Mind-blowing Porsche 911 S/T officially unveiled
GT3 RS power in a Touring body? With a six-speed manual? Yes please
Porsche knows as well as anybody else that there’s a whole lotta love out there for a Clark Kent 911. You know, the really fast one that’s a bit more classic in its look - rather than the all-guns-blazing track special. This much has been clear since the furore over the 2016 991 R, with crazy premiums being paid for the experience (and look) of a GT3 RS engine with a manual gearbox. The return of a Touring Package for a 911 the year after only added to the mystique; nowadays a UK GT3 Touring commands at least £50k over a standard manual. For the 992, the Touring was there as a GT3 option from the get-go - along with PDK previously denied to it. The customer is always right, after all.
So that’s the context, not forgetting either that 2023 marks 60 years of the 911 and 75 years of the first Porsche car. An under-the-radar 911 would have to be pretty special for such a momentous pair of anniversaries. And having been fortunate enough to spend a day poking around one in a studio, everything so far suggests it will be: this is the 2023 992 S/T, a 525hp, 9,000rpm, six-speed love letter to great road driving in a 911.
Those well versed in the history of rear-engined Porsches will recognise the ‘S/T’ moniker; those that don’t have a long day of research about high butterfly flat sixes ahead. Built to take advantage of an FIA rule change in the early 70s, the S/T was an all-out racer, stripped of any unnecessary weight and given as much power and grip as possible. Just 33 were ever made, and they’re much revered in classic Porsche circles. This S/T won’t be as rare, with a production run of 1,963 units, or quite as hardcore - but it will be the lightest 992 yet built. Thanks to less sound insulation, the removal of the rear-wheel steering and a lighter powertrain package - more on which in a sec - the S/T weighs 40kg less than a manual GT3 Touring, at 1,380kg DIN. Which, for a car as large as a 992, doesn’t seem like much.
Especially with 525hp to shove it along, the same tune of the 4.0-litre flat-six as found in the GT3 RS. That’s exciting, but not as exciting as the gearbox, the six-speed manual here treated to a shorter final drive than the GT3 plus a lighter clutch and single-mass flywheel like the R. It means a huge 10.5kg saving in rotating masses; even just blipping the throttle in a studio, the difference can be felt. A GT3 engine never feels like it's beset by inertia, but that initial response of the S/T is even sharper. Sounded great, too, thanks to a standard sports exhaust. Porsche claims 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds, with a top speed of 186mph; that’s not restricted, either, that’s the limiter in sixth, for some idea of how much shorter the gearing is.
As a more road-focused 911 sports car, the S/T has a less aggressive set-up than the other 4.0-litre cars we’ve seen so far. The omission of the steering rear axle is significant, making this the first with the double-wishbone front end to do without it. Porsche says ‘damper and control systems were tuned accordingly’, so expect a slightly more accommodating 992 experience as a result. Don’t think the S/T is in any way soft, though; enormous Michelin Cup 2 tyres are on each of the beautiful magnesium wheels, with ceramic brakes behind. As with the old R, the S/T might be road biased, but it’ll still be more than capable on a circuit.
The two cars seen here represent the relative extremes an S/T can be taken to in terms of style. It’ll be no surprise to learn that the black car is more in keeping with bossman Preuninger’s preference, and rest assured it looks just as moody in real life. The Shoreblue Metallic car - a new paint for the S/T - has been treated to the Heritage Design pack, which brings the door number, classic Porsche crests, two-tone black-cognac leather inside, dinamica roof lining and ‘other elements from the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’. It’s easy to see why some will be tempted, even at more than £10,000, because the interior really is pretty swish, but the numbers and the gold bits do sit a bit awkwardly with what’s meant to be the subtlest super 911 of them all. We’d go without, probably.
Every S/T interior gets green-faced clocks, a cage incorporated where the rear seats were and carbon seats. That being said, the chairs can be swapped out for easier-going items. But take a look at those buckets, in the cognac leather, peering through to the cage. You couldn’t get rid of those. Note as well the stubbier gearlever, which has a satisfyingly shorter shift than standard as well.
Even by the high standards of racy 911s, the S/T seems like a really special one. Porsche’s official line is that this 992 is a ‘highly puristic sports car dedicated to sheer driving pleasure’, which promises a huge amount given what the current line-up of GT 911s has delivered. A day in a super-heated studio was not enough to get to know the S/T, of course, but from the drivetrain specs to the brooding good looks, expectations are high. Very high. And if any further proof were required, consider this: Andreas Preuninger says this is the Porsche GT car he must own, having been involved with 24 projects and not bought one so far. And if it’s good enough for Mr GT3, then the S/T is probably pretty special. Quarter of a million good? You wouldn’t bet against it.
This is about the same as a McLaren 570s, which admittedly is pretty good going given the Porsche doesn't have a carbon chassis.
But it's far from "incredibly light" for a two seater with a bunch of trick wheels and other lightweighting thrown at it. 992s are fundamentally massive things, though.
This is about the same as a McLaren 570s, which admittedly is pretty good going given the Porsche doesn't have a carbon chassis.
But it's far from "incredibly light" for a two seater with a bunch of trick wheels and other lightweighting thrown at it. 992s are fundamentally massive things, though.
When I meant 'car like this' I did mean it in the '992s are massive' sense as you say as well as the performance potential of the thing + being based on pretty unexotic chassis technology.
All the other points you make about carbon this an that are counterpointed by the 718GT4 weighing less than the Emira - off topic and an argument done to death on the Emira threads anyway.
So is this essentially a GT3 RS Touring?
This is about the same as a McLaren 570s, which admittedly is pretty good going given the Porsche doesn't have a carbon chassis.
But it's far from "incredibly light" for a two seater with a bunch of trick wheels and other lightweighting thrown at it. 992s are fundamentally massive things, though.
When I meant 'car like this' I did mean it in the '992s are massive' sense as you say as well as the performance potential of the thing + being based on pretty unexotic chassis technology.
All the other points you make about carbon this an that are counterpointed by the 718GT4 weighing less than the Emira - off topic and an argument done to death on the Emira threads anyway.
But the constant stream of “best 911, ever” limited editions has become very tedious – and reeks of cynical long-term product planning.
Apart from shyster POA flip merchants, who are these cars actually for?
But the constant stream of “best 911, ever” limited editions has become very tedious – and reeks of cynical long-term product planning.
Apart from shyster POA flip merchants, who are these cars actually for?
When I meant 'car like this' I did mean it in the '992s are massive' sense as you say as well as the performance potential of the thing + being based on pretty unexotic chassis technology.
All the other points you make about carbon this an that are counterpointed by the 718GT4 weighing less than the Emira - off topic and an argument done to death on the Emira threads anyway.
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