Porsche 911 Turbo S

There’s an unusual symmetry at play with the subject of this week’s road test.

Since 1974, the distinguishing element of any Porsche 911 Turbo had been its forced-induction flat six, but this changed in 2016 when the regular Porsche 911 (991) Carrera and its scions sprouted turbochargers. At a stroke, every Porsche 911 except the mesmerising 991 GT3 went turbo, and because of this the real McCoy lost some originality. Simply, events beyond its control meant the 911 Turbo became much more akin to the basic 911 Carrera but no less expensive. Not great.

Bear this in mind when you consider that, for the latest, 992-based incarnation of The Fastest Point-to-Point Car in the World, Porsche has tried to address one of the model’s long-standing drawbacks, which is that it has generally been a touch inert in its handling. Too doggedly stable and less accessible and adjustable than what we know the 911 recipe can generate. This time you might duly say the aim has been to make the dynamics more Carrera-like.

It means that, in the space of one generation, the 911 Turbo has been squeezed into much the same conceptual space as the regular 911 Carrera, for reasons both accidental and deliberate. However, it still occupies flagship status in the range with an asking price to match: £168,900 for our Turbo S test car, which is nearly twice that of the 911 Carrera and, more pointedly, on a par with the Ferrari Roma.

So could this new 911 Turbo be the greatest take on the all-weather, mega-911 template first laid down in 1988 by the Porsche 959? Or is the model now something of an overpriced relic, surplus to real-world requirements and only for those who crave excess and have the funds to match?

Range at a glance

The Porsche 911 range continues to proliferate, and the imminent arrival of the GT3 RS will only broaden it. After that, the only conspicuous gap is for a GT2 or GT2 RS, neither of which has been confirmed for the 992 generation. For now, the Turbo S is the most powerful 911, if not the most expensive, since the arrival of the Sport Classic.

*Model tested

TRANSMISSIONS

8-spd dual-clutch automatic*

7-spd dual-clutch automatic (GT3)

7-spd manual (S, GTS, Sport Classic)

6-spd manual (GT3)

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