Yahoo Autos 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic brings manual, RWD to Turbo S
The 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic is one of the most intriguing special 911 models we’ve seen. Porsche’s powertrain setup, exterior design, interior materials and more for this car make it a unique proposition in the vast 911 model lineup.
A 911 Turbo S is the mechanical starting point of this car, but significant revisions give you elements long forbidden by 911 Turbo models like a manual transmission and rear wheel drive — you know, how the Turbo started. Those familiar with the 911 Turbo would know that Porsche only sells it with its PDK gearbox and all-wheel drive today, making the powertrain setup in the Sport Classic a jaw-dropping affair.
The 7-speed manual transmission (PDK is not optional) is pulled from the non-Turbo 911 models, and to ensure the gearbox can sustain the Turbo S’ power, Porsche has de-tuned the engine. In the Sport Classic, the 3.7-liter twin-turbo flat-six makes 543 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. That is significantly less than the 640 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque found in the Turbo S, but it’s the penalty you pay for going the traditional three-pedal route. Even with the power drop, the Sport Classic can tout that it’s the most powerful Porsche with a manual transmission in the lineup now. For comparison, the manual GT3 is the closest at 502 horsepower.
Even though it features a dip in power, the Sport Classic features all of the Turbo S’ performance upgrades. That means it comes standard with Porsche Active Suspension Management, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, the ceramic brakes, rear axle steering, the Sport Chrono Package and Sport Exhaust. Versus the Turbo S, Porsche says it slightly decreased front spring rates because the car doesn't have all-wheel drive. It’s also tuned with the road, not the race track, in mind to make it a more comfortable touring car.
Perhaps even more impressive than the powertrain setup is the exterior design. Porsche designers and engineers told us that it made a lot of big, expensive asks when designing this car, and the answer to every single one of them was yes. The team started out with the 911 Turbo S because it wanted the dramatically wide body that the Turbo provides. Once acquired, a number of body modifications were made. The biggest and most dramatic change is the entirely new rear fender design. Where the Turbo and Turbo S have intake cutouts in the rear fenders, the Sport Classic features perfectly smooth and flowing hips. This gives the clean look designers were aiming for, but it required Porsche to do significant engineering work to ensure the Turbo S engine was getting the air it needed. Plus, it necessitated entirely new tooling to stamp the panel, since the intake-less Turbo-style wide body was something Porsche hadn’t done before. The intake issue was solved via ducts integrated into the new ducktail spoiler sitting on the rear end. That ducktail spoiler itself is meant to be a modern take on the ducktail spoiler from the 1972-73 911 Carrera RS 2.7.
The hood is made from carbon, and is different from the hood used on the Turbo S — you’ll notice the Sport Classic’s hood dips in the center. This special model also features a unique double-bubble carbon roof that you won’t see on the Turbo S. A modern interpretation of Fuchs design wheels sit at all four corners, and these feature center-locking hubs.
