In a world where supercars and hypercars exist like regular daily cars, the classics have to keep up – that might have been Porsche’s mindset with the new 911 Turbo S.
The flagship 992 generation of the iconic model gets a really exciting revamp, and that’s not because revolutionary design changes. The 911 has kept its base design for years, and you can’t expect Porsche to just change that even on its top-dog trim.
The main clincher, however, is this: the new 911 Turbo S is the quickest and most powerful 911 Turbo to roll off Stuttgart.
The new 911 Turbo S was presented in an event presented by by ex-F1 driver and Porsche brand ambassador, Mark Webber. Available in both coupe and cabriolet body types, it’s still powered by the same 3.8-liter flat-six engine with two VTG turbos.
What’s new, then? The whole setup has been uprated by a slightly short stroke and decreased compression ratio from 9.8:1 to 8.7:1. The result? Additional 60 horsepower and 50 Newton-meters of torque, or specifically from 580 hp to 640 hp and from 750 Nm to 800 Nm. These are by far the biggest power increase in a 911 Turbo, and there’s a good reason for that.
According to an interview with 911 chief engineer, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, published by Road & Track Magazine, the incredible power bump was employed for future owners to feel the difference of the new 911 Turbo versus its predecessor. The 60 hp increase isn’t the one he’s referring to, but the extra 50 Nm of twists. According to Dr. Walliser, the difference will be greatly felt when the turbos reach boost pressure wherein the car will feel more raw than before.
It isn’t a bold claim, at least on paper. With the new power figures, the new 911 Turbo S can sprint from standstill to 97 kilometers per hour in just 2.6 seconds for the coupe version (2.7 seconds for the convertible). This is 0.2 seconds faster than before. The top speed for both body types is 330 km/h, primarily because of the 8-speed PDK with a tweaked final-drive ratio.
The new 911 Turbo S gets other performance tweaks as well. The overall width and track width are both increased to improve driving dynamics, and for the first time ever, it gets varying wheel diameters: 20-inch wheels with 255/35 tires at the front and 21-inch wheels with 315/30 tires at the rear. Aerodynamics has also been improved with the adaptive cooling air flaps at the front, while the bigger rear wing should give substantial and better downforce than its predecessor.
The performance updates don’t stop there. The 992-generation 911 Turbo S also gets a new Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sport suspension and sport exhaust system with adjustable flaps. This adds to the carry-over Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, rear-axle steering, and ceramic composite brakes. The latter’s front calipers get 10 pistons and 10mm bigger brake rotors.
The new Porsche 911 Turbo S will hit U.S. dealers will hit later this year. Who knows when the Philippines will get it, but we trust that PGA Cars will do so sooner or later. As for the price, the coupe version will sell for $203,500 stateside, which converts to around P10-million at the current exchange rates.
