PORSCHE 911 S/T
Autocar UK|September 27, 2023
Stuttgart rolls out a very special 911 as a birthday present to itself
MATT PRIOR
PORSCHE 911 S/T

TESTED 19.9.23, LAMEZIA, ITALY ON SALE NOW

You can't accuse Porsche of under-promising with the 911 S/T. Andreas Preuninger, who runs Porsche's GT division, tells us it is "one of the greatest 911s of all time, if not the greatest" and "the most entertaining". And he says Walter Röhrl, Porsche's brand ambassador (and two-time world rally champion), calls it "the best street-legal car I've ever driven".

Which, when even just the recent back catalogue has the GT3 RS 4.0 and 911 R in it, is no minor boast.

The S/T is a special-edition 911 limited to 1963 units (it's the model line's 60th anniversary), about 10% of which will come to the UK, each priced at £231,600. It's based on the GT3 Touring, the marginally more laid-back, road-friendlier version of the GT3 that is Autocar's reigning - and two-time - Britain's Best Driver's Car champion. But while the S/T is "a GT product", according to Preuninger, it is unequivocally "not a track car". The evidence? "The Nürburgring lap time I don't care about," he says. "I don't know it. We haven't tested it."

Instead, the S/T is meant to be different from all previous 911 GT cars. "We wanted to make the ultimate driver's car," says Preuninger, "and being the lightest 992[-generation 911] was the main development goal."

There are, then, carbonfibre door skins, front wings, 'froot' lid and roof. Wheels are magnesium and the interior features no rear seats.

Weight has been shed elsewhere too, as a by-product of other goals. The 4.0-litre flat-six naturally aspirated engine comes from Porsche's 911 GT3 RS, where it makes 518bhp. But because the team wanted it to have more of a 'zing' factor, there is a much lighter clutch for the six-speed manual gearbox, and a single- rather than dual-mass flywheel.

Denne historien er fra September 27, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 27, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA AUTOCAR UKSe alt
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Autocar UK

The venomous nature of the Cobra

Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
SKODA KAMIQ
Autocar UK

SKODA KAMIQ

A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Autocar UK

THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH

Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
'Our time has come'
Autocar UK

'Our time has come'

Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store

time-read
8 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Lion kings
Autocar UK

Lion kings

Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI

time-read
6 mins  |
October 23, 2024
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Autocar UK

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh

time-read
7 mins  |
October 23, 2024
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Autocar UK

PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS

Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Autocar UK

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO

Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Autocar UK

TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI

Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Autocar UK

DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP

Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024