With its absurdly large rear spoiler, the Porsche 911 Turbo of 1974 was the poster of choice on any boy’s bedroom wall. It was simply outrageous.
So when Porsche launched the first Turbo S at the Geneva motor show 18 years later, there was a frisson of excitement and nostalgia at the appearance of this even saucier turbocharged 911 with an equally demented spoiler on the back.
Capable of 180mph and 0-62mph in 4.6sec, this seemed pretty much the ultimate version of the evergreen rear-engined sports coupé designed by Ferdinand Porsche and launched in 1963.
How wrong we were... After another four variants, this sixth Turbo S has been unleashed. All the previous models have been a subtle (and expensive) blend of a luxury grand tourer, backed with high technology and stupendous performance, and this is no different. With the internal designation 992.2 (denoting the Mk2 version of the current 992-series of the long-running 911) this 701bhp, £199,100 Turbo S is billed as the most powerful production 911. It is also a hybrid.
Forget fuel-saving
This is no ordinary hybrid, saving fuel not being the primary aim (in this case the 4x4 Turbo S fuel consumption is about 24mpg). This hybrid system is about smoothing and boosting the turbo effect, which once meant a wait of sometimes seconds to allow the turbocharger compressor blades to spool up before full power would be delivered, known as turbo lag.
So, like the single-turbo GTS launched last year, the Turbo S is a hybrid only in as much as its twin turbochargers have electric motors inside, which can spin to 145,000rpm and react far faster than conventional turbochargers. Rather than being channelled away by a wastegate, excess boost pressure is used to turn the motors acting as generators, creating up to 14kW each to charge the 400V battery in the front.
In addition, the all-new 3.6-litre, flat-six-cylinder engine lacks conventional belt-driven ancillaries; everything is electrically driven and mounted low, reducing the overall height of the unit by 110mm. The starter generator is now in the bellhousing of the eight-speed PDK gearbox, while the oil pump for the active suspension and anti-roll bar sits low in front of a rear wheel.
Ever faster
The new drivetrain most distinguishes this ultimate 911 Turbo, since the rest of the changes are more in the interests of going faster and harder rather than providing a different-looking 911. The rear bodywork has been remodelled and the back wheels are wider to accommodate Pirelli tyres 10mm wider than on the previous model, with larger carbon-ceramic brakes at the front (the largest-ever brakes in a two-door Porsche), with active cooling flaps for the front brakes and automatically adjusting spoilers and under-car flaps.
The list of new, improved and strengthened goes on and on, with a semi-active suspension, which is continually adjusting to allow more effective stability under acceleration and braking, while allowing no more than half a degree of body roll.
Why not banish body roll altogether? “It’s not natural,” says Matthias Hofstetter, director of 911 powertrains.
“It’s so important that the driver is in union with the steering and the braking and we don’t disturb that,” says Götz Härer, director of 911 chassis.
With MacPherson struts and a multi-link rear, this is far from a fully active suspension and steering system, but it is still a mighty feat of calibration to get it working so harmoniously.
Impressive numbers
With 701bhp at 6,500rpm and 590lb ft at 2,300rpm, this Turbo S has race-car levels of power and torque. Test driver Jörg Bergmeister lapped the Nordschleife circuit at the revered Nurburgring circuit in Germany in 7:03.92 minutes, 14sec quicker than the previous model.
It can accelerate from 0-62mph in only 2.5sec, 0.2sec faster than its predecessor. In a world of heavily policed 20mph zones, the top speed of 200mph might seem academic, like the 0-124mph acceleration of 8.4sec, although these figures are impressive given the kerb weight of 1,725kg in production trim, 85kg heavier than the outgoing model.
Inside job
A study in understatement, the Turbo S is comfortable where it counts, with embracing bucket seats, wonderful positioning for the steering wheel, pedals and seat and a traditional layout of instruments and switches. Exterior views to the front are good, not so great to the rear.
