The Complete Book of Porsche 911
Page 25
Despite its gentrified appearance, it was a race car in slight disguise. Beneath the carpets were six mounting points for a roll cage. An assortment of six airbags—same as in any Carrera or Carrera S model—was installed as well.
The GT2 rode about 25mm (1 inch) lower than base Carrera. Every piece of the suspension was tuned for stiffer ride and superior handling so the car remained neutral to its limit of cornering adhesion.
This was 3,600cc (219.6 cubic inches) put to efficient use with the aid of two turbochargers. Output was 530 horsepower at 6,500 rpm. With a top speed of 326 kilometers (204 miles) per hour, it was Porsche’s first 911 to cross that speed threshold.
YEAR
2008-2009
DESIGNATION
911 GT2
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL AVAILABILITY
Coupe
WHEELBASE
2360mm/92.9 inches
LENGTH
4469mm/175.9 inches
WIDTH
1852mm/72.9 inches
HEIGHT
1285mm/50.6 inches
WEIGHT
1440kg/3168 pounds
BASE PRICE
$191,700
TRACK FRONT
1515mm/59.6 inches
TRACK REAR
1550mm/61.0 inches
WHEELS FRONT
8.5Jx19
WHEELS REAR
12.0Jx19
TIRES FRONT
235/35ZR19
TIRES REAR
325/30ZR19
CONSTRUCTION
Monocoque steel
SUSPENSION FRONT
Independent, wishbones, semi-trailing arms, MacPherson struts w/coil springs, gas-filled double-tube shock absorbers, anti roll bar
SUSPENSION REAR
Independent, multi-wishbone, progressive coil springs, gas-filled single-tube shock absorbers, anti roll bar
BRAKES
Ventilated, drilled discs, 4-piston aluminum monobloc calipers
ENGINE TYPE
Horizontally opposed water-cooled DOHC six-cylinder M97/70 S
ENGINE DISPLACEMENT
3600cc/219.6CID
BORE AND STROKE
100x76.4mm/3.94x3.01 inches
HORSEPOWER
530@7600rpm
TORQUE
502lb-ft@2200-4500rpm
COMPRESSION
9.0:1
FUEL DELIVERY
Bosch DME with sequential injection, turbochargers, intercooler
FINAL DRIVE AXLE RATIO
3.44:1
TOP SPEED
206mph
2008-2009 911 TURBO
The new Turbo (in both coupe and cabriolet forms) gave buyers astonishing performance, thanks to the new engine and to updated variable turbine geometry that increased torque and improved low-end response by varying turbine guide blade angles to reduce turbo lag at low engine speeds. The 3.8-liter engine, a derivative of the Carrera S power unit that resulted primarily from changes in casting processes, developed 500 SAE horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 20 more than its predecessor, and 479 lb-ft of torque between 1,950 and 5,000 rpm, an increase of 22 lb-ft. By using more efficient intercoolers and increasing the compression ratio from 9.0:1 to 9.8:1, Weissach engineers reduced boost from 1.0 atmosphere (14.8 psi) to 0.8 (11.84 psi). As a result, acceleration from 0 to 62 miles per hour required just 3.1 seconds. Acceleration to 100 miles per hour took 6.9 seconds, and the cars reached a top speed of 194 miles (310 kilometers) per hour, all while reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. To achieve those acceleration times, buyer had to opt for both the seven-speed PDK transmission and the Sport Chrono Plus system. To enhance handling, Weissach engineers created the Porsche Active Drivetrain Mount (PADM), an electromagnetic engine mount that grew stiffer to reduce undesirable engine movement under higher cornering loads. The manual six-speed may have delivered greater driving pleasure for some owners, but the PDK outraced them. Porsche sold the Turbo coupe for $132,800 and the cabriolet for $143,800.
Variable turbine geometry almost eliminated turbo lag. The 3,600cc (219.6-cubic-inch) water-cooled engine developed 480 horsepower at 6,000 rpm.
