Throughout its entire history of almost six decades, the Porsche 911’s shape hasn’t changed much. And we can say the same about its round headlights, with one notable exception: the 996. The fried egg nickname earned by these light clusters wasn’t exactly given in good faith, with the different shape, which was also shared with the original Boxster, split opinions among Porschephiles. However, the 996 ushered in many changes, from the first water-cooled engine to the first GT3. And now digital artist Khyzyl Saleem (aka The Kyza) has given the 996 GT3 a 992 conversion!
Now, given the said consistency of the 911’s form, conversion kits allowing one generation to pose as another aren’t that rare (and here we are, discussing unorthodox matters once again). And “bridging the gap” between the 996 and the 997 that followed it makes for the most common switch of the sort.
However, the Kyza rendering (here it is on his Instagram) targets the revered GT3, which, as you can expect, is a highly collectible item. For the record, the early 996.1 models trade hands for around $70,000 these days. As for the facelifted 996.2, the first GT3 to be officially sold in the U.S., a good-condition example will set you back around $115,000 nowadays. Output and braking upgrades aside, the mid-cycle revamp slightly distanced itself from the Boxer-shared headlights by replacing the amber indicator lens with a clear one and using an amber bulb instead.
The artist, whose kits are also built in the real world, obviously paid close attention to details. So his headlights steer clear of the more oblong shape the round light clusters of the 997. And while they mimic the neo-classic units of the current 992, they’re smaller, so they can fit the original shape of the 996 hardware—the fried egg silhouette was preserved, though.
As for the LEDs sitting where the original car’s indicators used to be, this fully separate layout reminds us of the design studies Porsche presented when preparing the original Boxster that introduced the fried egg setup back in 1996.
The fried egg lights were part of a plan that saved Porsche
For the record, the mid-engined machine is credited with financially saving Porsche before the Cayenne SUV came around in 2002—all those efforts paid out, as Porsche became the industry’s most profitable company on a per-unit basis by 2007.
The Germans, who were struggling in the early 90s, turned to Toyota for making its production process more efficient. And while the result meant sharing many tech aspects between the 911 and the modern-day 550 Spyder midship creation that was the original Boxster, the common headlights were a marketing choice aimed at giving the latter more credibility.
Of course, there are also enthusiasts who adore the originality of the fried egg design, yours truly included.
Enough about the eyes, what about the rest of this… 998?
The digital master doesn’t call it a 998 and while you could say this is the logical mix (99… 6+2), I’ll steer clear of the name too. That’s because the said designation was used as a tentative name for the 2011-released 997 replacement, which Porsche decided to label as the 991.
Regardless, this rendered conversion sees the front bumper maintaining the late 90s design. However, the apron is separated into two pieces on a horizontal axis. This brings it closer to the 992 GT3 apron look, itself a tribute to air-cooled specials of old.
At the back, the 996 and 992 lights have merged, with the result answering all sorts of questions (e.g.: how would the 992 look without its thin light bar approach?).
Why the twin-turbos?
Now, the “dodgy cut bumper” to use the artist’s words, reveals the twin-turbo setup hanging at the back. And while messing with the N/A status of the OG GT3 3.6L flat-six in the name of going past the factory output(s) of 360/380 hp might be sacriledgeous, there may be a method to the madness.
For one, the water-cooled boxer of the 996 (and 997) GT3, which borrowed the last name of the late Hans Metzger, the engineer who designed it, was linked to the first-ever water-cooled engine Porsche had ever built. And that would be the twin-turbo 3.0L flat-6 of the 962 prototype racer that won Le Mans twice in the late 1980s.
The massive wing of the 992 GT3, which rivals that of previous GT3 RS models, is also present. And I’m sure the lowered suspension had been adjusted to work with all the downforce. So, while the real-world 992 GT3 sacrifices a bit of the model’s drivability for an old-school harcore feeling (think: ride and handling), this pixel-customized 996 takes things to the next level. And why is it dressed in white? Because purity, of course!
On a more serious note, the most extreme seat option available on the current car has made its way into the original, while a full cage, exceeding the factory options, is also present inside the virtual model.
If, however, you feel that this 992 GT3 conversion for the 996 is in any way not enough, Kyza, who is eccentric enough to have mixed such a 992 Neunelfer with a classic Beetle, has you covered, telling us that a full transformation is currently in progress.
