Up to 560hp, 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds
and a rapid Nürburgring lap time: Total 911 investigates the latest and
greatest 911 Turbo
If you thought the 997 911 Turbo S was the
ultimate supercar, and that Porsche had set a benchmark it could never surpass,
think again. The new 991 Turbo has been officially revealed and when it arrives
for customers this September, it looks set to awe inspire like never before
nearly 40 years after the first 911 Turbo captured the hearts and imaginations
of so many.
The
new 991 Turbo is faster than ever
With at least double the power of the
original, the new 991 Turbo is faster than ever. Not in terms of top speed
(Porsche has had other plans for the aero devices, as we shall see), but in a
truly dazzling 0-62mph time. In top-spec Turbo S guise, the 991 will hit the
magical figure in just 3.1 seconds. And don’t think the ‘regular’ Turbo is meek
in comparison either, doing the same in 3.2 seconds – which, you may note, is
one tenth better than the outgoing 997 Turbo S.
On the road, this will equate to searing
performance. Indeed, on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Porsche is already
talking about a lap time of well under seven minutes and 30 seconds. In 2008,
it took the 997 seven minutes 38 seconds to clock a lap; do note, though, that
Porsche’s lap time hint means the new 991 Turbo has already beaten Walter
Rohrl’s 2007 time in the 997 GT2. By what margin we’ll have to see. Could the
991 Turbo even beat the Carrera GT’s ’Ring lap time?
What unquestionably returns with the 991
model is the head-turning, in-your-face impact of a 911 Turbo. After the
relatively meek look of the 997 Turbo, Porsche has gone all out here to ensure
the brutish looks make a comeback.
The
new 991 Turbo side
For starters, the rear body panels are
extended outward by a further 28mm than the already-widened 991 Carrera 4, with
the near-flat surface above the arches spanning almost the width of a hand. You
will be in no doubt then that this 991 comes with an über-wide body, and the
two-tone forged 20-inch alloys also ensure that the voluptuous arches are
suitably filled.
Headline technological news is that the new
911 Turbo features active aerodynamics for the first time. Porsche has quickly
taken exotic hypercar technology and introduced it to this relatively more
accessible supercar. The active aerodynamics comprises a three-stage
retractable front spoiler and deployable rear wing with three positions.
Pneumatics extend the front spoiler, and the overall configuration is automatically
adjusted by the car. Porsche illustrates the ‘performance’ mode: this sees the
front spoiler fully extended and the rear wing set to its maximum height with
the greatest angle of attack. This sees down force generated on both axles –
helping to reduce the lap time around the Nürburgring by two whole seconds.
This also means the top speed is 197mph,
2mph faster than the old Turbo S. It perhaps could have been higher still, but
Porsche has clearly preferred to focus on dynamic ability rather than all-out
speed. It’s more reason to respect the engineers after all, which is more
important: a top speed you can never use or a car you can enjoy daily?
The
new 991 Turbo back
The new 991 platform means the Turbo now
has a wheelbase that is 100mm longer than before. Porsche says it weighs just
under 1,600kg, or just 25kg up on the 997. For a car with such a wheelbase
stretch, that’s remarkable: with the extra power and the car’s better ability
to use it, there’s an all-round improvement in performance.
The engine is the same direct-injection
3.8-liter motor as before. It remains the world’s only production turbo petrol
engine to use variable turbine geometry (the sheer amount of heat the system
has to withstand is a technical challenge only Porsche to date has solved). Of
course, there are two turbos, one for each of the boxer’s bank of three
cylinders.
In the 997, it produced 500hp in standard
guise and 530hp in Turbo S guise. This jumps 20hp in standard form for the 991
Turbo, and a full 30hp for the Turbo S. How this has been done isn’t detailed
as yet, nor any other changes it’s made to the potent flat-six, but we expect a
brace of running changes to ensure that this motor continues to evolve.
