996 C4S - UK Build / Registration Volumes

[Chunk49]

Just for fun - as a daily lurker I've often seen the gorgeous rear-ended 996 C4S hailed as a potential future classic. But, in addition to the appeal of the car itself, build numbers will impact this. Does anyone have any idea of total UK 996 C4S numbers?

Edited by Chunk49 on Monday 11th March 20:27

[cardigankid]

I don't know, but I would guess a lot. Back in the early noughties they were pushing C4S's like nobody's business. But then in 74-75 they couldn't shift V12 E-Type roadsters for love or money. The C4S is a also a very good looking car, imho the prettiest they have ever made, sweet handling and more than enough go for any reasonable person. A slow cooking but surefire classic in my book.

Not that I am biased ye ken.

[Chunk49]

Agreed on the slow cooking - I bet the numbers were such that it will be many years before good ones start to become rare. The enginge issues of 1998 - 2009 aside, it does seem a cracking car. And that rear end...!

[Prof Beard]

I don't know if this is any help/guide?

http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/porsche_911_c...

[Chunk49]

Prof Beard said:

I don't know if this is any help/guide?

http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/porsche_911_c...

Unless I'm mis-reading it, I don't think it's that useful unfortunately.

[Prof Beard]

I read it as saying there are around 2000 or so currently registered?

[Chunk49]

But it that purely 996 C4S?

[Prof Beard]

If you click on the "new registrations" tab on that page, you can see new registrations year by year and therefore the numbers of 996 C4S - they are there overwhelming majority of the total anyway.

[Chunk49]

So, is my reading correc then that there's LOADS of 996 C4Ss and comparatively few 997 C4Ss?

[Prof Beard]

Apparently so ... Or they been recorded as something else? You asked about 996 C4S figures, that seems to indicate around 2000 - not "loads" really...

[Porkupine]

And how many 996 turbo are there In comparison?

[Magic919]

There used to be loads of Ford Cortinas. Have you seen what they fetch now? Or Escorts before the Mk3? Are they classics?

[scoobysnacks2]

OK, some figures for you from a 911 & Porsche World buyers guide: 17298 right hand drive coupes and 5757 cabriolets sold (these must be worldwide figures) . In a different buyers guide I have, it says about 2000 were registered in the UK over its life.

Edited by scoobysnacks2 on Tuesday 12th March 08:08

[Shewie]

scoobysnacks2 said:

OK, some figures for you from a 911 & Porsche World buyers guide: 17298 right hand drive coupes and 5757 cabriolets sold (these must be worldwide figures) . In a different buyers guide I have, it says about 2000 were registered in the UK over its life.

Edited by scoobysnacks2 on Tuesday 12th March 08:08

That seems a bit odd as I'd have thought that the vast majority of RHD cars would have come to the UK. Even if you just looked at coupes thats only 11%

[scoobysnacks2]

Shewie said:

That seems a bit odd as I'd have thought that the vast majority of RHD cars would have come to the UK. Even if you just looked at coupes thats only 11%

I agree that those figures initially don't seem to add up given the perceived number of other coutries who drive on the left. However, there are about 65 of them and the list does include Australia, Brunei (small but rich!), Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.

Edited by scoobysnacks2 on Tuesday 12th March 14:20

[cardigankid]

Chunk49 said:

So, is my reading correct then that there's LOADS of 996 C4Ss and comparatively few 997 C4Ss?

That makes sense. You can see from the New Registrations graph exactly what happened. In 01/02 they produced a winner in the form of the 996 C4S and sales naturally took off, peaking in '04. When the 997 was launched that siphoned sales from the now 'old model' C4S, and they never recovered, because, bluntly, the 997 C4S is nowhere near as distinctive or pretty as the 996 C4S with the predictable result that most buyers just bought C2S's. As I would have given the chance.

Still the overall numbers are, globally, and in a widening market, not that high. Classic cars are made by the X-Factor - think of the E-Type (circa 75,000 made worldwide). The 996 C4S has it.