyoda8195]

Was that an option in 97?

[@MetikalMan]

Best 911 ever?

[@tumbleweedtommy4626]

Love the the retro reviews! May I make a request for a retro review? I would love to see a retro review of either the 1985 Oldsmobile 98 or Buick Electra

[@gavinvalentino6002]

Time to change the Depend and have another Ensure for dinner.

[@azilll]

@@gavinvalentino6002 Time to trade in Chinese translator for better.

[@billymays7210]

@@azilll haha, that clearly went over your head. Made perfect sense.

[@anthonykiedis1765]

This car is still faster than most sports cars 26 years later.

[@Cheezwizzz]

You’d need a white linen suit teamed with a sky blue shirt to be seen in a car like that

[@lplp7656]

John Davis is more legend and G.O.A.T than the 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S

[@victoryepik]

What a beaut! I really love Porsches they are so nice to drive and to be in the interior even for the old one Too bad that the Porsche comunity has skyrocket the prices on these cars

[@TheT-800]

It's not the community's fault, they are just great cars

[@OnlyTheFinest125]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 993

[@stupidvideos1449]

What an amazing car, but worth the price now? No. Even na models are expensive

[@성태김-c1w]

A Fond Fast Farewell

[@mossman4665]

154k is 288k in 2023….geesh!!!

[@PhillyDee215]

This was my favorite car......but I ended up with something else😅

[@zillsburyy1]

more retro

[@TypeTuber]

To know what this would be worth today...

[@detonator2112]

550-700 K

[@user-mm2bz5pf9y]

It was fast until the GTR showed up....

[@_que]

Interesting the price when new was probably the cheapest one could get this spec of car...

[@justgoofingoff]

Dream car right behind an AC Ace/Cobra...

[@AmraphelofShinar]

"Wooder-cooled"

[@2F4R4W4Y]

🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

[@williamdavis4809]

In 2023 you can buy a Ford Raptor with a quicker 0-60 time.

[@AlexBeras]

Talk about getting the details in the review inaccurate. Switches were not painted. They were actually hand wrapped in leather. Every surface of the interior that was a touch point was covered in leather.

[@pmafterdark]

Ahhhh he of the endless money pit.

[@mediocreman2]

That interior is horrendous, but you can't argue with that performance and driving experience.

[@gtboard]

Whats the problem?

[@lordmaster5522]

Let the rich guy take the first hit with depreciation and now you can pick one up used for less than half the price. As soon as it rolls off the showroom floor, it losses 15% in value already.

[@mediocreman2]

Sounds like you don't know much about 911's

[@ahemgee9542]

Lol talk about clueless. 993s sell for more than new, but the 993 turbo S sells for for around three times it's brand new RRP !

[@ouch1011]

Amazing how crappy the interior is on a car that cost 3x as much as a house (or more).

[@TheMathiyo]

Now a clean 993 turbo goes over 300k

[@supercruiser4925]

too small and porches interior pre 2015 were all ugly.

[@azilll]

Scintillating.