964, the ugly duckling 911? I don't think so.
 

As I was pumping gas with my back to the street, I heard this cool sounding growl getting closer. It was a black 964 turbo pulling up to the next pump. I exchange howdy-doos with the owner and we start checking each other's ride out. Man, his 964 turbo is sweeet. Triple black with, I think, Fikse wheels. I've read that many people regard 964s as the ugly duckling of the 911 bunch but this car was a black swan. I wish I had my camera. He's never heard of Pelican so I educated him a bit. I hope he logs on sometime and shares pics. I'd like to see pics of other 964s out there. Any proud owners want to share?

Oops, wrong forum. Moderators, please move this to the 964 board. Thanks.

well, up to about 1997 or so the 964 was sorta the "ugly duckling" of the 911 range... it had what was considered in-between styling, as if it was stuck with the shape of the 74-89 inpact bumper but the smooth, integrated metalwork of the 993.

I think the term "ugly duckling" is meant a bit tongue-in-cheek - I think peopl mean it is less attractive than, say, a 993 or a 3.2. That being said, I think the 964 is a great-looking car - compared to, say, a 996.

why not?

Some great-looking 964s.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089248060.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089248082.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089248121.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089248164.jpg

they are all from a 964 website photo contest

It is an ugly duckling if it has the narrow body. The widebody is a whole different story. I'd take that in a heartbeat. I think I'd take a 964 turbo over the earlier one (style wise) any day. Can't say that about the narrow 964. All the castles in the world and all the aftermarket rims you can buy can't change that. :D

George

Those 3 pice wheels look so good on a 964. I think they look better on that style than anyother. So, if you think your 964 doesn't appear as stylish as an earlier moldel, put a set of 3 pieces on it.

I prefer the 964 styling always have liked it with the Cup 1s and lowered it rocks!!

I prefer the mid-year Carreras but 964's are absolutely not ugly ducklings.

Id take a 964 RS (Euro) over a 996 GT3 any day

964 bumpers are alot nicer than the older bumpers (not that the old bumpers looked bad) after the 964, the 911 started to mutate into the windtunnel shaped body that it is now hated for having.

I prefer the many 964's to many G-series cars. Of course, some cars with certain color combo's, wheels, and ride height just look good, but I have never considered a 964 an ugly duckling. It retains that classic shape but without the ugly impact bumpers. Not to mention that the 964 is so technically modern in comparison. 996 is the ugly duckling as far as I'm concerned.

I used to think the same way. Now that I have mine, I wouldn't take anything else for it.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089256159.jpg

except for your other three Porsches.

lucky bastard.

I'm going the 964 turbo look for my '73 track car. I think my favorite part about the 964 styling is the way the bumpers are smoothed into the rest of the car. I particularily like the RSA bumpers.

Dont forget the movie "Bad Boys" with the sweet 964 Turbo driven by Wil Smith. I still dont know how they got the 5-9 babe into the back seat though. Camera trick.

I love mine! she's a beautie!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089273003.jpg

one more..http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089273205.jpg

I hardly notice the styling when my head is pressed back against the seat and I am holding on to the steering wheel for dear life !! I have seen the light, brother, and that 3.6 made me a believer - even sans varioram. ;)

I've always wanted a 964. It had enough of the "old" look (unlike 993's profile) that it seemed classic, and yet it was fairly modern inside. I loved the longhoods all along, but I thought that those required more work and maintenance and that I would be getting that car after a 964. It all turned out just the opposite for me, but I'm still yearning for a 964.

As for the bumpers, they are not the prettiest, but that disappears a bit if the car is black, and also, I could always replace them with some fiberglass parts that are much closer-fitting... seen them in some catalogue.

Hey, you guys DO remember that they made 964's in colors other than black? To me, our GP White car is beautiful, and is a real sleeper in that color. White actually makes the design 90 wheels not look all that bad to me. Regarding the overall styling, I think that the 964 is the last of the "original" 911 shape, with true "frog's eyes". I like ours every bit (from a styling perspective) as much as the '87's we also have. We could then talk about how it drives with that beautiful 3.6 and the AWD, but I don't think we have enough bandwidth. Needless to say, I drive our 964 whenever the wife lets me!

Tom
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089297256.jpg

One of my favorite cars I have seen on this site is a 964

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1069546831.jpg

Yes, I do remember that - they look GREAT in white - but apparently new Porsches only come in black or silver. I went to my local Porsche dealership yesterday to order a tube of touch-up paint, and there wasn't a single car in the lot or showroom that WASN'T either black or silver. WHat gives?

Shuie - man, those 964s look great with a ducktail!

