The New Porsche 911 Turbo: Back for its crown

Porsche has revealed the Turbo derivative of the 911, coinciding with the Turbo model’s 40th birthday. As you would expect from a car with such pedigree, the 991-era Turbo is another festival of lightning performance and advanced technology.

Now in its sixth iteration, the latest 911 Turbo will see numerous technological advances to ensure it stands proud at the top of the 991-generation tree.Retaining its customary four-wheel-drive layout, the Turbo benefits from a power increase to 513bhp (552bhp in ‘Turbo S’ form) from the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat six, good for a 0-62mph sprint of 3.2 seconds in Turbo guise (with Sport Chrono Plus Package) and 3.1 for the Turbo S. This is achieved while also managing to improve fuel economy by an average of 16 per cent.


The changes applied across all 991 models (aluminium composite chassis, 100mm wheelbase extension) meet those first seen in the 911 GT3 (rear-wheel steering, PDK-only transmission), but the Turbo also brings some of its own cards to the table.Adaptive aerodynamics is now the order of the day in this performance bracket, and Porsche has given the Turbo a front spoiler and deployable rear wing, both with a choice of attack angles. These combine to enable the driver to choose between optimal efficiency (you’ll need this to attempt the claimed 198mph top speed) or dynamic performance – with the latter, Porsche’s engineers shaved two seconds off the car’s Nordschleife lap time.

The Turbo is visually differentiated from more sedate 911s not only by its traditional signifiers such as the wider arches (the 991-gen Turbo is the widest road-going 911 ever) and the vents on the rear haunches, but also its new all-LED headlights – with camera-based beam control – and two-tone forged 20-inch wheels. The latter will have central locking hubs on the Turbo S.

The Turbo S also receives the novel PDCC active anti-roll system, Sport Chrono Package Plus with dynamic engine mounts and PCCB ceramic brakes, all of which are also available as options on the standard Turbo. In the United Kingdom, the 911 Turbo starts at £118,349; the Turbo S costs £140,852.

Related Links Porsche 911 Turbos of all previous generations can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Joe Breeze Classic Driver
Photos: Porsche