Full blown

South Africa — Since its introduction in 1974, the Porsche 911 Turbo has represented the performance pinnacle of what the German sports car manufacturer can put into its road-going cars.

Four decades and seven generations later, Porsche is still at it, pushing the performance envelope while continuing to refine and hone its 911 Turbo to perfection.

STUNNING PERFORMANCE

Previously, Porsche had offered the Turbo S as little more than an uprated version with an engine tuned for more power.

This time, however, the augmentation follows more than just a software upgrade to the engine management system. The Turbo S is now fitted with a bigger pair of turbochargers than the regular Turbo.

The result is an output of 580hp, 40hp more than the standard Turbo. Incidentally, both versions now make 20hp more than last year’s pre-facelift models.

In the case of the 911 Turbo S, the gain in power lets it hit 100kmh from a standstill in a breathtaking 2.8 seconds, effectively making it one of the fastest accelerating cars money can buy in Singapore. Ferrari’s latest supercar, the 488GTB, for example, claims a 0 to 100kmh time of 3 seconds.

Other journalists have conducted their own informal acceleration tests with GPS devices to verify the 911 Turbo S’ performance. Surprisingly, many of them have consistently achieved times that were even lower than what the manufacturer claimed: Figures of 2.6 and 2.4 seconds were reported.

PRACTICAL PERFORMANCE

Within the first few hundred metres of driving the 911 Turbo S on Johannesburg’s suburban roads, which can be bumpy and undulating, this car showed a remarkable pliancy, given its performance bent and 20-inch wheels shod in ultra-low profile tyres.

When the first 991-generation Turbo and Turbo S were tested two years ago, the cars were found to have a much harsher ride quality that eroded some of its appeal as an all-round sports car that was also capable of long-distance touring.

This time around, the 911 Turbo and Turbo S seem to have regained some of their on-road usability and desirability as a result.

We tested the 911 Turbo S’ performance on the recently rebuilt Kyalami Grand Prix circuit in Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier this week. Led by Porsche’s factory racing drivers in a track-focused GT3 RS, the 911 Turbo S easily kept pace.

Besides the prodigious power output, the car’s four-wheel drive system working in tandem with the myriad electronic and aerodynamics add up to flatter just about any driver with even mediocre talent.

Once we hit the track’s 1.3km straight section, which was punctuated by only a gentle kink in the middle, the Turbo S began to reel in the normally-aspirated GT3 RS, which had already reached its maximum speed. “You see, he is closing in and there’s nothing I can do,” said Marc Lieb, who races the Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 hybrid in the FIA World Endurance series.

With its much improved performance, refined road manners and updated design by way of restyled head and tail lamps — along with neater looking door handles — the appeal of the 911 Turbo S goes beyond merely having the bragging rights of owning the fastest car in town.

PORSCHE 911 TURBO S

Engine: 3,800cc six-cylinder twin-turbo

Transmission: 7-speed twin clutch auto, 4-wheel drive

Performance: 330kmh, 0-100kmh: 2.8s, 9.1-litres per 100km, 212g/km CO2

Price: From S$869,788 without COE