Feature: The 911 that can do it all

The Turbo S might be the most powerful Porsche 911, but what happens when it meets a race track and a GT3 RS?

Published On Apr 13, 2024 08:00:00 AM

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Rs 1.25 lakh optional LED headlamps with PDLS+.

The 911 Turbo S is what you buy when you have a brain aneurysm looking at the vast 911 range. So if you just want the fastest and plushest 911, the Turbo S is what you opt for. Out on the road it’s one of the most usable sportscars, but on racetrack? Well, chasing the wild GT3 RS would certainly give us an answer.

Our test car’s paint job didn’t exactly scream that it’s the most powerful 911 out there, but we sure did from behind the wheel.

To begin with, the Turbo S gets a 3.8-litre flat-six, turbo-charged engine putting out 650hp and 800Nm. Strong numbers especially for a car that weighs just 1.6 tonnes. Pair that to the superfast 8-speed PDK transmission and you have a drag queen; only this one doesn’t dress up. 0-100kph is a quick 2.7secs with the standing quarter covered in just 10.5secs. The advantage of this is seen on the long start/finish straight, as the Turbo S almost overtakes the GT3 RS ahead of turn 1, which is slowed down by its massive dowforce, aka drag.

Riviera Blue interior is courtesy of the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur programme.

Navigating the first right hander that quickly becomes a long left curve isn’t too difficult as there is plenty of power in reserve. However, turn three is a hairpin where the aero on the GT3 RS helps it stick flat to the tarmac. The Turbo S on the other hand has little help in that sense, but the wider track does help its case by a small margin.

You can get kids into the rear, but it’s best used as additional boot space.

The long back straight though is where the Turbo S breezes past the GT3 RS touching 260kph with ease, and the optional carbon-ceramic brakes anchoring the car before the tight right hander. The run towards the parabolica is flat out with the Turbo S now behind but all over the GT3 RS’ massive wing. However, as soon as the first of the double apex is clipped, the GT3 RS races ahead. With its AWD and bundles of torque, the Turbo S exits the parabolica with a faster exit speed and is rapid through the chicane, with only a right and left corner before it hits the start/finish straight.

Sports exhaust highly recommended for full effect.

Each lap is increasingly tense as the GT3 RS edges ahead in the corners, with the Turbo S reeling it back in on the straights; a wild cat and mouse game played with over 1,000 horses. The superb steering calibration and the excellent chassis make the Turbo S a joy to drive. In a lap, you might be behind a GT3 RS, but while the driver in that is grinding his teeth trying to shave off a tenth, with clinical inputs in the Turbo S you can go about the lap smiling ear-to-ear. In the GT3 RS, you need an innate sense of driving a race car and a lot of experience to eke out the maximum.

Exclusive 21-inch wheels, Rs 2.4 lakh for black paint.

The Turbo S is more relaxed in that sense; the ease with which you can push it on a track and the exceptionally well appointed cabin that allows you to be comfortable while doing so, is its calling card. Add to that the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur program that lets customers really personalise the insides, like the stunning Riviera Blue interior seen here, is an example of ensuring your 911 is unique. At Rs 3.3 crore, it may sit close to the top of the 911 line-up but there’s little else out there that can offer this level of duality. Want to have your cake and eat it too, dial up the Turbo S.

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