The 1966-1969 Porsche 912 Targa

Overview

The 996 represented the pivotal transition to water-cooled technology, introduced in 1997 as the first 911 to abandon air-cooled engineering. The 996 employed a 3.4-liter water-cooled horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower in standard Carrera specification, with turbocharged variants producing 420+ horsepower. The transition to water cooling enabled significant increases in power density, thermal efficiency, and emissions compliance compared to air-cooled predecessors.