Porsche quoted acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers as taking less time with the Tiptronic (3.7 seconds) than the six-speed manual (4.0). Top speed was the same with either gearbox at 307 kilometers (192 miles) per hour.
As Excellence editor Pete Stout put it, “This won’t give you the hair-raising thrills a GT3 will, but it isn’t meant to…. The Turbo cabriolet’s chassis feels beautifully judged in a way the coupe’s just doesn’t.”
The interior was classic, comfortable, and familiar to more than 100,000 buyers of the 997 by the end of the 2007 model year. Leather seating and the DVD-based navigation system, Porsche Communication Manager, all were standard.
The instrument panel was easily recognized. The Tiptronic five-speed shifted from small rocker switches on the steering wheel or the traditional center console position.
YEAR
2008-2009
DESIGNATION
911 Turbo
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL AVAILABILITY
Coupe, Cabriolet
WHEELBASE
2360mm/92.9 inches
LENGTH
4450mm/175.2 inches
WIDTH
1852mm/72.9 inches
HEIGHT
1285mm/50.6 inches
WEIGHT
1585kg/3487 pounds
1655kg/3641 pounds cabriolet
BASE PRICE
$126,200 coupe - $136,500 cabriolet
TRACK FRONT
1490mm/58.7 inches
TRACK REAR
1550mm/61.0 inches
WHEELS FRONT
8.5Jx19
WHEELS REAR
11.0Jx19
TIRES FRONT
235/35ZR19
TIRES REAR
305/30ZR19
CONSTRUCTION
Monocoque steel
SUSPENSION FRONT
Independent, wishbones, semi-trailing arms, MacPherson struts w/coil springs, gas-filled double-tube shock absorbers, anti roll bar
SUSPENSION REAR
Independent, multi-wishbone, progressive coil springs, gas-filled single-tube shock absorbers, anti roll bar
BRAKES
Ventilated, drilled discs, 4-piston aluminum monobloc calipers
ENGINE TYPE
Horizontally opposed water-cooled DOHC six-cylinder M97/70
ENGINE DISPLACEMENT
3600cc/219.6CID
BORE AND STROKE
100x76.4mm/3.94x3.01 inches
HORSEPOWER
457@6500rpm
TORQUE
502lb-ft@1950-5000rpm
COMPRESSION
9.0:1
FUEL DELIVERY
Bosch DME with sequential injection, turbochargers, intercooler
FINAL DRIVE AXLE RATIO
3.44:1
TOP SPEED
206mph
The RS rode on 245/35ZR19 tires in front and 325/30ZR19s on the rear. It weighed 1,370 kilograms, 3,020 pounds. The cars were available only with the six-speed manual transmission. Photograph © 2011 Dave Wendt
2010 GT3
The GT3 RS was available in just three colors, Grey Black, Carrera White, and Aqua Blue Metallic, with white, gold, or red graphics and a color-keyed front grille, mirrors, wheels, and rear wing end pieces. Revising the intake manifold and raising the compression ratio gave the engine an extra 15 horsepower for a total of 450 SAE horsepower, good to get the car from standstill to 62 miles per hour in 4.0 seconds. In standard trim, the European-specification RS weighed 3,070 pounds (1,395 kilograms), but options could reduce the weight by 70 pounds (32 kilograms) or more. Europeans were offered only a Club Sport version, with lightweight fixed bucket seats, an onboard fire system, and a roll cage. American dealers got $132,800 for the GT3 RS. RSR and Cup variations followed in quick succession.
Porsche entered a unique prototype in th
e opening event of the 10-race series VLN (Verenstaltergemeinschalf Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring), run over the 16-mile nordschliefe (north-loop) circuit. The series, founded in 1977, runs one-day events on Saturdays, with practice, qualifying, and the race all on the same day. As many as 30 classes in four divisions compete in events lasting as long as 24 hours. At the ’Ring, Porsche ran eight cars under the management of Manthey Racing, including the 997 GT3 R Hybrid, which Porsche debuted at the Geneva Auto Show. Painted silver and orange, the car incorporated two 82-horsepower electric motors powered by kinetic energy absorbed under braking and stored in a flywheel housing mounted where the passenger seat would be. Running as high as 40,000 rpm, this fed energy to the front wheels, increasing acceleration with no additional fuel consumption.
