The Ultimate Cheap Fix For The Fried-Egg 996 Porsche 911?

An easy and cheap fix can give your 996 the best look

The 996 911’s headlights are the biggest reason it’s overlooked and undervalued, and the presenter of this video argues that it is the worst 911 ever made. He might sound a little too aggressive toward a sports car with a heritage of over 60 years. However, he’s not completely wrong. Apart from the engine issues, the 996 doesn’t look polished, especially with the "fried eggs" headlights. It’s not that the headlights aren’t fixable.

YouTuber Ed Gasket explores three possible ways to improve the look of the stock headlights. The first is a pretty useless tinted sticker that you can use to cover the entire housing. For a sub-$50 option, it’s decent, but it still doesn’t look dramatic. Next is a complete front-end conversion kit from Wicked Motor Works, which looks more complete and will transform your 996 into a 991 from 2014. But all good things come at a price - it will cost you a whopping $10,000. Let’s say you get a cheap 996 for around $20,000, would you prefer to install a body kit that’s half the price of the car itself? Let us know in the comments below.

The final option is rather impressive and cheaper than the front-end conversion kit, but you need to work on it a little bit. It’s a headlight conversion cover for the 996 designed by Variel Automotive. Priced at $395, these covers are made out of the same plastic that’s used in car bumpers and come in black, which you can color match to your 996. First, the presenter cleans the covers with a water-based fluid and then applies primer to prepare a soft base. Then, the Arctic Silver paint is applied, and finally, a few clear coats make the covers match the car’s original OEM finish.

While painting the covers is one of the major tasks, applying them to the headlight housing is another. In order to preserve the car’s originality, it comes time to sell, so the presenter decides to apply the cover in a semi-permanent way. He does this by adding a tinted wrap around the borders of the headlight module and then silicon adhesive over them so that it doesn’t make contact with the actual headlight lenses themselves. Finally, when the borders are properly glued up, you can then, very carefully, add the aftermarket headlight covers, and voila! Duck tape should be added over the headlight to ensure the adhesive has enough time to cure.

The final results are amazing. This example of the 996 looks far better and more elegant than the stock car with the original "fried egg" design. Now while looks are subjective, and depending on who you are, this simple mod can help to almost instantly improve the desirability of the 996, especially if you’re the sort of person who is not too concerned about originality. Applying the cover in a semi-permanent way, like shown in the video above gives you the flexibility of getting back the stock look as well.

The 996 is not all bad, though

Despite the negativity surrounding the Porsche 996, its performance capabilities are undeniable. The base 996 Carrera’s 3.4-liter water-cooled naturally aspirated flat-six engine was rated at 296 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This allowed it to sprint from naught to 62 mph in around 5.2 seconds, as per Porsche’s estimates, with a top speed of 174 mph. Later models, like the 996.2, received a bump in power to 315 horsepower and 273 pound-feet thanks to a bigger 3.6-liter engine.

The 996’s handling prowess was equally impressive. Porsche engineers equipped the car with a redesigned chassis that was stiffer and lighter than its predecessor, the 993. This, combined with a revised suspension setup featuring MacPherson struts up front and multi-link rear, resulted in sharper turn-in, improved agility, and enhanced overall handling dynamics. The addition of Porsche Stability Management (PSM) further aided in keeping the car planted during spirited driving.

Despite these criticisms, the 996 holds its own as a capable sports car with impressive performance and handling. The water-cooled flat-six engine, while controversial at the time for straying from tradition, marked a necessary step for Porsche and paved the way for making the flat-six future-proof. Average prices on classic.com currently hover around $46,561., but you can find them for much cheaper. For those who can’t get past the headlight design, you can also get it fixed without much hassle like it’s shown in the video.