2005 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera RAD “Old & New” Ixo - MOC320 (diecast)
Published 09/29/23
Porsche released the 991’s 997 generation in 2004, replacing the previous 996. As always with the 911, it was an evolution of the car, and not a revolution. Though released only in 2004, the work on the project began at the end of 1998. Porsche revised the exterior styling, with the rear bodywork becoming 88 mm wider. However, the greatest styling difference was the headlights. Gone were the “fried egg” headlights, replaced with round units. The interior for the 997 was also new, now looking more like a classic 911. Porsche also revised the 911’s power train, yet the differences were also minute. In the case of the 997 Carrera, however, it basically inherited the same engine from the 996. Which was a 3596 cm³ boxer-6 that delivered 242 kW (325 hp) with 370 Nm of torque. The gearbox could be either a 6-speed manual or 5-speed Tiptronic S automatic.
And that’s the car Matt Clifford bought in 2018. A black and plain automatic 2005 997 Carrera. A media producer, at the time Matt worked for Reflex Auto Design, a car body shop in Daventry, England. Matt, being responsible for the shop’s digital marketing and social media management, had an idea. Why not transform his Carrera into a publicity campaign for the shop? Consequently, he contacted digital artist Khyzyl Saleem, a specialist in digital renders of cars, to create a render. The idea was to use a current 911 and give it a few 935 details. And to complete it with a retro livery – “Old & New”. With the render from Saleem ready, Matt himself took the car apart and cut it up. Apart from adding an EMP performance exhaust, he kept the engine stock. He did add, though, an Air Lift Performance’s 3P system to control ride height.
Such a project demanded special wheels, so he used 19×10” (front) and 19×13” (rear) Rotiform LVS wheels, with Yokohoma tires. However, probably the best part of the Old & New is the Rothmans livery. Matt painted the car – no vinyl wrap, it was all paint except for the decals. He started the project in early March of 2018, and by the end of the month Old & New was ready. Ready and absolutely gorgeous. The plain and pedestrian 2005 black Carrera became a head-turner. Here you can see a short video that Matt Clifford’s media company produced about the car.
When I first saw Old & New, I thought it was a RWB car, so I looked it up. To my surprise, it was not an Akira Nakai job but from a not-very-famous British shop. Nonetheless, I found it stunning, even more so when I discovered the livery was actually paint, and not a wrap. Though I adore RWB’s Waikato, the “Rothmans” livery there is a vinyl wrap. Looks just as good, I know, but a paint job is MUCH harder to do right. And in scale Ixo almost did a heckuva job on the model. I say almost because of the rear. As you can see the exhaust pipes on the rear of the 1:1, they’re four, not two. Besides, the rear should be exposed. Ixo fumbled the ball here. And those California license plates🤔? I couldn’t find any mention or photo of it going over to California…
In general, the model looks great, yet the wrong rear end stands out. Being truthful, I only noticed this after I bought the model, and contemplated returning it on arrival. In spite of that, I decided to keep it, mainly because of the oh-so-nice Rothmans livery. And because it was quite cheap. So, is it worth it? IF you are a sucker (🙄) for the Rothmans livery AND you can find it for cheap, than maybe. I’m not very forgiving about big inaccuracies in a model, however here I’ll turn a blind eye. Just because the model really looks good and it was cheap. Therefor, I’ll give Ixo a pass here. This time.