By Lee Sibley 2 years ago

Porsche 996 Anniversary road trip gallery

Highlights from the first 9WERKS road trip, where nine Porsche 996s embarked on a special pilgrimage 'home' to the production line at Zuffenhausen

September 2022 marks 25 years since Porsche’s first 996-generation 911 rolled off the production line at Werk II. It heralded a change of direction at Porsche, not just for its completely new 911 design and adoption of water-cooled engines, but also in terms of production methods by switching to the Japanese-created ‘Just in time’ principle.

Of course production methods, the water-cooled flat six, and the 911’s design in general have all evolved since, while the Porsche 996 has gone down as one of the most talked-about generations in the model’s history.

A popular new 911 at launch, the 996 outsold the 993 with in excess of 175,000 units produced over eight years, the 996 also being faster, quicker, lighter, safer and more efficient than its air-cooled predecessor.

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However, the 996 has long divided opinion among Porsche enthusiasts thanks to its ‘fried egg’ headlight design, interior build quality and troublesome IMS bearing. In fact, the 996 has long been the cheapest 911 you can buy on the Porsche marketplace.

While that still remains the case, general opinion on the 996 is changing, with enthusiasts finding favour with the car’s value for money and simple setup, devoid of technological gadgetry such as active suspension, sports mapping and the like. Compared to tech-laden modern machinery, the dainty 996 is a breath of fresh air for the traditionalist.

Meanwhile, events such as the 9WERKS Fried Egg gatherings dedicated to Porsche 996s have provided a platform for like-minded enthusiasts to meet and engage with their passion for the fifth generation 911.

It seemed fitting, then, that 9WERKS would offer enthusiasts the opportunity to take part in a special road trip to celebrate the Porsche 996’s milestone 25th anniversary birthday this year.

That’s why, almost a quarter of a century to the day since that first 996 rolled off the production line, a group of 9WERKS Members descended on Porscheplatz to take their Porsche 996s ‘home’ and revisit their place of assembly.

This unique pilgrimage saw nine Porsche 996s embark on a special journey to Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, via the famous old circuit at Reims, before taking in a spirited drive along the aptly-named D996, France. Crossing the border to Germany and heading for Stuttgart, the 996s also tackled a stretch of Autobahn as well as the beautiful Black Forest.

9WERKS was extremely proud to offer this first ever road trip for members, in which the group started as strangers and finished as friends while paying homage to the sports car central to their Porsche passion. The road trip is documented via a 9WERKS TV video here, but in the meantime, we thought we’d share our picture gallery of the trip with photography supplied by 9WERKS photographer Alisdair Cusick (all rights reserved).

Want to join us on our next 9WERKS road trip? Register (for free) to keep up to date with our latest comms on events and opportunities.