It’s nicely finished, with tightly wrapped leather upholstery and narrow, consistent panel gaps. The rear seats are as tiny as ever and while you could conceivably get a child seat in there, most owners will use them as luggage space to augment the 375 litres of space in the boot.
The touchscreen is small and relatively discreet, but it’s still complicated to find the more obscure functions. Thankfully there are still a lot of buttons, along with a shortcut to switch off the lane-keeping assist and speed-limit warnings.
And while this is not the only turbocharged Porsche 911 on sale, it is the only Turbo since production of the standard Turbo ended last year. It also comes in cabriolet form at £209,100, which Porsche says occupies a third of all sales. First deliveries start this December, so form an orderly queue.
On the road
The launch was held in Andalusia, Spain, starting with the 3.37-mile Ascari circuit to exercise the performance. Race tracks have a way of sapping your perception of a car’s performance, so you always seem to be left wanting more.
And while the Turbo S feels super quick, it’s the directness and precision of the handling which leaves you breathless. Leave the drive mode in Normal and there’s no rear-end playfulness, very little body roll, just humongous grip from the tyres and an uncanny confidence that wherever you point the nose the car will surely follow.
More ambitious settings progressively turn off the electronic aids and you can feel the tail rotating into turns, but again it’s head-spinning in its agility. The brakes are mega powerful yet sensitive.
Bergmeister takes me round for some (much) faster laps and shows the full abilities of the car, dangling the Porsche’s tail out at seemingly impossible angles.
Later, driving up to the mountains in the dark there’s a restrained guttural sound from the engine, with the twin-clutch gearbox gently feeding in the next gear without waking the turbos. The impression of latent energy is overwhelming, but it’s perfectly possible to drive sedately without unleashing gouts of power to the four wheels.
The ride isn’t at all bad, with a gentle bobbing sensation over larger bumps and only the occasional crash into potholes. The electronically assisted steering is accurate and if it isn’t as communicative as a hydraulic system, it’s close enough.
The Telegraph verdict
The 997-series Turbo of 2006 pioneered the use of fantastically expensive and efficient variable geometry turbo technology and that painstaking search to overcome the disadvantages of turbocharging continues with this hybrid. And the chassis-control technology of this sixth Turbo S seeks to control not only the extraordinary amount of power, but to overcome some of the drawbacks of its rear-engine configuration.
Indeed there comes a point where you can’t help wondering whether Porsche has worked so hard to try to eliminate the characteristics of being a 911 that it has assuaged the entire point of being a 911.
Then I drove back down the mountain and heard that distinctive engine, felt that distinguishing directness and that extraordinary power and decided that with this car they haven’t yet reached that point, although it’s difficult to see where they might go next.
Is this the ultimate Porsche? It could well be.
The facts
On test: Porsche 911 Turbo S 992.2
Body style: two-plus-two sports coupé (or cabriolet)
On sale: now, first deliveries before Christmas
How much? from £199,100 OTR (cabriolet £209,100)
How fast? 200mph, 0-62mph in 2.5sec
How economical? 23.9-24.35mpg (WLTP Combined), 19mpg on test
Engine & gearbox: 3.6-litre flat-six petrol engine with twin electric-powered turbochargers, eight-speed PDK twin-clutch gearbox, four-wheel drive
Maximum power/torque: 701bhp at 6,500rpm-7,000rpm/590lb ft at 2,300-6,000rpm
CO2 emissions: 266g/km (WLTP Combined)
VED: £5,490 first year, £620 next five years, then £195
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
The rivals
Mercedes-AMG GT SE Performance, from £163,500
A bruiser with 804bhp and 1,047lb ft from its twin-charged V8. Capable of 199mph and 0-62mph in 2.8sec, it’s a lot of car – but best exercised on an unrestricted autobahn.
Aston Martin DB12, from £185,000
Using the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre turbo V8, but tuned to give 670bhp and 590lb ft of torque, the DB12 is heartland Aston Martin GT; fast, smooth and satisfyingly expensive.