Latest news with #911GTS
The Citizen
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Porsche 911's 70th celebrated with South Africa-bound Spirit 70
Based on the 911 GTS, the Spirit 70 will only be available as a cabriolet and in limited numbers. Based on the 911 GTS, the Spirit 70 celebrates seven decades of the 911. Image: Porsche With the official commencing of the Shanghai International Motor Show today (23 April), Porsche used the Chinese showpiece to unveil a commemorative edition of the 911 South Africa will be receiving in limited numbers later this year. Based on the 911 GTS Cabriolet, the Spirit 70 pays tribute to seven decades of the 911, and is the work of Stuttgart's Heritage Design division with production capped at 1 500 units worldwide. No extra grunt A departure from previous special editions often based on the coupe and the cabriolet, the Spirit 70 will exclusively feature the soft-top and derive motivation from the mild-hybrid T-Hybrid powertrain that debuted with the facelift 992.2 in May last year. ALSO READ: First time hybrid Porsche 911 officially revealed and priced As such, the combination of the brand-new 3.6-litre turbocharged flat-six engine and a 1.9-kWh battery pack that drives a 40kW/150Nm electric motor produces an unchanged 398kW/610Nm. Sending the amount of twist to all four wheels is the eight-speed PDK gearbox, which also houses the electric motor. Special touches outside Focusing mostly, therefore, on aesthetics, the Spirit 70's exterior differences from the GTS consists of 20-inch at the front and 21-inch at the rear grey-and-gold Sport Classic alloy wheels, gloss black stripes down the bonnet merging into a 911 decal, a gold 911 Spirit 70 badge on the engine cover, and gold Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur badges on the front wings. In total, only 1 500 units will be made globally. Image: Porsche On top of this, the engine grille cover gets a gloss black finish plus the Porsche Heritage logo, while a gloss black roundel with number 70 can be had on the doors, or deleted at the request of the buyer. One of the unique touches is the gold 911 Spirit 70 logo on the engine cover. Image: Porsche Completing the exterior is a black window frame to go with the black cloth roof, gold Porsche lettering with a galvanised plated surface, and a model bespoke body colour called Olive Neo. Inside Dynamically unchanged from the GTS, the Spirit 70's interior changes involve a new seat fabric made from textiles and finished in a black/olive neo colour called Pasha. Interior has been decked-out in a colour called Pasha. Image: Porsche. Set in a tartan pattern, the hue carries over to backrests of the front seats and, as an option, to the dashboard. Pasha inserts continue on the seats. Image: Porsche A gold 911 badge on the passenger's side, Pasha stitch work, embroidery badging on the centre console glovebox and the Sports Chrono package rounds the cabin off. Price On-sale soon, Porsche South Africa has secured an undisclosed number of Spirit 70s priced from R5 056 000, which includes a three-year/100 000 km maintenance plan as well as a matching chronograph resplendent with a Pasha pattern on the inner dial. NOW READ: Back-to-basics Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe just pure bliss
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Why Porsche's Next 911 Should Have a Battery-Electric Version
Porsche is introducing all-electric versions throughout its portfolio, but Stuttgart doubts the world is ready for a battery-electric 911 Engineers in Weissach have developed hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric powertrains that compromise none of Porsche's high-performance attributes. If those engineers can build an all-electric 911 that upholds this heralded sports car's legacy, then no one should be surprised. Much of the coverage coming from Porsche's annual press conference in Stuttgart this week has been devoted to the launch of the all-new Cayenne EV later this year and a mysterious new SUV model with internal-combustion and hybrid powertrains, potentially arriving before decade's end. And there was news about derivatives of the iconic 911 sports car, including a reinterpreted 1970s limited-edition model from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and an additional 911 flagship model to 'raise the bar even further,' as the automaker says. But this line in the press conference synopsis deserves closer scrutiny: 'Its customers will still be able to choose between combustion engines, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric drivetrains in every vehicle segment well into the 2030s.' If the 911 is in one of these segments, is this a coded way of revealing—or at least planting a seed—that the next-generation 911 will have an all-electric variant? That would certainly be newsworthy, so we reached out to Porsche PR rep Frank Wiesmann and got a reasonable explanation: 'In this case, we're referring to our two-door sports cars as one segment. The 911 is offered with a combustion engine and a very sporty t-hybrid powertrain while our two-door sports car in the 718 segment will be fully electric in the future.' OK, that makes sense, but the question remains: Why does Porsche—at least publicly—reject the notion of an electric 911? Do the deep-pocketed 911 purist collectors find this idea so repugnant that Stuttgart knows better than to offend these loyal customers? Now, I'm not supporting the crazy idea that the next 911 should only be an EV. Internal-combustion driving the rear wheels must always be the core formula, but the 2025 model year brings with it—as Wiesmann mentioned—the 532-hp 911 Carrera GTS with a turbocharged "T-Hybrid" six-cylinder powertrain as a midcycle upgrade. Should this 911 GTS hybrid be perceived as a trial balloon? If customers appreciate its 2.9-second sprint to 60 mph, couldn't an all-electric 911 be even faster? Heck, the larger, four-door all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S (with launch control) can make that run in 2.6 seconds. Porsche has been aggressive in its EV product expansion: The new Macan has an all-electric version, and 44% of takers in the US so far this year are choosing the EV. Porsche plans to launch an all-electric Panamera, and after the all-electric fourth-generation Cayenne (to be revealed later this year in the US) will come the all-electric 718 Boxster and Cayman sports cars. That's the entire Porsche portfolio, leaving the 911 as the sole offering without a battery-electric option. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has said the 911 will likely never be fully electric due to its rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive design. But the engineers in Weissach already have vast experience developing hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric powertrains that compromise none of Porsche's high-performance attributes. One could argue these advanced powertrains are a natural step up from conventional internal combustion. If those engineers can find a way to build an all-electric 911 that upholds this heralded sports car's legacy, then no one should be surprised. Perhaps it all boils down to sales—and the prospects of an uncertain EV market: All-electric Taycan sales in the US fell from 7,500 units in 2023 to 4,700 last year, while 911 sales ballooned from 11,700 to 14,100 units. What do you think of an all-electric 911? Please comment below.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche Unveiled a Clever Piece of Engineering That Reinvents Turbocharging
