New-for-993 aluminum multi-link (LSA) rear axle — the change that tamed the old 911 lift-off oversteer.
Vented cast-iron discs.
The 911 Carrera (993) is the rear-wheel-drive base 911 of the fourth generation, built from 1994 to 1998 and the last 911 with an air-cooled engine. It uses the air-cooled M64 3.6-liter flat-six driving through a standard six-speed manual — a 911 first — or an optional four-speed Tiptronic S automatic. Roughly 80% of the car was new versus the 964, including an all-new aluminum multi-link rear axle that finally settled the 911's lift-off-oversteer reputation.
There is one running change to know: 1994–95 cars make about 268 hp (272 PS), and from MY1996 the VarioRam variable-length intake system broadens the mid-range and lifts output to about 282 hp (285 PS) (and adds a characteristic intake honk near the top of the rev range). The 1996 update is the one most buyers chase, and it arrived alongside the new Targa and the wide-body S/4S.
1994–95 cars have the earlier engine; MY1996-and-later cars gained VarioRam for a broader mid-range, and that later car is the one most buyers want. The 1996 update also brought the new sliding-glass Targa and the wide-body S and 4S, so later cars give you more choice as well as the stronger engine.
It is the last air-cooled 911 and widely seen as the high-water mark of that line: Tony Hatter's styling softened the upright shape, the new multi-link rear axle tamed the old lift-off oversteer, and it was the first 911 sold with a standard six-speed manual. It is also regarded as more robust than the 964 it replaced.
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