One other non–North American market Carrera S came from Porsche Exclusiv. This was the 911 Sport Classic. Installed in the wide-body C4/C4S and available only in non-metallic Sport Classic Grey, it represented, according to director Ingo Frankel, an homage to several models from the company’s history, including the 1973 RS, with a small fixed bürzel rear wing, a sculpted “double-bubble” roof profile from some of the earliest racers, and black center Fuchs-style wheels. Sport PASM and PCCB were standard. A new intake manifold increased engine output to 408 SAE horsepower. The Sport Classic came only with the six-speed manual gearbox. Porsche sold 250 copies for EUR 169,300 (about $250,000, though it was not available to North American customers).
Porsche introduced two cars of its own for those who found the Turbo a bit short on performance. First came the rear-wheel-drive GT2 RS, weighing just 1,370 kilograms and powered by the Mezger 3.6-liter flat six tuned and modified to deliver 620 SAE horsepower at 6,500 rpm. It was one of Porsche’s lightest 911s ever, and its most powerful so far. It was a no apologies and no compromises road car meant more for track use than any other purpose. What began as a kind of “hobby project” for Porsche Motorsports engineer Andreas Preuninger and his colleagues to see how much further they could take a GT2 turned into a severe exercise in weight reduction to an already lightweight automobile. Plastic side and rear windows and more extensive use of carbon fiber on body panels led the list. With engine modifications to accommodate 1.6 bar (23.7 psi) of boost, output far eclipsed the GT2 figure of 530 horsepower. Porsche produced 500 of the cars.
Porsche’s 3,797cc (231.6-cubic-inch) flat six developed 450 horsepower in the GT3 RS. The company quoted acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 308 kilometers (193 miles) per hour. Photograph © 2011 Dave Wendt
YEAR
2010
DESIGNATION
911 GT3, GT3 RS
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL AVAILABILITY
Coupe
WHEELBASE
2355mm/92.7 inches
LENGTH
4481mm/176.4 inches
WIDTH
1808mm/71.2 inches
1852mm/72.9 inches (RS)
HEIGHT
1280mm/50.4 inches
WEIGHT
1395kg/3069 pounds
1370kg/3020 pounds (RS)
BASE PRICE
Not available
TRACK FRONT
1497mm/58.9 inches
TRACK REAR
1524mm/60.0 inches
WHEELS FRONT
8.5Jx19 – 9Jx19 (RS)
WHEELS REAR
12.0Jx19 – 12Jx19 (RS)
TIRES FRONT
235/35ZR19 - 245/35ZR19 (RS)
TIRES REAR
305/30ZR19 - 325/30ZR19 (RS)
CONSTRUCTION
Monocoque steel
SUSPENSION FRONT
Independent, double wishbones, trailing links, divided control arm; monotube shock absorber with progressive coil springs
SUSPENSION REAR
Independent, 5 control arms, adjustable camber, monotube shock absorber with coil springs
BRAKES
Ventilated, drilled discs, 6-pison front 4-piston rear aluminum monobloc calipers
ENGINE TYPE
Horizontally opposed water-cooled DOHC six-cylinder M97/76
ENGINE DISPLACEMENT
3797cc/231.7CID
BORE AND STROKE
103x76.4mm/4.04x3.01 inches
HORSEPOWER
435@7600rpm
TORQUE
317lb-ft@6250rpm
COMPRESSION
12.0:1
FUEL DELIVERY
Direct fuel injection
FINAL DRIVE AXLE RATIO
3.44:1
TOP SPEED
194mph
The water-cooled 3,800cc (231.8-cubic-inch) flat six developed 500 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. With all-wheel drive, the PDK transmission and optional Sports Chrono Plus, the Turbo was Porsche’s fastest accelerating sports car from 0 to 100 kilometers taking only 3.3 seconds. Photograph Courtesy Porsche Cars North America
2009-2010 TURBO
To answer the call for more from the Turbo, the company introduced the next-generation Turbo S, which put 530 SAE horsepower under the control of all-wheel-drive technology and transmitted it to the road only through the seven-speed PDK with new steering wheel–mounted paddle shifters, the gearbox Porsche engineers believed capable of reliably channeling that kind of power output to all four wheels for the life of the car. This fourth-generation S variation of the Turbo was the best to that point, not only for its impressive performance statistics but for other details, including standard equipment ceramic composite brakes, center-lock wheels, Porsche torque vectoring (which applied braking pressure to individual rear wheels to increase the turning effect), dynamic engine mounts, Sports Chrono Plus, adaptive sport seats, a handsome carbon fiber air intake box, and dynamic bending lights that followed the front steering tires around corners. It was a package—and a packaging masterpiece—that 911 development chief August Achleitner predicted would outsell the regular Turbo by three to one.
