Introduced in 1994, the 993 generation 911 was a shift in styling compared to its predecessors.  The body featured prominent flares over the rear wheels, which had previously only been on the Turbo model.  The headlights were laid back considerably compared to all the previous generations.  For the 1996 model year, Porsche offered VarioRam, an induction system designed to improve low & mid-range torque at different rpms.  Only on the market for 5 years, the 993 was also the last to feature air-cooled engines, a staple of Porsche’s rear-engine sports cars going back to the company’s first 356/1 and its cousin, the Volkswagen Beetle.

Various companies have produced the 993 over the years, beginning with Bburago and Maisto making the Carrera Coupe and Cabrio.  UT Models produced almost every variant of the 993 except the base Carrera.  AutoArt also made an excellent Carrera Coupe fairly recently.  Norev released their version in 2 colours in Coupe and Cabrio body styles and have recently added yellow and limited edition red metallic.  Unfortunately, this model is sealed diecast, like several of their recent releases.

I’ve had Bburago’s yellow Carrera for more than 25 years & always thought it was decent for an older budget model.  Though I was very tempted, I hadn’t bought the AutoArt because the colour selections didn’t fit what I was looking for (I have the 993-991 Carreras in yellow).  I was excited when I saw that Norev was releasing the Coupe in yellow.  The pictures I saw online were a little underwhelming, but I do feel it looks a bit better in person.  I was still going back & forth on buying it but ended up finding a relatively inexpensive one on eBay & received it as a Father’s Day gift.

The exterior is pretty much all we can talk about since it is sealed.  Because it’s sealed, the shut lines don’t stand out, making it look a bit toy-like.  I feel like the greenhouse is too upright, combined with the body being a bit short in length.  The stance is too high, made worse by tires that are too large, both in profile & width (a common Norev issue on a lot of their older models).  The wheels themselves look good with nicely done Porsche crests on the center caps.

The front & rear lights are nicely done with the Porsche name visible through the rear light bar.

The interior is almost all white/grey, except for the dashboard & steering wheel.  I understand that they’re not going to spend money on an interior we can hardly see, but I’ve seen better on other sealed models, even from Norev themselves.

Overall, I find it difficult to recommend Norev’s 993.  It looks good on display with my other yellow Carreras, but it doesn’t stand out as a great model.  I have quite a few old UT 993s & don’t feel like this Norev is better than any of them, 20-plus years later.  My main issue is I received their 992 GT3 Touring a few months before this 993 & their 964 Carrera shortly after.  Both of those are incredible models, so I know what Norev can do.  I also have some of their sealed models (1969 Corvette, 289 Cobra, Porsche 935), which are substantially better than this 993.