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Two decades after the different 911 GT1 cars the mid-engined 911 is back! In order to install a proper diffuser under the rear end of the 991, the engine had to make room for it and the engine/transmission unit was rotated 180 degrees. The extended rear diffuser, a top-suspended rear wing and the new side mirrors help to increase downforce with reduced drag. The FIA rules meant no turbo was needed due to power limits, so the normally aspirated 4-litre flat-6 was taken from the 991 GT3 R.
This car was officially called as the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport, but the name is rather misleading. The car was not built for the GT2 racing class which is long extinct and club sport has stood for Porsche club track days while this non-streel-legal car is a real racing car. Finally, the car was based on the 991 GT2 RS, which already had the Clubsport version. So, in order to understand what is what, we call it "991 GT2 RS Clubsport racing version". The 991 GT2 RS engine with 515 kW was powerful enough, so it was not tuned.
At the heart of the 991.2 911 Turbo is a twin-turbocharged flat-six with 540 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque. That’s a meaningful 20 more horses than the 991.1 Turbo. Improvements that come from increases in boost and fuel-injection pressures. Rounding the skidpad, the Turbo posts 1.02 g’s relatively easily. The wide P Zeros in back and the standard four-wheel steering conspire to hide the fact that 62 percent of the Turbo’s 3656 pounds sits over the rear wheels. With sport-plus selected, the 991.2 Turbo hits a 1.0-second run to 30 mph and a 2.6-second zero-to-60 time.
The Cabriolet version of the 991.2 Turbo got the same updates as its coupe sibling. The engine in the 991.2 911 Turbo Cabriolet is a twin-turbocharged flat-six with 540 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, up a decent 20 more horses versus the 991.1 Turbo Cab. Improvements that come from increases in boost and fuel-injection pressures. Rounding the skidpad, the Turbo posts 1.02 g’s relatively easily. The wide P Zeros in back and the standard four-wheel steering conspire to hide the fact that 62 percent of the Turbo’s 3656 pounds sits over the rear wheels. 0 - 60 mph is over in just 3 seconds.
Revealed at the 1972 Paris Auto Show, the Carrera 2.7 RS was a special model used to homologate the 911 in Group 4 racing. Developed from the 911S, the 2.7 was more potent in almost every area. Compared to the standard Carrera, the 2.7 RS featured a larger engine, wider flares to accommodate the Fuchs alloy wheels, stiffened suspension, larger brakes and a ducktail rear spoiler. The Touring outsold the Lightweight, with a total of 1380 units built (the Lightweight had only 200 units).
Of all the 1580 Carrera RS 2.7s, only 200 were made were ordered with this lightweight ‘Sports’ trim which made the car more responsive and purposeful. In many ways these few cars were the ultimate road-going Porsche of the 1970s. Known as the Sports, Lightweight or even the M471 option code, these cars had improved the power-to-weight ratio. Reports of 75kg were stripped from the standard model by fitting lightweight body panels and lightweight glass.
It's not often Porsche creates an all-new model in their 911 lineup. But the 997 Carrera GTS is just that. It's faster, more powerful and better looking than any other model in the Carrera family. However it's still a little less hardcore than the 911 GT3, and a lot cheaper than the 911 Turbo. The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS features a 3.8 litre flat-six engine which is tuned to develop 408 horsepower, that's 23 hp more than the Carrera S manages. Think of it as the perfectly optioned Carrera S for less money.
A single car - the 911 GT1-98 Straßenversion - was built in 1998 to homologate the all-new racing version under the new FIA regulations. The engine had to be slightly de-tuned to meet European emissions laws, although its 400 kW (544 PS; 536 hp) at 7,200 rpm and 600 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,250 rpm proved to be more than adequate; the car could accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 3.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 193 mph.
The 1989/90 change of model year saw the launch of the Porsche 911, 964 series onto the market. This 911 model was initially available as a Coupe, Targa and Convertible. From model year 1991 onwards Porsche also introduced its top-of-the-line model - the Turbo - into this series. In spite of bearing a major similarity in terms of look to the naturally-aspirated model, the extended wings remained. This meant that the new Porsche could retain its turbo look. The 964 Turbo model was the successor to the Porsche 930. The 964 Turbo was the end of an era, the last of the single turbo rear-wheel drive 911 Turbos.
Porsche made a lightweight version of the Turbo simply known as the Tuubo S. This used the spartan appointments of the Carrera RS with an upgraded version of the Turbo engine. Some cars received graphics on the side celebrating IMSA Supercar Championship. Similar to the Carrera RS, the Turbo S had no power steering, air conditioning, airbags, central locking, alarm system, rear window wiper, smaller window washer reservoir, smaller horn, and had thin-gauge glass. The engine used a second oil cooler and slightly higher boost to improve overall performance.
