Fastest Porsche Yet


Porsche has released pictures of its fastest 911 yet, ahead of the supercar’s debut at next month’s Geneva motor show. The Porsche 911 Turbo S clips a tenth of a second off the claimed 0-100km/h time for the 911 Turbo, completing the sprint in a V8 Supercar beating 3.3 seconds.

The S, which will be available locally in coupe and cabriolet form from August, gets a tweaked version of the Turbo’s 3.8-litre flat six. Power is up from 368kW to 390kW, while torque jumps from 650Nm to 700Nm. Despite the extra performance, fuel consumption stays the same at 11.4 litres per 100km.

The Turbo S comes standard with Porsche’s new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with power driven through all four wheels. Other standard go-fast goodies include dynamic engine mounts, launch control and Porsche’s torque vectoring mechanical rear differential. The trick differential divides torque between the rear wheels to provide better cornering stability and improved drive out of corners.

Top speed has risen 2km/h to 315km/h while Porsche claims the Turbo S will reach 200km/h in 10.8 seconds, half a second quicker than the standard 911 Turbo. The new Porsche will stop as quickly as it goes, with standard ceramic composite brakes that offer superior stopping power and fade resistance to the standard brakes.

But the extra performance comes at a considerable cost: the Turbo S coupe costs $423,300, more than $60,000 more than the standard Turbo, while the cabriolet will set buyers back $442,800. The standard Turbo 911 coupe and cabriolet have just gone on sale in Australia, priced from $360,100 and $386,200 respectively.

The cars will be shipped to Australia only as they are ordered by customers. Last time there was an S model in the 911 range, Porsche sold roughly 20 cars a year. Porsche spokesman Paul Ellis says the S is the last of the regular production models in the new 911 line-up and the car will appeal to buyers who want the latest and greatest Porsche.

“The people that buy these cars want to have the fastest and the best. They are usually existing Turbo customers who want to trade up,” he says.