You have to respect the engineers at Porsche. They’ve stubbornly stuck with their commitment to keep on improving and evolving the 911. For over half a century the engine has been in the wrong place, the styling has remained basically the same, and rivals have come and gone. But the 911, through all of that, remains one of the best sports cars money can buy. And now it just got a whole lot faster.

The current 991 Turbo and Turbo S models aren’t exactly the sort of cars you’d look at and think “hmm, too slow”. For the 991.2 Porsche have added extra many more horsepowers to their already impressive power figures. The 3.8 twin-turbocharged flat-six is carried over but power is up to 533bhp from 515bhp. That drops the 0-100 km/h by 0.4 seconds, now taking a mere 3 seconds flat. Top speed is just shy of the hallowed 320 km/h mark.

Porsche-911-Turbo-Facelift-Coupe-Front

If you want to bait Veyrons and 918 Spyder owners then the Turbo S may just be for you. Porsche have thrown an extra 20bhp to it, now producing 572bhp. That drops the 0-100 km/h to just 2.9 seconds. Though Porsche tend to be rather conservative with their performance figures. Expect it to be much quicker than that. Top speed is just shy of 330 km/h.

The extra power comes courtesy of modified inlet ports, new injection nozzles, higher fuel pressure, and in the case of the Turbo S, larger turbos. To compesante for any turbo lag and to provide a “sharper throttle response”, Porsche have added a ‘Dynamic Boost Function’. This is said to maintain boost pressure when the driver lifts off the throttle so that power is instant once the throttle is reapplied. Standard Porsche geekiness then.

Porsche-911-Turbo-Facelift-Cabriolet-Rear

Not that it’s a major change, but there’s also some exterior changes – this is a ‘facelift’ after all. There’s a new front bumper with restyled intakes, the rear bumpers get larger rear vents and new quad-exhausts. The restyled taillights from the rest of the facelift 911 range make their way on here too. There are also vertical slants on the engine lid at the back, as per the rest of the 991.2 range. The Turbo S also gets new 7-spoke centre-lock wheels to differentiate it from the standard Turbo.

As ever, the power is sent to all four-wheels via a seven-speed PDK (dual-clutch transmission).The Mode Switch driver modes still remain, though it’s now controlled from a new 360mm diameter steering wheel. Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, and Individual settings are carried over as well as a Sport Response mode which maximises everything for 20 seconds. Perfect for driving like your arse is on fire. Literally.

Porsche-911-Turbo-Facelift-Interior-1

Porsche have also adjusted their Stability Management programme (PSM) to allow a freer and more playful stability system without totally leaving you to fend for yourself. The adaptive dampers are said to have bridged the gap between sport and comfort better.

Inside there are minor changes, chief among which is a new 7-inch touchscreen for the Porsche Communication Management (PCM). Apple CarPlay is fitted as standard. The Turbo and Turbo S Coupe and Cabriolet will go on sale in the Northern Hemisphere early next year, with NZ-bound cars expected sometime in the middle of the year.

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Ken Saito
Words cannot begin to describe how much I love cars but it's worth a try. Grew up obsessed with them and want to pursue a career writing about them. Anything from small city cars to the most exotic of supercars will catch my attention.

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