Opinion: Why I hate the 911 Aerokit
Head over to AutoTrader and search for 996 Carreras (of both generations) and you will undoubtedly find a large proportion of them fitted with the factory option GT3 aerokit for reasons I truly cannot understand.
Yes, the 996 GT3 looked awesome, but why would you want your Carrera wrapped up in wolf’s clothing when the mechanicals underneath are still very much sheep-like? I know the base 996s (especially in Gen1 spec) were no lookers but why dress it up to be something it’s not?
I know that some people like front lip spoilers, deeper sill skirts, and large rear wings (I am amongst them, at times) but it has to be on the right car. A GT3, with its motorsport pedigree, warrants it. A 911 Carrera doesn’t.
The 911’s silhouette is iconic. Even people with no real interest in cars can recognise that classic Zuffenhausen outline, so why go an add various appendages, especially when you don’t have the performance to back it up. It smacks of prentiousness.
To outsiders, buying a Porsche 911 can seem quite ostentatious. However, we know that this isn’t true. Buying a 911 is about passion, history, and an appreciation of mechanical excellence.
Conversely, bolting the factory Aerokit Cup onto a 911 suggests that the purchase is one led by posing, rather than performance. I know that resale values often reflect this, with Aerokit and GT3 replica cars often offered at knockdown prices, which means it makes even less sense to me.
The 997 Carrera when fitted with the GT3’s fixed rear wing looks frankly ridiculous. It doesn’t have the presence to carry it off and therefore doesn’t look as aesthetically cohesive as its official tag suggests.
The latest Aerokit Cup package for the Type-991 cars is less pretentious to my mind. It has fewer cues from the latest 991 GT3, suggesting that it is designed to improve the Carrera, rather than make it masquerade as something it is not.
Still, the Aerokit just doesn’t float my boat. Even the performance gains from the additional downforce won’t be noticeable on the road. I wouldn’t go near one if buying my own 911. I’m sure many of you won’t agree, so feel free to share your thoughts with me below.
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