I love the stance/rake on this one
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089338020.jpg

Good looking pic
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089338047.jpg

Mines not black, its the slate grey, 93/4 964 3.6 Turbo. IMHO its one of the best looking factory cars ever produced. The wheels really suit the car.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089356078.jpg

Bruce

you have the perfect garage IMO. OK throw in an E55 wagon and you are done.
Awesome looking 965!!!!!!

Bruce:

That is a gorgeous car. The 3.6 may also be my favorite. The car I would really like to have is the the 964 92/93 Turbo S. Looks just like the 3.6, but the car has inlets in front of the rear wheels and the RS lightweight interior. Maybe the best looking Porsche ever to me.

I love how slammed this race car is.

http://www.persson.st/nick/picture/p.../berncheck.jpg

Personally, I think the 964s look better than the 993s... I almost cried when I saw they laid the headlights back for the 993s. Plus, the 993s are not that much faster than a 964... they're a lot heavier though. Put a mass flow sensor and exhaust on a 964 and you're at or over a 993s HP. The 993s suspension kinda takes a lot of the fun of driving away too...
An ugly duckling? No, the 964 is the ultimate 911! Doesn't matter if it's a wide or narrow body, the cars are just beautiful... granted I'm a little biased:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089390715.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads3/Andy_964_6df1089390737.jpg[/img]


btw, is the 100k size limit back for pics?[img]

Andrew

wastintime,

I have never seen a Porsche in Charleston. I am there every month, nice looking car. Ever been to Bayside in Charleston?

Michael

Michael / Wastintime

I am there quite often too. Especially during the summer. We go to Wild Dunes... but in Charleston for dinner....
There is a rennlister in Mt Pleasant that just bought a beautiful 88 Coupe.
maybe we should all get together sometimes and swap notes.

PS
Wastintime do u track your car? Ever been to CMP in Kershaw? In 2 weeks they are having a 2 day DE (17-18 July). Should be a blast!

yeah, unfortunately there aren't nearly as many Porsches around Charleston as there used to be, which sucks if you work in a Porsche shop... there are actually quite a few though. I think there are too many people here who buy 996s and Cayennes just to say they own them, but there are a good number of people with older cars. Yeah, I know bayside, I go to CofC so...

Yes, I track the car, I'm not dong the CMP event just because of the heat, plus it's a little hard on cars. I'm going to Roebling on September 4-5th though, which is kind of nice because I get the event paid for as a birthday present. I'm always up for poking around 911s, if anyone in charleston ever wanted to plan a get together.

Where is Roebling? 4-5 september... I might do that.... I know PCA are doing a DE on Nov 19... But my wife is due the same week... so I am trying to do something before then....

the 94 turbos are completely ridiculous. I would love to have one at some point. definitely one of the best body styles ever.

Any 964 owners here work on their car? I know 89 and older are pretty DIYable but I heard 964s and newer are much more complicated. What's been your experience?

I do all my own work, granted I work in a shop, but 964s aren't that bad. The valve adjust sucks because you really pretty much need a lift to do it easily, and there's exhaust pieces to be taken off. If you have headers of a turnaround pipe for the secondary muffle, it makes chaning the plugs and valve adjust an awful lot easier. So, they're more work than previous 911s, but they're not too bad.

993s on the other hand... I actually posted a thread once asking how many 993 DIYers there were, because I can't imagine anyone being able to take care of them. You NEED a lift just to change the oil! The rockers have to come off, it's ridiculous. While they don't have valves that need adjusting, changing the spark plugs on a 993 takes like 8 hours, and you need a lift.

I work on my C2 myself. ;)

I think these cars get a bad rap. Once you get a handle on them, they aren't that bad.

My biggest issue with the car was a draw that would drain the battery. It got worse and worse, until I finally stopped being lazy and diagnosed the problem. It was the clock!

Other than the battery draw, it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned. The only thing that's difficult on these cars versus the old ones is the electrical system.

If I swapped to a manual top, ditched the electric tail in favor of a ducktail, (which look awesome BTW!) and yanked the airbags, it would make the car much simpler and eliminate some potential warning light madness.

964's are also very easy to lose weight from. Simplify the exhaust, ditch the undertray, ductail in place of the electric tail, forged wheels, lose the airbags, lighter seats. You could easily get these cars well below 3000#.

yep... lightening them really isn't bad... starting off with an RSA helps since you've already got all of the insulation gone. That's where so much weight is in a 964 is all of the damn insulation porsche decided to put into them to make them sound more quiet

speedster
 

mine is pretty light (1100 KG wet ) .
haraldhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1089401240.jpg

I got more compliments on the 964 Targa than I do for my 3.2 Carrera Cabriolet...
http://home.earthlink.net/~jdixon1636/cbd.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~jdixon1636/rightside.jpg

Drove my buddies 964 Cab this weekend in the PCA Parade DE - definitely more grunt than the 3.2 -