To those most discriminating Porsche customers for whom even 250 models of a 911 Sport Classic represented too much chance of seeing a twin on the road, Porsche Exclusiv and American Express teamed up to create the 2010 Porsche 911 Centurion Edition. Inspired by F. A. Porsche’s original 901 shape, the ultralimited edition celebrated American Express’ 10 anniversary of the black titanium credit card. Based on the Carrera S, the Centurion Edition was tweaked to develop 385 SAE horsepower, driven through the PDK, and it was the first non-Turbo PDK to introduce paddle shifters. The car, painted in Black Metallic, was finished with a black leather, Alcantara, and carbon fiber interior. Centurion card membership required $250,000 in annual expenditures on the card, and it is safe to assume that each of the three U.K. customers who acquired one of these black 911s made a dent in his or her spending requirement.
As model year 2010 drew to a close, Porsche announced that it would add two new variations to its lineup for 2011, a 911GTS, combining the best of the GT3 and Carrera S models, and a Speedster, inspired by the 356s and carrying on styling cues of the 1989 and 1994 models. For those looking further out, rumors solidified that the next-generation 911, internally known as Typ 991, was well along in development and headed for debut as a 2012 model.
Boardroom politics and financial machinations that kept Porsche on or near the front pages of the world’s financial journals during 2008, 2009, and early 2010 seemed, in the end, to have little impact on the products the company created, developed, and sold.
Conversations with Porsche management suggested that future generations of Porsche 911 cars might develop less horsepower than what enthusiasts enjoyed at the end of 2010. But no one inside or outside the company expected this to mean the cars would lose performance. Instead, Weissach engineers continued to work to the requirements of the new company motto: “Intelligent Performance.” That concept put regenerating hybrid motors in GT3R race cars, electric motors in wheel hubs of the 918 prototypes, and diesel engines in Cayenne and Panamera models. That concept also shed dozens of kilograms from alre
ady lightweight GT2 and GT3 models to create RS variations and continued to do so for Carrera and Carrera S models, as well as Turbos.
Outside the company, individual entrepreneurs—from Rainer and Dieter Buchmann to Ekkehard Zimmerman and Uwe Gemballa, from longtime innovator Alois Ruf to recent entry Jon Fatthauer with his 9ff Porsches from Dortmund—have pushed and pulled Porsche and its 911 since the 1970s. By virtue of their size and their client bases, they can respond to new technology and ideas more quickly. Tuners come and go, some suffering ignominious ends, such as Gemballa’s in 2010. Others, like the Buchmanns’ b+b and Zimmerman’s dp, are less dramatic. Creative inventors such as Ruf survive for decades because, to paraphrase Ferry Porsche’s motive for creating his 356, they look around and see that no one has done what they want. No one studying Porsche and these individuals can miss the cross-pollination of ideas. Each person has the same goal: To make the 911 better.