8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 17
A
mong Porsche enthusiasts –
well, any car enthusiasts,
really – the combination of
the number 911 and the word
Turbo has long enjoyed cult status.
Back in 1974, Porsche redefined
road car performance with the
original 911 Turbo, fitting a
turbocharged engine and an
oversized rear wing to its signature
model to create the legend that
e x i s t s t o d ay. Ev e r si nc e , t he
company has striven to refine
the fundamental formula, even
if there has been the odd change
in philosophy along the way.
Almost half a century later, we
now have the seventh-generation
911 Tu rb o: t he 992. It r e pl a c e s t he
facelifted version of the 991-series
911 Turbo that was launched in
2016 and comes at a time when
Por s c he , w it h a r e c ord nu mb e r of
new petrol-engined and electric
models in the pipeline, appears to
b e v e r y muc h at t he t op of it s ga me.
In its headlining S guise,
the new Turbo looks familiarly
purposeful and muscular in the
metal. Its lines clearly draw from
the model it replaces, albeit with
new detailing, most notably to the
round LED headlights and new
full-width tail-light assembly.
And yes, it’s wider than ever
before – 48mm wider than the
base 911 Carrera, to be precise.
Although the 992 is based on the
s a me pl at for m a s it s pr e de c e s s or,
with a 2450mm wheelbase,
its aluminium body has been
widened to further accentuate
the Coke-bottle form built up
over more recent generations.
T he i nc r e a s e i s ne c e s sit at e d b y
the adoption of a 42mm-wider
front track and 10mm-wider
rear track, together with, for
the first time, the combination
of s t a nd a rd 2 0 x 9.0 i n f r ont a nd
21x11.5in rear wheels.
All up, the car is 28mm longer
and 20mm wider than the old
Turbo S, at a respective 4535mm
at 1900mm. Despite a number of
weight-saving measures, including
new optional composite glass
that’s claimed to weigh some 4kg
less than the glass used before,it h a s a l s o ga i ne d 4 0k g, g i v i n g it
a k e rb w e i g ht of 16 4 0k g. T h at ’s
due mainly to the introduction
of a mor e a d v a nc e d du a l- c lut c h
automatic gearbox and other key
developments that include new
brakes and the larger wheels
needed to accommodate them.
The aerodynamic functions have
been reworked too. Together with
the active front spoiler ducts ◊