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The Porsche 911 has changed quite a lot over the years, yet in all its iterations, it's always followed the same philosophy: rear-wheel drive with the engine at the back. That could be why many Porsche purists had mixed reactions when the German automaker announced its latest hybrid-powered 992.2 Carrera GTS. Spoiler alert: it's not the same performance-hybrid system you've likely seen in other sportscars. Turbocharging has long been one of the most common power adders for performance vehicles; it's a great way to increase power without significantly tanking fuel efficiency. Turbos have changed dramatically since their introduction to production vehicles in 1962, but Porsche's T-Hybrid system in its latest 911 GTS really is a true game changer. Here's why. Porsche purists will likely ask why the brand opted to go hybrid at all. And they're not wrong for wondering. The previous 911 GTS was no slouch, with over 450 horsepower, motivating it to reach 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds—in the Carrera 4 GTS with PDK. Instead, Porsche went hybrid because of environmental restrictions, as the previous internal combustion engine had reached its maximum potential. Euro 7 emissions restrictions, which go into effect on July 1, require engines to run a perfectly balanced air-fuel ratio all the time—sometimes referred to as lambda 1. Running within these parameters limits the emission of hydrocarbons, as it's the most efficient combustion process without the excess fuel from a rich mixture or excess air from a lean mixture. While this is great for efficiency, making the same amount of horsepower while maintaining lambda 1 is significantly more challenging. Porsche and many other performance automakers would normally be able to enrich the fuel mixture at full throttle to suppress detonation—sometimes called 'knock' or 'pre-ignition' in turbocharged engines. Detonation is bad, as it's an uncontrolled explosion inside the engine that can cause severe damage, including melted spark plug electrodes, cracked piston rings, and even melted/cracked pistons, among other things. Without the ability to adjust the air-fuel ratio, retarding the ignition timing (making the spark happen earlier) is one of the only remaining ways to control detonation. This leads to a considerable loss in horsepower, meaning the previous engine was maxed out in its current configuration. That's why Porsche sought to use a hybrid system to counteract the losses from the new regulations. It's just not the hybrid system you're probably used to seeing. As the name suggests, Porsche's T-Hybrid system assists the turbocharger with an electric motor instead of using an electric motor to drive the wheels, as we've seen previously. The new single-turbo setup replaces the old twin-turbo setup, assisted by a 27-hp electric motor mounted within the turbo. The electric turbo brings plenty of advantages besides merely recouping the power lost from emissions restrictions. First and foremost, we can't overlook the fact that T-Hybrid effectively eliminates turbo lag. Dyno charts compare the power curves of the two engines, and it's clear that the new motor is much more muscular; it's able to produce its quoted 450 lb-ft of torque almost instantly at 2,000 RPM, while you'd have to wait a couple seconds for the conventional 3.0-liter twin turbochargers to spool up. T-Hybrid also brings considerable weight savings over traditional hybrid systems. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that it takes much less power to assist a turbocharger than to motivate the wheels of a car. The entire system is powered by a 1.9-kW lithium-ion battery mounted near the front of the car, which at 60 lbs isn't much heavier than the 12V lithium-ion battery that powers the rest of the vehicle's electronics when the engine is off. For context, Porsche says the complete package adds only 103 lbs to the curb weight compared to its predecessor. Porsche's T-Hybrid system is fitted to a larger 3.6-liter flat-six engine instead of the previous 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six. With a strong diet and clever engineering, Porsche was able to make the new engine 40 lbs lighter (not to mention smaller) than its predecessor despite having significantly bigger displacement. The new intake manifold was repackaged to carve out the roughly 4 inches of vertical space needed for the new hybrid components; along with adding power, the new electric motor is able to replace many traditionally belt-driven engine accessories like the alternator. If you'll allow us to be amazed for a second, the electrically assisted turbocharger doesn't need a conventional wastegate either. Traditionally, these divert excess exhaust gasses away from the turbocharger to stop it from spinning too quickly and causing damage. As the turbo nears its 125,000 rpm redline, the electric motor inside acts as a generator to limit its speed—producing up to 15 hp. Porsche says this juice is then used to assist the engine at high revs (from 5,700 to redline), where the flat-six is outside of its optimal powerband. Leave it to Porsche's army of big foreheads in engineering to completely transform what hybrids mean to car enthusiasts. They've reaped the benefits of traditional performance hybrids—augmenting internal combustion power by driving the wheels—without adding significantly more weight. However, that's not without adding significant cost. It's no surprise that the new and improved GTS would punch a bigger hole in your wallet. The mid-level 911 now starts at $166,895—$14,000 over its predecessor. That's not an insignificant amount of money, but we have to understand that technology doesn't come for free. We've yet to drive the new 911 ourselves, but our friends at Car and Driver have proved that there's a considerable return on investment. For context, the new GTS has reportedly lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife 8.7 seconds faster than the outgoing 992.1 GTS. Spoiler alert: that's fast. Really fast. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
