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Porsche 911 Turbo – the new 991 generation scooped
By
Tim Pollard
Spy shots
29 January 2010 07:44
Porsche engineers testing the new 911 due in late 2011 were caught up in a snowstorm this week in the Swedish wastelands where they're writing the next chapter of 911 history. Dubbed 991, Porsche's new sports car family will be topped by this 4wd 911 Turbo model.
It makes for a picturesque set of spy photos – the black disguise ironically making the car stand out more in a white-out.
I see the next Porsche 911 looks exactly like the current one!
No change there then. Porsche has steadily chiseled away at the classic 911 form over the years, and it's not about to throw the baby out with the bathwater. This prototype has the side air scoops and body addenda denoting the blown Turbo spec.
Under that cladding lie Zuffenhausen's latest active aero developments. Our sources say there will be a pop-up rear spoiler and flaps dotted around the bodywork opening and closing to manage airflow and cooling requirements. Remember the malleable fins on the Ferrari 458 Italia's nose? Expect more of that thinking on the new 2011 Porsche 911.
What's new under the skin?
No great shakes here. Porsche is under ever increasing pressure to cut CO2, so there will be numerous fuel-saving measures, including a switch to electro-hydraulic power steering. Our information suggests the engine line-up will continue with the flat-six engine, in 3.4 and 3.8-litre iterations for Carrera and Carrera S models.
Higher up the food chain come the usual Turbo, GT3 and GT2 iterations. Some Porsche types nudge and wink and suggest a wild 600bhp GT1 could be on the cards too.
The 911 will again share parts with the next-generation 981-family of Boxster and Cayman models.
Wolfgang Dürheimer, Porsche tech boss, speaks
CAR has already published an interview with Porsche's R&D director – and it's worth repeating some of his musings on the 991 project. 'It [the new 911] will be even more competent, even sexier, even more unique,’ says Dürheimer. ‘The design can of course only be evolutionary, but beneath the skin, almost anything is possible.’
>> Click 'Next' to read more of our interview with Wolfgang Dürheimer
