Porsche’s New 911 – the 991 Breaks Cover

Out with the old and in with the new…


One of the most iconic and recognizable cars of all time, the Porsche 911, has been pinched, pulled, poked, prodded and completely redone by those tireless engineers in Zuffenhausen. Fear not, ye Porschephiles, the new 911 looks to be a winner!

With the initial public debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche has now released official pictures and information for the new sports car, following months of speculation and spy photos on the internet.

What we have is a longer and wider yet lower and lighter vehicle. The most drastic change is a wheelbase 3.9 inches longer than the outgoing model. This will increase interior room, improve stability at high speeds, and also move the mass of the rear-mounted engine slightly forward in relation to the rear wheels, improving at-the-limit handling characteristics.

Propulsion in the base 911 Carrera model is provided by a 3.4 liter boxer engine, smaller than the previous gen’s 3.6, yet with slightly more power at 350 hp and also better fuel efficiency. The uprated Carrera S gets the larger 3.8 liter engine with 400 hp on tap. The cars should accelerate from 0 – 60 mph in 4.4 and 4.1 seconds respectively, according to the folks at Porsche. Available transmissions will be the 7-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox as well as a new 7-speed manual.

Great care has been taken with interior revisions as well. Gone is the dated and somewhat sparse environment – purists called it “businesslike” – replaced by design cues taken from the Panamera and Carrera GT models. These changes produce a more enveloping environment while maintaining the sporting and driver oriented Porsche “feel”.

Due in showrooms beginning February 2012, the Carrera will MSRP at $82,100 and the Carrera S at $96,400. Porsche’s usual extensive list of options and customizations will be available as well…at a cost!

I like what I see here. Porsche’s development team has done well with the latest 911 and it should be a great performer both on the road and in the showroom. Place that order now to get at the head of the list..!