God Bless The 911
PORSCHE 991 CARRERA 4 S CABRIO
GOD BLESS THE 911
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photos by Jay Tomei (The Looking Glass)
Car guys, those that find every excusable reason to stretch their way home, are simple creatures. Give them a fun car with a winning design and with a sound worthy of sinking the accelerator at each tunnel and they will be happy as children. Over the years, however, this species so apparently easy to please, has mutated and thanks to today’s technology, to modern engineering and the “knowledge at everyone’s hand” began to demand more and more, until we best identify ‘em as the “eternally dissatisfied”. Deep down we are all like this kind of people, sons of a world where there are hundreds of possibilities and proposals – and that is precisely the problem. Maybe, if we had less choice, we would be less boring and we would find good sides even where there are many imperfections. That’s why at the dawn of 2016, the fact that Porsche would have said farewell to its naturally aspirated 6-cylinder on their 911 (and not only) has sparked a general uproar that hit the tastes of purists like an asteroid just landed in the backyard, thing that has created havoc in the world of fans who fear that the real Turbo might lose that golden magic that has always surrounded it. But do not make the same mistake as those who hate the transition from air cooling to water cooling: an important legacy must be taken forward in time and honored with solutions that can improve the use of these multi-purpose model. If not we would still be here struggling to start the engine by cranking a lever – and at that point I wonder how the hell the Start & Stop system would work.
The new 911, 991 series, is friendly defined 991.2 and it is a whole new Porsche, and although it should represents an update brings with it an important new set of news, which obviously find their focus in the new engines: the 3.0cc boxer powered by two turbos. Smaller engine but with more power and torque – and what about driving pleasure? I’m here to find out and so I took home a splendid specimen of 991.2 in Graphite Blue Metalic with Carrera 4 S Cabriolet badged on its tail, so with traction distributed on both axles, and with the possibility of opening the roof and enjoy the sound of this new 6-cylinder boxer turbo. Unfortunately I did not have the sports exhaust system (the one with two central tailpipes), but the standard (two pairs of tailpipes at the edges of the back) is still rewarding, especially when you begin to touch 5000 rpm – just where we note that this turbocharged engine is not standard stuff! It’s a Porsche, you know, everyone knows what to expect. I turn the key on the left and select the “Sport +” mode via the new “manettino” knob (someone liked that on Ferraris) and the engine immediately increases its minimum revs, with the exhaust that emits a full-bodied sound. The g’box is the excellent 7-speed PDK, one of the few automatic that can compensate for the lack of the clutch pedal: smooth and fluid in the city, sharp and accurate when you test the new engine blasting some corners. As a captain of a ship attacked by a terrible storm, I wanted to keep a detailed diary of my experience at the wheel of the 991.2, but the desire to live it at 100%, made me forget to take my usual notes. That wasn’t my first thing in mind, while having my hands full with a sports car with performance worthy of a supercar!
With the top down (it can also be operated with the car running), I floor the gas pedal and she jumps forward. The tires bite the asphalt to perfection and despite the progression and the constant acceleration, the front-end is pressed down to the ground as much as possible. I shot a gear after another with one eye constantly on the rev counter trying to figure out how to deal with this new twin-turbo engine. Like any self-respecting Porsche, touching 5000 rpm the exhaust sound is transformed into a proper roar (even better in tunnels, which amplify the voice), the paddles behind the steering wheel are fantastic, heavy, fast, and offering a perfect position. Unfortunately I have to lighten my pace ‘cause in front of me I don’t have the straight of Monza – I stop, I let go a few cars and resume where I left off, this time also pressing the button placed in the middle of the mode selector, the so-called “Sports Response” which for 20 seconds provides you with even more brutality – ideal gizmo when accelerating or when you need extra boost (who needs that here?) and capable to regenerate itself after a while, almost as if it was a KERS sytem. There comes a slow corner, I go on the brakes with the left foot while the right one is caressing the throttle, ready to straighten up the wheel and throw the throttle down. She does not move, but advances to the next corner, with the throttle opening a bit earlier and she is always where it should be. To put it sideways you really have to go hard, play with weights and get a lot closer to your limits, not for a lack of feedbacks, but because the grip of the tires (and chassis) is exaggerated and I realize that especially in fast bends, cornering is nothing sort of ridiculous. There is gap and so I try, I ask her more – and what does she say? She says yes, you can do it. You really stop before her, slowing that pace that makes me draw my first conclusions about this new engine.
