SECRETS OF THE NEW 911
Words: Clark Thomas Photos: Porsche AG We ride shotgun with Porsche’s engineers in America, at the sign off on the new 992 model 911. As ever the evolutionary design and shape masks a very thorough overhaul. Make no mistake, this is a new 911
The 992 version of the evergreen 911 is nearly with us. We join the engineers for testing in America, and get the full tech lowdown for the new car
“We’re really busy now,” admits Alex Ernst, Team Leader Testing, Porsche. He’s the man heading this test of the 992, Porsche’s replacement 911, and after we’ve been out in the cars today, our seats will be filled by the management for final sign off. The pressure is on then, not least as Porsche will reveal the next Carrera at the LA Auto Show late November, this test part helping finalise details, and smoothing out any final issues with these pre-series cars.
Around 300 will be built, Porsche undertaking four large tests, the one I’m joining collecting terabytes of testing data, in the tough driving conditions on America’s West Coast. Driving pre-production cars through the heart of San Francisco might not be ideal for secrecy, but the aggressive driving here, allied to the heat, altitude changes and dense stop-start traffic create a perfect testing environment – that the West Coast buys a sizeable number of Porsche’s annual 911 production is a consideration, too.
The cars are disguised, as much as you can hide the iconic shape of a 911, the shape familiar, if subtly different. August Achleitner, Vice President Product Line 911/718, elaborates; “there won’t be a narrow bodied 911,” all new 992 Carrera models will share the same dimensions with these cars here today, the rear as wide as the outgoing 991 GTS model, the front track being 40mm wider, front overhang 20mm longer for styling reasons and the height growing by 5mm.
Like the existing GT3 the new 992 Carreras will wear staggered wheel sizes, with the front axle on the S having a 20inch wheel, and the rear a 21-inch. Those, combined with the wider front track allows Porsche to lower the stiffness of the rear stabilizer bar, enabling greater forces on the rear axle when accelerating out of a curve.
There’s a mix of Carrera S coupe models here, PDK automatic and manual, with optional Sport Chassis and standard, Sport Chassis riding around 10mm lower and featuring a slightly more prominent front spoiler. The model line will be introduced with the rear-wheel drive Carrera S and four-wheel drive 4S in LA, in PDK guise only, the standard Carrera following in 2019 along with the choice of the sevenspeed manual. Convertibles will also join the range in 2019.
The car is, in Achleitner’s words, “all new”, it wrong to write it off as a development of the 991 before it. Inevitably there are carry-over elements, the engine block is essentially the same 3.0-litre turbocharged unit as the 991 series, but it’s been significantly revised. Not least how that turbocharged flat-six mounts to the body, Achleitner explaining: “we have a connection between the cylinder heads on both sides, and link directly to the longitudinal beams of the body. It makes the whole system stiffer, feels more rigid and this is especially an advantage for the convertible for stiffness, you don’t feel it so much with the coupe, but it’s a big step for the convertible.”
With ever-tighter emissions regulations the engine has been overhauled, gaining an entirely new induction system, as well as Piezo injection to improve efficiency. More significantly is the fitting of a new eightspeed PDK transmission, it derived from the Panamera’s gearbox. It replaces the previous seven-speed PDK transmission, the manual remaining a seven-speed unit, the new automatic not just bringing an additional ratio, but the potential for hybrid drive. The ratios between sixth and that eight are better spread, Achleitner saying that the eighth gear is comparable to the seventh of the old car, the shift up to it feeling more harmonious.
The space in the gearbox housing for a hybrid drive won’t be utilised yet, Achleitner saying: “the whole car in its layout, its structure is prepared for any hybrid solution in the future. We do not do it right now, we will not introduce it in the next few years,
It is wrong to write it off as a development of the 991 before it
because we are not yet satisfied with the performance, especially of the batteries.” There’s space in the body to accommodate batteries, too, in the floor, Porsche admitting too that it explored a 48V system, but ruled it out due to the additional weight it brought.
With new emissions regulations weight “reduction has been key in the car’s development. More of the body is formed in aluminium, the entire side panel from the A pillar to the rear wing being aluminium, that saving about 10–15kg, at the rear of the car. The need for exhaust filters for European models has added some weight
911 & PORSCHE WORLD at the rear, around 7.5kg, though the 3.0litre turbo engine in S guise here gains hp, it now delivering the same 450hp as the outgoing 991 GTS, torque being around the 530Nm mark. The Carrera will produce in the region of 380–385hp when it arrives in 2019.
