3.8-litre, flat-six cylinder, twin turbocharged, seven-speed dual clutch transmission.There’s no doubting the 911’s ability to thrill, scare and reward in equal measure and the new generation Turbo S moves the game on once again.
In the UK, Porsche’s official acceleration figures have already been demolished on independent tests and it’s safe to say that the next generation Turbo models will push the performance envelope beyond what any of us thought possible.
There’s no manual gearbox available with the S because Porsche says nine out of 10 Turbo are specked with its seven-speed dual clutch PDK tranny. Reaching the motorway, I prepare myself for a first taste of Turbo S thrust. The Turbo, though, is quite possibly the world’s greatest GT car and is entirely different from the rest of the 911 range. It’s perfect for long journeys as it’s comfortable, quiet, immensely capable and safe. You see, the S – apart from being more powerful than the Turbo – has basically every conceivable Turbo extra thrown at it as standard. Extras fitted to this test car are the GT Silver paint, grey seat belts (!) an Aero Kit with its GT3-esque rear spoiler, and, laughably, given how expensive the car is, the rear wiper. Any car that can reach the speeds a Turbo S is capable of needs some serious stopping power and here, all-round carbon ceramic brakes (PCCB) are fitted as standard. Reaching my destination, it’s time to bed down for the night before an early morning return. Granted, a GT3 will give a more pure, traditional 911 experience, but if you want the very best GT car in the world today, look no further. You’ll need his services before long, you have been warned.
Porsche’s racetrack-bred 911 models have a racing pedigree. The forced-induction completely changed the personality of the vehicle, but Porsche simply called it the “911 Turbo.” The Porsche 911 Turbo S distinctively wide front and rear wheel arches, a deep front splitter, and an oversized rear “whale tail” spoiler. While Porsche’s 911 lineup is comprised of more than a dozen different models, sitting at the top of the 911 model range is the new 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S (the “S” nomenclature is reserved for the highest-performing models in Porsche’s lineup).
Stupid fast, like bordering on Bugatti Veyron fast. Combined with direct injection, variable valve timing and intake lift, the Turbo S makes 530 bhp—30 more than the standard Turbo. And remember the optional over boost feature of the regular Turbo? Available only with the new 7-speed twin-clutch PDK transmission, the Turbo S is geared well to use its newfound power. Standard are conventional steering-wheel-mounted paddles that one never gets tired of clicking, though everyone missed Porsche’s 6-speed manual.
It goes into the carbon-ceramic brakes, center-lock wheels, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive and active engine mounts. Not just without a pause in power delivery, but with a slight power surge, like the car’s urging you to stop restraining it. Cool air helps the engine make power, flinging the Turbo S between corners with incredible velocity. Midcorner adjustments, needed to keep the car on the proper driving line, reveal the only weakness—torque isn’t instantaneous. An adjustment to driving style that favors a late apex helped alleviate this. Of all the cars, the Turbo S had the highest speed, 134 mph, down the front straight by a good 7-mph margin. It lost time only to the Corvette in corners, mostly due to the Chevrolet’s significantly lower weight.