It’s time to slow down and have a more quiet look. Her dress is unique, elegant and sporty at the same time, an instant classic that hits the mark as a new Stephen King novel. And likewise you will not be able to sleep, because you will only wait to get back behind the wheel and find some winding road to put it (and yourself) to the test. The turbos have changed several things, but they did that with discretion: the sound is different of course, but for being a turbo engine it has a beautiful and warm voice. The S version has 420hp (+20 compared to the standard Carrera), enough to keep you entertained on any road and in every circumstances, but what is most surprising are the 500Nm of torque, especially for the fact that they are available already at just 1.700 rpm. Once you press the gas, the 991.2 responds and sticks in your head the fact that not every downsizing represents evil – in this case we have a more efficient car (also with an excellent fuel economy), with crazy performance and above all equally fun. Of course, the progression and the sensitivity of a naturally aspirated are different, but this 3 liters is something spectacular, because it goes to emulate (in part) the behavior of a naturally aspirated engine, but being more ready to push your back to the seat, the very moment you’ll go full throttle. The gap with the “Turbo” exists, both at the level of power and overall HP’s output, so if you have paid tens of thousands of Euro more buying the classic Turbo, do not worry – but beware that the Carrera is not a weakened Turbo, but a sporty 911, the best evolution that we would never have expected.
Since my driving license is one and the points on it are limited, I decide that it’s time to slow down and take the opportunity to analyze the other main updates represented by a new navigation system, precise and intuitive, now with the possibility to have satellite images (and even the Google Maps’ Street View). The seats are adjustable in every possible manner and it is impossible not to find your favorite position – a bit ‘less for the rear occupants, which would leave their legs home. On the exterior, apart from a few new air intakes on the front and rear bumpers, one of the details that immediately differentiates the 991.2 from the 991.1 is the plastic cover on the engine compartment, here with fins placed vertically, and which resemble a razor for hair. Functional to give more rein to the new 3.0cc turbo and always harmonious with one of the sexier sides B you’ll meet on the street, and above all admirable and conceivable without your girlfriend starts slapping your face. As my eyes wander the mythical lines of the 911, I feel the adrenaline pumping inside of me and I decide to launch myself back in the cockpit. Every day is like this – it can be driven in any way thinkable, and even in city traffic is convenient and has a good visibility, but all I want to do with the fastest razor for hair in the world is to drive it as if I had stolen it. No radio, navigation set on the most unexpected destinations, only to drive a few corners venting my right foot needing to find that fateful limit that make the tail slides towards the rock walls on the side of the road. I hold down the gas, beginning to taste the sad flavor of a bad figure and instead I’m able to straighten it with my fingertips, with the nose that seems to pull behind everything else, still undecided on how much I really took part in this thing and what the fantastic setting has made instead.
A week of purest carporn, like I was missing for a long time, but 911s are like this. They are phenomenal, no matter if we’re talking about the Turbo or the more extreme GT3, or even a very classical and pure Carrera with rear-wheel drive only, the 911 is the ultimate sports car. It was and still is, despite behind the rear axle there is no longer the dear old naturally aspirated engine. And as in the most beautiful love stories, the ideal partner is the one that offers you its complicity, because at that point you’re really sure you’ll be able to share everything. May God gives eternal glory to the 911, because if once it has been a gorgeous sports car, now it’s a supercar at the reach of many more wallets than any other opponent.
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4 S CABRIOLET (2016-)
Layout – rear-engined, all-wheel-drive
Engine – 6 cylinder 2981cc – twin-turbo
Transmission – 7-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 420 hp @ 6500 rpm
500 Nm @ 1700 rpm
Weight – 1580 kg
Acceleration – 4,0 sec.
Top Speed – 303 kph
Price – from 141.000 €