In S using launch control with the PDK transmission the Carrera will have performance to rival the 997 Turbo model, which means a 0–100km/h time of under 4 seconds. As with its predecessors the 992 will feature different drive modes, with Wet, Normal, Sport, Sport+ and the configurable Individual mode. Sport Chrono will continue to be an option, it adding elements like active engine mounts and additional configurability within the driver modes. Of those Wet is a new addition, and, says Achleitner, necessary due to the 992 being relatively light and on wide tyres. It is linked to a new sensor system in the front wheel wells that detects water on the road surface. Working independently of the wipers, using acoustic monitoring, if a wet surface is detected the driving systems are primed automatically, the rear spoiler changing its angle of attack for greater downforce the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) adjusting its responses and the gearbox is put in its less aggressive Normal mode. It does so automatically, the driver then able to select the full Wet mode if required.
That Wet mode is one of a number of new technologies for the 992, the new Carrera also being offered with active driver
Weight reduction has been a key part of the car’s development
aids like Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist. If that technological creep to autonomy raises a concern, Achleitner is quick to counter: “I think the 911 will be one of the last cars which will be offered with an autonomous system. I’ve been asked ‘do we really need adaptive cruise control for the 911?’ And I said, well, just offer it, and if you’re travelling in heavy traffic then why not? It’s an option so if the customer wants it, and has a situation where they want to use it, but of course it can be switched off, of course, that’s the main thing. It is quite easy to switch off.”
In addition to that the 992 will be offered with a nightvision option, which detects pedestrians and animals on and around the road. That is displayed on one of the screens surrounding the analogue rev- counter dial, which retains its classic central position in front of the driver. The interior, still largely covered on these preseries models is significantly changed, featuring a large central screen that’s shared with the Cayenne, the dash profile now featuring a step, and containing a more conventional cup holder.
Opening the doors will be more of an event, with all 911s being keyless go, with the door handles popping out as you approach the car, returning to position after 10 seconds. Retracted, these help with the 0.29 drag figure, that achieved with the rear spoiler in its raised ‘eco’ position in European models, other markets having a slightly greater angle of attack at highway speeds for greater downforce. Climbing in sees kick plates displaying ‘911’ in the heavier typeface of the ’70s’ 911SC models as an appealing retrospective nod.
It’s familiar 911 inside, sitting low, the haunches visible in the rear view mirrors. Passenger seat only today, as Ernst and his team of engineers, which number over 20 on this test, do driving duties. In the traffic in town it’s quiet and smooth, the suspension riding with real composure, and there’s a notable improvement in road noise from the front, which has long been a 911 signature.
Key to the engine changes, over the efficiency gains, admits Matthias Hofstetter, Director Powertrain Product Lines 911/718, is improvements in response. The intake system helps here, so too does the movement of the intercoolers from a split system either side of the engine to a unit
above it. The result is palpable, the 992 feeling hugely quick when escaping the confines of San Francisco’s busy streets, exploring the roads that wind up into the mountains.
Optional rear-wheel steering assists with the agility, though even without it the promise is of a sharper turn in, and greater grip. The road surfaces here are poor, the 992 managing the tricky Tarmac with fine control, both wheel and body. As standard the 992 will feature standard steel brakes, with both Porsche Surface Coated Brakes (PSCB) with their hard tungsten carbide surface, or Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) offered optionally. As ever, with the 911 its braking performance is exemplary, though the engineers do admit that they’re finalising the pedal response in this test after adjusting it and making it too abrupt on some cars.
The eight-speed PDK shifts with the speed we’ve come to expect from Porsche’s paddle-shifted autos, the manual’s seven-speed retaining the revmatching throttle blips when in Sport modes and above. The manual has been retained, thanks in small part to the resurgence of demand, with global manual sales of around 15%, markets like the USA actually taking a greater percentage of manual sales, particularly higher up the model range.
That model range will follow the established route, with Carrera, Carrera S and GTS, in coupe, Targa and Cabriolet guises in rear- or four-wheel drive, while there’s room for the more driver-focussed T model, its success surprising insiders at Porsche. Above that will come the inevitable Turbo and Turbo S versions, the mightiest anticipated to have in excess of 660hp, while the GT department will add GT3 and GT3 RS models in for the track drivers out there.
Rumours abound that the GT cars may switch to turbocharged 3.8-litre engines, but they currently remain just that, rumours, the hope being that the GT team will hang on to the naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre engines for a while yet. Time will tell, and more details will come as the official wraps come off the line up later this year, but our early ride in the 992 does little to suggest that Porsche has done anything to gamble with the 911’s unique appeal in the sports car marketplace. PW