Stuttgart’s famed turbo-charged bigwigs roll-out in Detroit

Withstanding almost the entire portfolio of the hallowed Porsche 911 range now sporting downsized displacement mills with power compensatory forced induction technology – news of the orginal brand of turbocharged rockets from Stuttgart remains a bright spotlight within the motoring theatre of dreams.

The stage is set, at the start of manufacturers motoring calendar - the Detroit Motor Show played host to the launch of the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S models.

Decked out and beautiful

The new generation 911 Turbo adopts the significant design characteristics of the recent Carrera model revamp. At the front; the newly formed front bumper now sports side airblades and precisely laid out narrow LED front lights with double fillets to give the front end a wider look in synergy with the additional fin in the central air

intake.

Along the flanks, the 911 Turbo wears 20-inch wheels and on the Turbo S models, the centre-locked wheels now feature a seven instead of ten double-spoke design. With 9.0J x 20 at the front and 11.5J x 20 at the rears, the new wheels of the 911 Turbo are now half an inch wider all round - now the same size as the wheels of the 911 Turbo S.

The rear has been reworked intensively to integrate the new 3-dimensional rear light's four-point light beams – first introduced in the Carrera series. The apertures at the exhaust exit points and the dual tail-pipe tips have been redesigned, as have the rear lid-grille - now made up of three parts, with longitudinal louvers. In the middle sits a separate cover for optimised air induction for the engine

How much go?

The 3.8 litre bi-turbo six-cylinder engine in the 911 Turbo with 3.8 now has a power output of 540bhp. The power gains were achieved by modified inlet ports in the cylinder head, new injection nozzles and higher fuel pressure. The 911 Turbo S now develops 580bhp thanks to new turbochargers with larger compressors.

To date Porsche remains the only manufacturer to utilise with variable-geometry turbine in a gasoline engine application. The figures in both models have improved by 20bhp compared to the older offerings.

The engines now also have what is known as a dynamic boost function to further improve engine response in dynamic operation. It maintains the charge pressure during load changes – i.e. when the accelerator pedal is released briefly. This is achieved by interrupting fuel injection but keeping the throttle valve open. As a result, the engine reacts with practically no delay with another press of the accelerator pedal. The effects of this function are more pronounced in the Sport and Sport Plus modes than in Normal mode. Gains in the economy department, was achieved through an advanced electronic engine and transmission management tweak and revised gear change mappings.

The pub-bragging numbers, should we say…

Porsche 911 Turbo

0-100kph: 3.0secs (Coupe)

Top Speed: 320kph (Coupe)

Consumption: 9.1l/100km (Coupe), 9.3l/100km (Convertible)

Porsche 911 Turbo S

0-100kph: 2.9secs (Coupe)

Top Speed: 330kph (Coupe)

Consumption: 9.1l/100km (Coupe), 9.3l/100km (Convertible)

Control measures

The new 911 Turbo models now comes ‘Porsche Active Stability Management as standard which now offers an even greater spread between performance and comfort. In addition, the 911 Turbo S offers a full complement of equipment for driving dynamics: PDCC roll compensation is standard as is the ‘PCCB’ ceramic brake system. New options for all 911 Turbo models include the radar-based ‘lane change assist’ and a lift system for the front axle that can be used to increase ground clearance by 40 mm at the front spoiler lip at low speeds

The new GT sport steering wheel is 360 mm in diameter aping the execution of the 918 hypercar comes with what is known as a ‘mode switch’ as standard. It consists of a rotary ring with stepped positions that is used to select one of the four modes -Normal, Sport, Sport Plus or Individual. The ‘Individual’ drive mode offers up more parameters configurable to the driver’s requirements.

A new feature of the Sport Chrono Package is the Sport Response button at the centre of the mode switch.This preconditions the engine and gearbox for the best possible responsiveness at the push of a button. In this state, your 911 Turbo produces optimal acceleration for up to 20 seconds, such as for an overtaking manoeuvre. And the Porsche Stability Management module has been recalibrated to allow for even greater threshold of play to be exploited from the car before any intervention occurs – but remains attentive in the background. A brief press of the PSM button activates the Sports mode; a long press disengages the system entirely. ARVIND KUMAR