Okay, so we have been teasing this vehicle long enough. After about eight months since purchasing, I have (for now at least), completed my project Porsche 991 Carrera S. For those of you who have not been following along, here’s the background on the build.
My name is Fred Chang and I am the Partnerships Director for Speedhunters. I have been lucky enough to own quite a few cars over the years, but was finally able to realize a personal dream last December when I bought my very first Porsche.
Like many enthusiasts, the Porsche Carrera has been an aspirational target since my childhood. I had a 930 Turbo poster on my wall as a kid and always dreamed of one day owning one.
I’ll admit, like many I lost some interest when the 996 models came out in the late ’90s, but the 997-generation reignited my desire to own one of these rear-engined monsters.
In the last few years, I began to reach a place financially where owning a Porsche was much more realistic. I thought about a pre-owned GT3 or GTS, but then the 991 came out and I was instantly sold.
I still love the look of the 997, but the 991 is just ever so slightly more elegant, yet sinister-looking at the same time.
Once I finally owned the car, I knew I didn’t want to change the look of it much. All of the exterior mods were chosen for their subtlety. Well, maybe not the wheels…
It’s What’s On The Inside That Counts
The interior was really one of the biggest selling points for me. The 997 had a purposeful simplicity to its cabin and a strong design connection to the early 911s. But it doesn’t exactly look like the interior of a $100k+ car. The 991 changed that. The interior truly rivals some of the best luxury sports cars on the market.
Not surprising considering the 911 is being targeted by Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, even McLaren as they aim to steal sales from Porsche.
Owning a Porsche for the first time made me understand the meaning of true pride in ownership. As beastly as it was, I just didn’t get that from my GT-R. I also didn’t get to use my left foot as much, which is a nice treat.
There is a really strong sense of community among Porsche owners. I have truly enjoyed going to Cars & Coffee and Porsche Breakfast Club meets in this car.
The driving characteristics are very unique in the Porsche. Now having driven a few different models, I understand what people describe as ‘Porsche DNA’ that carries over from one model to the next, even across generations.
There is a specific feeling that Porsche engineers build into the steering, the brakes, the throttle that is consistent and unique to Porsche.
The Devil Is In The Details
You have to admire Porsche’s design consistency. The iconic round head lamps have been a staple of the Carrera from the beginning. And they now harness LED technology making them more functional then ever.
Around the back, I’ve always loved the look of the crossbar taillight from air-cooled 911s and the more recent Carrera 4s. The newly-added Vorsteiner carbon fiber spoiler adds a bit of that look to the rear.
And it also mimics the iconic Porsche ‘duck tail’.
One thing that I didn’t expect to like as much as I do, is having a trunk in front – a ‘frunk’ as I have learned it’s called.
The end result for this project is pretty close to perfect in my eyes. I imagined a clean and subtly modified Carrera, but it turned out even better then I expected.
The wheels may not be traditional for this type of car, but the bronze finish on the RAYS Engineering Volk Racing TE37 Ultras just look incredible against the Porsche’s solid White paint.
And the stance provided by the KW V3 coilovers is just perfect.
The Vorsteiner body kit does an excellent job of accenting the Carrera’s already gorgeous lines and embellishing them just a bit.
I do realize that my mods my not please everyone – especially those Porsche purists, but I am only trying to please myself. I love this Porsche and it was nearly perfect how it left the factory. But I couldn’t settle to leave it stock.
I am sure you are wondering what my favorite mod is? That is definitely the Akrapovič exhaust. The sound is just incredible and when the Sport Plus mode is engaged, the backfire on throttle lift is addictive. My neighbors probably don’t like it as much as I do.
Thank you for following this project over the past few months. I’ll be sure to keep you updated if I decide to make any more significant changes, but for now it’s time for me to drive…
Fred Chang
Photos by Larry Chen
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
larry@speedhunters.com
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Project 991
