Andrew, a transportation design student at Pasadena Art And Design Center, is the proud owner of this 2000 Porsche 996 Carrera C2, which naturally, he has modified like crazy to rock the track. After trading it flat-out for his old S2000, he began adding and deleting components that would form a cleaner, much more capable track-ready Porsche out of the car's original build.
Andrew ditched the old GT aero kit and the splitter in favor of a more period correct aero in the rear. While the brakes are stock to the model, the suspension was swapped out for the coil-overs and control arms from a GT. Andrew says that he hasn't modified the powertrain at all, which means the engine is stock, but it's still an absolutely beastly 3.4-liter V6 which gets over 300 horsepower. Combine with the rollcage retrofit and Andrew's 996 is one capable Carrera.
That's why Matt Farah and the gang over at Smoking Tire took Andrew and his ride out to the California foothills to put this unique 996 through the tight switchbacks and steep corner carves the countryside roads throw at you up there. Matt found that the car, while expressly built for track dominance has enough of that classic Porsche handling and torque and enough of its own personal mojo to create a one-of-a-kind driving experience that is somehow still familiar to those who've been fortunate enough to freewheel a Porsche.