2012 Porsche 911

Beyond the lift-throttle oversteer, beyond the repair bills, and beyond the accusations of sexual inadequacy, most Porschephiles’ longest-standing fear is that Zuffenhausen is going to screw up the 911. This is especially true when they know there are big changes coming. Well, this new 911, code-named 991 and set to debut in September, is larger and built to accommodate a hybrid powertrain. How’s that for terrifying? Kinda makes watercooled engines seem like small­-er cup holders, no? But if our first experi­ence with the preproduction car is any indication, there’s nothing to fear.

We have flown to South Africa to join August Achleitner, the man known as “Mr. 911,” responsible for all 911-series cars, and 991 project leader Bernd Kahnan for the car’s final chassis-tune shakedown. First question to Achleitner: “How will you keep the soul of the 911 intact?” He smiles and urges calm. “We sharpened the 911 by making it faster, more responsive, safer, and more environmentally friendly. But we didn’t mess it up!”







Crank the key with your left hand, and the engine wakes up with a low-frequency belch and a high-frequency whine. Sort of like a mother-in-law. The Carrera S is powered by  the 3.8-liter flat-six with direct injection. It makes 400 horsepower at 7200 rpm, and the rev limiter doesn’t kick in until 7600 rpm. The power is chopped up by either a seven-speed manual gearbox (yes, that’s seven speeds) or the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic, both made by ZF.

The base 911 loses the 3.6-liter; it now shares the 3.4-liter, direct-injected flat-six with the Boxster S. In the 911, it makes 350 horsepower at 6400 rpm and max torque of 280 pound-feet between 4400 and 6000 rpm. Like the Carrera S, it also offers the choice of ZF’s manual or dual-clutch automatic seven-speed.

Porsche gave us a provisional 0-to-60 time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. Launch control, a feature that will no longer be exclusive to PDK-equipped versions of the 911, should shave considerable time from that conservative sprint figure (we launched the previous Carrera S manual to 60 in 3.9 seconds).

Why are we so sure this bigger car will be quicker? Because it’s lighter. Its curb weight is some 55 pounds lower than the 997’s due to more extensive use of high-strength steel. And the hybrid version, with its aluminum chassis components and roughly 80-percent high-strength steel, will shave off an additional 22 pounds.

A revised back end reveals adaptive louvers to aid engine cooling. The 911’s rear spoiler deploys from below the vents. Its cutlines are just visible.

As with the classic, raunchy engine note, steering sensitivity is one of the things that makes a 911 a 911. The development crew was intent on preserving its feel with the new electric-assisted system. “And yet,” Achleitner tells us, “it does not transmit as much impact from bad surfaces as before.” As we watch his hands work the wheel, we witness no corrections, not even slight ones, at high speed on rough surfaces—a fairly large change from the more nervous 997.

Achleitner also demonstrates the car’s reduced tendency  to understeer at tight ­corner entries. The car reacts more neutrally and does not jiggle over expansion joints anymore due to the fitting of softer anti-roll bars and a 2.1-inch-wider track (60.6 inches) up front. Additionally, the new torque-vectoring differential helps to stabilize the car’s back end during load changes in ­corners. The limited slip provides up to 28-percent lock under throttle and opens completely when you lift.



But what about the Nürburgring times, Achleitner? No Porsche story is complete without those! The regular 991 does it in 8 minutes 4 seconds, the 991 S in 7:50. “With the best setup, we did 7:37,” he says. For some reason, he doesn’t want to tell us what his best setup looks like. Maybe it’s with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes. Or maybe it’s all the little things adding up, as always.