To the untrained eye, the Carrera T may appear to be a bare-bones and sparingly equipped 911 at first glance. The purpose of the T is to create a driver-focused 911, equipped with only the necessities required to appeal to those of a purist’s ilk. The Carrera T employs the same power plant used in the current base Carrera - a twin-turbocharged 3.0L flat-six with 370 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. A 7-speed manual transmission comes standard with the T, along with a shorter final-drive ratio and the limited-slip differential. Porsche Sport Exhaust (PSE) is also standard. PASM sport suspension comes standard in the T, which lowers the chassis by 0.4 inches relative to the base Carrera and allows for two modes of dampening.
The 500 hundred numbered 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series cars cross the 600 hp mark with their 446 kW engines. The power increase does not make much difference performance wise, but it is good to know you have more than 600 hp. Similar in acceleration and top speed to the ‘regular’ Turbo S, the car reaches 200 km/h (124 mph) in 9.6 seconds (0.3 seconds faster than the regular Turbo S). The car comes standard with the Turbo Aerokit and roof panel made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.
The GT2 RS's reputation as the most powerful street-legal car is as monstrous as this comprehensive guide. Suffice to say, this supercar has been built with the best Porsche has to offer. It's not bragging, it's just facts. There is no doubt that the new GT2 RS is the pinnacle of the 911 in terms of performance. It is simply the fastest 911 in history, and that’s a fact. It is the quickest production car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It is the most powerful 911 ever made.
Matt Prior from Autocar nails the 991.2 GT3 RS: “While I don’t think the 3 communicates any better than a 2, the messages it does transmit are superior: you can feel that it’s lighter, more willing to turn, easier and more satisfying to ease onto the throttle and keep it pinned. It’s why this car is only a few seconds slower than a 2RS around the Nürburgring Nordschleife despite being almost 200bhp down.” He goes on... “And in the form of the GT3 RS it goes into creating - little by little, detail by detail - what might just be the best driver’s car currently on sale.”
The most basic version of the Porsche 911 Carrera has now been unveiled. Porsche chose to detune the twin-turbocharged flat-six engine and downgrade some of the chassis components. These cars offer very good performance and driving dynamics for a slightly lower price. While marginally larger and heavier than the 991-generation model it replaced, the 992 is also more advanced. Power climbs by 15 bhp from the 991 Carrera, to 379 bhp @ 6500 rpm, which is more than enough horsepower for the street.
Removing the roof the car is supposed to have little impact on its chassis stiffness and curvy road prowess, but Porsche tells us that the current generation 911 Cabriolet drives just as well as the coupe. Powering the base Cabriolet is the same impressive turbocharged flat-six engine that makes 379 bhp @ 6500 rpm and 331 ft lbs of torque. The base cabriolet can do the 0 to 60 mph run in 4.2 seconds flat. With the optional Sport Chrono Package that drops to 4.0 seconds.
If the base 911 coupe doesn't do it for you, maybe the Carrera S coupe gets you over the line. For about $20k more, you get more horsepower, torque vectoring and bigger wheels. The Carrera S uses a version of the 3.0L twin-turbo flat-6 that generates 443 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. Torque vectoring allows different amounts of torque to be distributed between drive wheels on the same axle. This means the inside wheel can turn slower than the outside wheel for improved cornering.
The Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet also features a heated glass rear window and integrated magnesium support elements. The automatic fabric top opens and closes at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour in just 12 seconds – one second quicker than before. The 992 Carrera S Cabriolet gets a twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat-six with 443 bhp and 390 ft lbs of torque. That is 29 more horsepower and 22 more ft lbs of torque than the outgoing model.
Porsche is celebrating their 70 years in the making with the Porsche 911 Speedster Concept car. With the Carrera Cabriolet 4 body as its canvas, the Speedster concept pays homage to its predecessors - most notably, the Porsche 356 1500 Speedster. The limited production Speedster is immediately distinguishable from the current 911 line-up, with its “double bubble” tonneau cover and other unique offerings and design tweaks.
The perfect daily driving sports car with an all-weather, remarkably high-performance envelope. Like the rest of Carrera S models, the Carrera 4S is powered by the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six that makes 443 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. It also comes standard with the same eight-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission with the same gear ratios, except the 4S with an added clutch and differential up front.
Top down summertime driving in the current 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is about as good as it gets. It checks all of the right boxes, as while it has matured into almost a GT-type car; it still boasts more performance than ever. Like the rest of Carrera S models, the Carrera 4S Cabriolet is powered by the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six that makes 443 horsepower and 390 ft lbs of torque. It comes standard with the same eight-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission.