Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 190 i Total 911

The 992 era is starting to warm up now with the launch of the flagship Turbo S. Beautiful, powerful and comfortable, it’s the epitome of the 911 as a do-it-all sports car, the Turbo taking that mantra very much on to the next level. At its launch, Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, head of the 911 line, admitted that improving the Turbo presents the biggest challenge to his R&D department. You can’t help but feel he might have a point: how do you improve on a car that does everything so well? In 991 form the Turbo could keep a GT3 RS honest around a track, and offer superior levels of comfort and composure on the road to a Carrera. Arguably, it’s the one 911 that manages to cover every plausible base…

Lotterer scores more Formula E points Top ten finish in Marrakesh continues strong start in Weissach’s debut season Works driver André Lotterer continued his strong performance for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in its maiden Formula E season, crossing the line in 8th place in Marrakesh to secure more points for Weissach. Two weeks after securing pole position in Mexico City, Lotterer started the fifth e-prix of the season in 3rd place after battling through to the Super Pole shootout between the six fastest drivers, but he fell back to 4th after the opening lap of the race. Eventually crossing the line in 8th place gave more points to Lotterer, and his haul of 25 points after five of the 13 races this season means that the German…

The Porsche Turbo came into existence thanks to the foresight of the company’s new managing director, Ernst Fuhrmann. Appointed in 1971, Fuhrmann (below) who had worked at Porsche in the 1950s (and developed the famous quad-cam Carrera), saw that without new models, Porsche would at best stagnate. Beside proposing a new, long-term Porsche, the 928, he sought to revive interest in the vital 911, which he did with almost immediate effect by creating the 911 RS 2.7. This gave Porsche a tremendous fillip in club-level racing and its competition version, the RSR 2.8, won at Daytona in early 1973. However, Fuhrmann also knew that at an international level, to win consistently required far more than 300 horsepower: its Can-Am victories with the 917 had shown Porsche was quite capable of…

964 Launched as a 4WD-only 911 in 1989, enthusiasts were up in arms – what had happened to their simple, pure 911 sports car? The 964 was the unloved 911 for years, the matter not helped by the engine’s propensity to drop oil, and a tidy-enough example could be had for around £12,000 at the turn of the previous decade. If you’ve still got your collection of Total 911 magazines from down the years, take a look back at the classified listings and specialist adverts – it makes for entertaining reading! A £15K car just seven years ago is valued at around £60K now, largely thanks to the likes of Singer snapping up a lot of examples for its programme of ‘reimagining’. 996 Ah, the 996. It feels like the…

Keeping a 911 looking its best has been a major element in ownership from day one. The choice usually comes down to deciding between chemical protection, via detailing, or a physical barrier over the paint, via paint protection film (PPF). Getting the car professionally protected isn’t just about making it shiny, it is about keeping it that way, for as long as possible. PPF and car cleaning have both moved on with technology and the passing of time. The chalk-laden liquid waxes of yesteryear gave way to carnauba wax, but today the top spot goes to ceramic coatings. For some owners, lotions and potions aren’t the answer. Instead, they want a physical barrier protecting the paint, so turn to paint protection film – literally a 0.5mm plastic barrier applied over…

911s in the data file are organised in rows according to release date, beginning with the very first model in 1964. Many models were available in Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet forms, with the option of automatic transmission. Here, data has been provided from the Coupe variants unless stated. All data here has been compiled, where possible, from Porsche’s own figures. General valuations This reflects the general market trend for a model’s used value compared to the previous financial quarter. The review for 2020 Q2 will be April. The review for 2020 Q1 was January. Ratings Each model is rated out of five in our half-star system according to their performance, handling, appearance and desirability.…

Make no mistake, rallying is in David Richards’ blood. Born in June 1952 and raised in North Wales, he went on to study accountancy, but playing with numbers soon gave way to motorsport. The peak of his glittering career as a professional co-driver was surely 1981 when he won the World Rally Championship alongside Ari Vatanen, and after retiring from the sport the following year he established Prodrive in 1984. Based at Silverstone before moving to the Banbury UK HQ in 1986, the company has since become renowned for its notable successes in rallying and endurance racing. But it’s the former discipline that interests us here, and Porsche in particular, of course. In its iconic Rothmans livery – Richards was instrumental in bringing the tobacco company and Porsche together –…

Lightweight package for 992 Turbo S Frank-Steffen Walliser admits package could also be offered for Carreras Porsche’s new flagship Turbo S model is set to be offered with a lightweight package option for more enthusiastic customers, admits Frank-Steffen Walliser, Porsche’s head of the 911 model series. The new 992 Turbo S, revealed at a virtual launch instead of a Coronavirus-halted Geneva Motor Show, features a new 3.8-litre flat six engine based on the 9A2 family fitted to 992 Carreras, mated to an eight-speed PDK automatic transmission. Walliser, speaking on a conference interview call, said that with the new 911 Turbo S, Porsche has listened to feedback from some customers wanting a more dynamic package. He said: “We take feedback, that’s why we’ve added Sports suspension, lowered the car by 10mm,…

Porsche only made 345 examples of the ultimate air-cooled 911 Turbo. Until 20 years later, that is, when 993 Turbo S number 346 belatedly left Stuttgart. That car was Project Gold, a one-off by Porsche Classic with golden yellow metallic paint inspired by the 991 Turbo S Exclusive Series. Sold at auction in 2018, with proceeds going to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, its £2.3 million hammer price owed more to philanthropy than skyrocketing 993 values. Nonetheless, it showed the esteem in which the Turbo S is held. “It’s a flowing, one-two uppercut: exuberant until 4,200rpm, utterly explosive thereafter” The book on the water-cooled Turbo is still being written – we’ll profile the new 992 later in this issue – so using the word ‘ultimate’ feels premature. However, we think the…

A new GT racing championship devised partly by Jürgen Barth started in 1994. Initially Porsche raced the 964 RSR with success and then developed a Turbo version of the 993 to maintain its hegemony in the lower-horsepower GT2 category. The 993 GT2 was essentially a rear-wheel-drive 993 Turbo suitably stripped for the track: road-going homologation cars developed 430bhp, or 450bhp in later Evo form. Porsche elected not to pursue GT2 racing with the subsequent 996, partly because it had already prepared the naturally aspirated 911 for the GT3 category, but a top-of-the-range road car was made: the twin-turbo, rear-wheel-drive GT2 received mixed reviews, being uncertain on the track and without the refinement of the 996 Turbo. Its lack of PSM and traction control caught out more than a few owners.…

HISTORY AND TECH Only a few years had passed since the 911’s arrival when Porsche introduced a new range-topping model. The ‘Super’ was a clear statement of intent by Zuffenhausen, one that reinforced the Neunelfer’s reputation as a proper sports car. Not only did it boast the highest power output, but the S was also the first model to receive a more focused specification that included light alloy Fuchs wheels, uprated suspension with anti-roll bars front and rear, and ventilated disc brakes. Continuous development brought more power and fuel injection, and the arrival of the E Series in 1972 introduced a larger engine. This was the 2.4S, the 2,341cc flat six now producing 190hp and a beefier 211Nm of torque. The increase in capacity was achieved by fitting a longer-throw…

A rather sinister corner of the entire Porsche community, the flipper market defines the highly controversial space where a customer is able to purchase a desirable vehicle (in this case a GT 911) from the dealer at list price with the sole intention of selling the car immediately, for a tidy, tax-free profit of course. It’s a practice widely – and rightly – deplored by enthusiasts, yet it’s been in existence for so long now that, bizarrely, it’s almost become begrudgingly accepted as part of the norm. The craze really took hold around the arrival of the 991.1 GT3 at the back end of 2013: insatiable consumer thirst for the car, not to mention a stunted production programme due to those infamous early engine recalls, meant some cars or even…

You can never have too much of a good thing, which is perhaps why every iteration of 911 Turbo has spawned a more powerful ‘S’ variant. Extreme, exotic and exclusive, they sit at the pinnacle of road car performance for their respective eras. The story starts with the little-known 930 S, a Sonderwunsch special that was badged SE or LE in the UK (the former with 935-style pop-up headlamps and slatted side intakes, the latter with a traditional 911 front end and flanks). Either way, a Powerkit with a larger KKK turbocharger lifts output from 300hp to 330hp. The 964 Turbo S ‘Leichtbau’ is a rare beast indeed. In essence a boosted Rennsport, rather than a luxurious super-GT, it offers 381hp, RS suspension and 180kg less weight. Only 81 were…

The unveiling of Porsche’s 992 Turbo S was bizarre for a number of reasons. Robbed of a glitzy public debut in front of the world’s media at the 80th Geneva Motor Show, cancellation of the event in Switzerland meant that Porsche had to make do with an online broadcast, hosted by brand ambassador Mark Webber, from a back room at Weissach. Two examples of the new Turbo S, a Cabriolet and Coupe, sat under satin covers awaiting their big moment of reveal. ‘In the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins was blasted as the covers were whipped off, an eerie silence devoid of the ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of a baying media pack, the thrum of Collins’ iconic drum beat punctuating the airwaves in place of the usual click-clacking of photography cameras…

930 Turbo Still the poster car for many, the combination of classic styling cues and old-school power delivery is very beguiling. That turbocharged punch might lack sophistication, but mastering this car’s foibles brings plenty of satisfaction. The important thing is to find a good one; there’s the threat of corrosion and expensive mechanical rebuilds ready to take the shine off a rash purchase. 964 RS Sticking with the air-cooled theme this is a more focused offering compared to the opulence of the 930. Razor-sharp responses combine with Porsche’s lightweight philosophy to deliver an incredibly engaging driving experience. Likely too valuable to take on track nowadays, and care is needed to ensure it hasn’t suffered in the past. But a good one? That’s special indeed. 997.2 GT3 RS A grand choice…

As William Blake once said, hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s been just over two years since we brought you our first drive of the 991 Carrera T, that being a continental drive from the mountains above Monaco to the bumpy B-roads of Britain (it’s in Issue 162, if you’d like to take a look). After our first drive with the Carrera T, we came away with mixed emotions. We loved the concept, Porsche bringing the ‘less is more’ axiom to its base 911 which, in fairness, has defined the genre of GT models further up the chain. We liked how engaging the T was to drive, that added focus supplied by a Sports chassis, revised final drive borrowed from the Carrera S, a stubbier, manual shifter, and thinner glass…

The deep, deep gloss of Porsche 964 Piano black paintwork is utterly blemish free under the bright florescent lighting of Ninemeister’s build area. Polished to a mirror finish, there’s not the slightest imperfection anywhere. You can look as hard as you wish. Colin Belton already knows that, because for the past several hundred man hours, that’s what his dedicated Cloud 9m team have been doing. It’s utterly beautiful and I am almost scared to touch it. My fingerprints would be the only mark on the car. I open the driver’s door by carefully pinching the trigger on the handle between my fingers. The door opens with that distinctive Porsche 964 metallic snap and an aroma of brand-new leather rises from within. Ever so carefully, I slide into the driver’s seat,…

Data file Full specs, ratings and market values of every 911, including the 993 era, can be found beginning on page 86 Plus Showroom Looking for a new 911? The classifieds from our independent specialist partners are the first place you should start your search Servicing & tuning Get the very best from your Porsche 911 with the help of our selected performance and maintenance specialists Porsche lifestyle Helping you make the right lifestyle choices to complement you and your 911. Don’t just drive Porsche, live the brand Insurance & finance Get your Porsche covered with the best insurance deals for road and track to ensure happy, safe motoring…