RESPLENDANT RUBY STAR

The ‘Turbo’ variant of the widely-loved Porsche 911 has always been the ‘unhinged’ one in the line-up. First revealed in 1975 at the Paris Auto Show, the original 930-generation ‘Turbo’ embarked upon a significant re-evaluation of the 911 formula, adding unpredictable turbocharged power delivery, a huge rear wing, and enlarged rear arches to deliver a distinctive, exciting driving experience. Nicknamed the ‘widowmaker’ by many frightened journalists at the time, the ‘911 Turbo’ became widely regarded as a car demanding respect, concentration, and driving-delicacy.

Fast forward twenty years and whilst much remained the same (engine location, turbo, design formula), new innovations such as an all-wheel-drive system, enhanced aerodynamics, a bigger ‘whale-tail’, and a more sumptuous interior environment took the ‘Turbo’ to the next level. Situating itself at the top of the tree, the 993-generation was not only extremely comfortable, powerful, and engineered to perfection, but found itself embarrassing many rear-wheel drive 90s supercarsthat had previously reigned supreme. The 911 Turbo, it seemed, had entered the big leagues.

Take another leap to the present day and the boffins at Porschehave presented us with yet another bastion of automotive perfection – the 992-generation 911 Turbo S. Unlike its predecessors, the latest generation ‘Turbo’ was always going to be difficult to get just right. In the hunt for greater efficiency, and with the need to appease EU lawmakers, for the last few years Porsche have been blessing much of their range with turbocharged powertrains, making the finessing of a new ‘Turbo’ tricker than ever before.

But they just might have pulled it off. With a re-designed, re-honed, re-tuned 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six powertrain producing 641bhp and 590lb of torque, the ‘Turbo S’ remains the pinnacle of useable, honest performance. To make the new model shine, an extensive list of advancements such as a new air-cooling system, two larger ‘variable geometry turbochargers’, more complex active aerodynamics, and rear-axle steering allow for a truly confidence-inspiring end product. The ‘Porsche Ceramic Composite Braking System’ with drilled brake discs is also critical in generating this confidence, with 10-piston front brake calipers providing the necessary stopping power to prevent things from getting too out of hand.

There can be no doubt about it, the ‘911 Turbo S’ is as close to perfect as a modern-day supercar can be. With a never-ending menu of models and variations, Porsche have made it harder than ever before to decide which model to go for. If you’re obsessed with handling and uber-precise driving dynamics, you’re going to want to go for one of Porsche’s GT models; with track-inspired engineering they’re the ultimate evocative driving instrument. But if you want a slightly less aggressive drive yet still pine for a pure, smile-inducing experience, the ‘992-gen 911 Turbo S’ still captures much of that old-school spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat excitement that its forebears never failed to induce.

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