The midas Touch
PORSCHE 911 TURBO S EXCLUSIVE SERIES REVEALED
Porsche has revealed a new, even more powerful version of its ballistic 911 Turbo S. Called the Turbo S Exclusive Series, it has 446 Kw and has been limited to just 500 models. BERNIE HELLBERG drove it at the international launch in Germany.
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nobody ever stepped out of a Porsche 911 Turbo S and said that it needed more power. That would be like calling a US Navy destroyer a nice boat. However, in recent years, some may have bemoaned the fact that the 911, or any Porsche for that matter, just isn’t bespoke enough for their expensive tastes.
It’s a view shared by many, it must be, or Porsche would not have devised a plan to let customers add some drama to their already potent steeds.
Looking at the 991-series Porsche 911 it has a classic beauty that’s no less desirable than other supercars from the likes of McLaren or Lamborghini, but it certainly has a little less visual impact.
Exclusive TOUCH
Porsche Exclusive has been around for a while, thirty years in fact, and have given Porsche customers the ability to personalise their vehicles, to a limited degree. Now with its own manufacturing centre, called Exclusive Manufaktur, personalisation of Porsche cars has entered the big time, and you can now customise your 911 as much as you fancy.
There are already some true classics from the Porsche Exclusive stable – desirable 964 911 Turbo S, to name one – chalked up to their credit. But they’re upping the ante with this 991.2 generation 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series, of which only 500 examples will be made.
THE CAR
The Exclusive Series has the same basic engine as the Turbo S, the 3.8-litre flat-six engine with forced induction generated by two of Porsche’s Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) turbochargers.
The exterior of the 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series sports a golden yellow paint colour that is unique to this car. The hood and roof are carbon fibre and are painted before being painstakingly lacquered to give a completely smooth, seamless join where the paint meets those striking double stripes of bare carbon fibre.
A set of 20” laser-cut black wheels with matching gold highlights cover the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB). But unlike the trademark yellow colour that all PCCB callipers are painted, the Exclusive Series’ brakes are black and finished with a golden Porsche logo.
There is nothing subtle about this car, which we suppose is the point. And it’s not only talk that the burnished-gold paint is unique to the 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series; no other Porsche will ever be available in that colour again. Although, you can have it in silver, white, and a bunch of other colours too. But why would you want to?
EXCLUSIVE INSIDE TOO
The interior is reasonably understated by comparison to the outside. There are dual stripes of contrast colour stitching in the roof lining as well as in the seats that mirror the striking exterior, but they are discreet enough not to overwhelm the senses. Although other colour variants of the Exclusive Series get a black interior colour scheme, it’s worth getting the car in its signature colour just for the copper strand-enhanced carbon fibre trim for the interior.
Apart from the bespoke trim, the 911 interior is very much the same cockpit we
love and respect. Logical dash layout, small yet highly-functional steering wheel, a low seat position with plenty of adjustability, are all distinctive 911 traits that add to the car’s superior interior functionality.
As with all 911 cars, there are two seats in the back, although even the kids will feel cramped in there, and to most 911 owners the rear seat is mostly good for housing a couple of soft weekend bags. There is limited “boot” space in the nose of the car that will also take a couple of soft bags or a cabin-sized hard case, if you need it.
And just in case you don’t own a decent set of bags for the journey, the Turbo S Exclusive Series is also available with a selection of accessories, including a luggage set that fit perfectly into the Porsche’s storage areas and Porsche Design chronograph watch finished to match the car.
DRIVING THE CHANGE
We drove the Exclusive Series in Germany on a relatively short stretch of sub-urban roads and had little opportunity to open the taps. The big question to most, of course, is whether the car feels noticeably different to the standard Turbo S on the road?
In short, not really. Perhaps a back-toback run of both cars in a track environment would render a different opinion, but given our limited exposure to the most expensive 911 available, reporting on the car’s complete driving experience is not possible.
Make no mistake, though, the Turbo S is really fast, and given the extra 20 KW over the “standard” Turbo S, as well as it being substantially lighter, it feels very fast too. Although peak torque output, zero to 100 km/h and top speed remain the same as the standard Porsche 911 Turbo S, the Exclusive Series’ full torque curve is available all of the time, where the Turbo S only streams that level of torque for 10 seconds at a time when boosted.
Of course, the 911 Turbo S is a technical extravaganza, and with the full force of the Stuttgart engineering prowess at your disposal, it is almost hypercar fast while remaining effortless to use every day.
LAST WORD
As is hopefully abundantly clear from our experience with the Exclusive Series, the Porsche 911 Turbo S is an awe-inspiring automobile. It is an utter marvel by any standard, and its ease of use is second to none at this level of performance. There are sharperhandling supercars out there, but none that match the 911 Turbo S in overall excellence, and getting it in special livery in a limited edition run sends its desirability to stratospheric levels.