The "New 1999 four-wheel drive Porsche 911" was described in this weekends Wheels section of the Toronto Star. Here is an excerpt describing the "new" viscous coupling system:

"To send variable amounts of torque to the front wheels, the 911 C4 uses a relatively simple viscous coupling, consisting of a housing filled with a special silicone fluid containing two series of circular plates.
    In normal driving, the rear wheels push the car, which in turn pushes the front wheels, and there is almost no relative motion between the two sets of plates; the fluid stays thin enough that only about 5 per cent of the engine's torque is transmitted to the fronts.
    Should the rear wheels start to spin, the fluid thickens, and as much as 40 per cent of the torque goes forward.
   Herold (Thomas Herold, project leader on the new car ed.) says the viscous coupling is effective and it's both lighter and more compact than competitive mechanisms. He didn't mention cheaper, but it is that, too.
    The viscous coupling is part of the front axle, rather than the rear. This concentrates the 55 kg weight gain over the rear-drive 911 onto the front wheels, where it can do the most good."

Now where have I heard this before? I guess the Vanagon Syncro was just too good a design to resist. But will next year's 9-1-1 have a granny gear?

Larry, Avery and Fritz our Syncro Westfalia