991 Turbo announced with PDK only, active aero, four-wheel steering and 560hp for £140K S version
The new Porsche 911 Turbo is here! Yup, the 991 generation 911 Turbo is now out in the open, hot on the heels of the new GT3 with which it shares four-wheel steering and a sub 7min 30sec 'ring lap.
560hp, active anti-roll and four-wheel steeringWhat, you thought it was sheer coincidence we started the week with a drive in the refreshed Nissan GT-R and spent the rest of it banging on about 911 Turbos of old?
With 520hp as standard and 560hp in S trim the new 991 Turbo is the most powerful non-GT2 Turbo yet but you'll be paying for the privilege with the "˜base' model starting at £118,349 and the S £140,852. Orders are open now and first UK deliveries start in September.
28mm wider than even the engorged Carrera 4, this new Turbo has a bona fide widebody stance to set it apart from the rest of the 911 range and gaping side intakes that threaten to suck in small children and animals if you're not careful. And along with the four-wheel steering, fully active aerodynamics continues the tradition of class leading technology and engineering geekery, including a PDK only transmission. Expect considerably less teeth gnashing about this among Turbo buyers than their GT3 equivalents"¦ 0-62mph comes up in 3.2 seconds (albeit only with the Sports Chrono Package Plus) while the S does it in 3.1, both topping out at 197mph. And incrementally "" just "" faster than the 530hp outgoing 997 Turbo S.
PDK only less of an issue for Turbo buyersSpied testing together with the GT3 last year, Porsche has yet to commit itself to a 'ring lap time for either, saying both will be sub-7min30sec but not publishing any times yet. Clearly if honour is to be maintained against the Nissan GT-R's 7:19.1 you'd expect Porsche to be focusing its attention on making sure the Turbo gets the quicker time, the new aero package itself worth two seconds off the lap in its fully extended "˜performance' position with the front and rear wings in the most extreme of their three stage deployment. If you're more into vmax (or mpg) you can opt for a more slippery low-drag setting.
Porsche would never admit as much but that GT-R comparison is an interesting one, the addition of four-wheel steering and renewed focus on high-tech gizmos a tacit admission of the need to fight fire with fire. While glossing over the fact the full beans S required to really challenge the GT-R's 'ring dominance still costs nearly twice as much as the Nissan.
Widebody stance will please Turbo fansLike the GT3, the Turbo's four-wheel steer system turns the wheels in opposite directions at speeds below 30mph and in parallel to the front ones above 50mph, giving a "˜virtual' wheelbase extension of 500mm for high-speed stability. This is combined with an updated PTM four-wheel drive system with additional water cooling and ability to send "˜even more' drive torque to the front wheels, and an actual 100mm longer wheelbase over
the 997. PDCC active anti-roll control (for the first time on a Turbo), PCCB brakes and dynamic engine mounts are all additional options and standard on the S.
And, as discussed, essential if you're to keep pace with that pesky Nissan. What was that we were saying the other day about two-tier technology?
With both the GT3 and Turbo launching in the same year Porsche is clearly going large on this 50th anniversary year for the 911, the Turbo itself 40 years old next year. So which is it to be; screaming 9K normally aspirated GT3 or ballistic Turbo? Time to call it"¦
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