New Porsche 911: Preview

The introduction of water-cooling, electric steering and forced induction over the years has had Porsche 911 enthusiasts up in arms. Now, with the upcoming electrified 992, is Porsche taking out the soul of this iconic sports car?

Anno Domini 1997: The 1997 debut of the new 911, popularly known as the 996 series, completely revised the proportions of the previous 993. This model had a more heavily raked windscreen, sleeker silhouette, revised interiors and, most notably, the headlights weren’t round anymore. Even before the launch of the 996, there was already an uproar amongst Porsche purists. And the cause of this wasn’t just the new styling – with the 996, Porsche had also ditched the air-cooling system of the original 911s and adopted new technologies in its quest to become more modern. But these advancements didn’t go down well with 911 enthusiasts. In fact, the 996 is still not perceived as a hot commodity by collectors as compared to other iterations of the 911. 

Progress never stops

They say, ‘change is the only constant.’ And while that may be true, it’s not always easy. For instance, making changes to a classic like the 911, which has a religious following, will always be a challenge – difficult enough to make engineers tremble in terror. It’s indeed an arduous task, especially for designers – making enough changes to give it a modern and contemporary feel, while retaining that signature 911 silhouette may appear easy on paper, but, in execution, it isn’t. In fact, finding the right balance can be nerve wrecking! 

And that brings us to the upcoming version of the 911. Codenamed 992, the upcoming 911 will bring many new changes to its design and appearance, one of which is not likely to be welcomed by most blue-blooded Porsche purists – the electrification of the car. 

With the current version, the 991, Porsche has already made some big changes – a longer wheelbase and a 3.0-litre turbocharged engine that replaced the naturally aspirated motors of earlier versions. Sure, the GT3 and GT3 RS aren’t turbocharged, but then these are hard-core performance models. So, the news of a hybrid powertrain in the new 911 will be another shock for Porsche aficionados. However, they can defer their worries, as the hybrid version of the 992 will only be launched around 2022. 

It’s interesting to note that the arrangements planned for the platform will allow the car to run for dozens of kilometres on electric power alone, with obvious benefits in terms of consumption and emissions. How Porsche will manage to stack the batteries to maintain the mass distribution of the car is something that remains to be seen. That aside, the Porsche CEO, Mr. Oliver Blume, has confirmed that the hybrid plug-in will be a high-performance derivative – much like the 918 Spyder – and will be able to generate over 700bhp. In simple terms, it’s going to be the most powerful 911 ever! 

Plus, of course, the design changes will be significant. It’ll adopt a lot of updates from its siblings – the tailamps, for instance, will be influenced by what we saw on recent editions of the Cayenne and Panamera.

Driver assistance, but no autonomy

There is some good news for petrol-heads. Despite the presence of a conspicuous number of driver assistance systems – Lane Change assist, which even recognizes road signs, Park assist and adaptive cruise control – Porsche doesn’t have any intention to arm the new 911 with autonomous driving. “The 911 will always have a steering wheel,” affirms August Achleitner, engineer-in-charge of the project, with pride. And what if autonomous driving spreads like wildfire in the interim? “Then, rest assured, the 911 will be one of the last cars to move in this direction,” says August. 

As usual, the first variants of the 992 series will be rear-wheel drive versions of the Carrera and Carrera S coupe, which will be followed by the all-wheel drive variants and the Cabrio. Engine options will be more or less unchanged, meaning that there’ll be a bi-turbo 3.0-litre, six-cylinder boxer in two different tunes – 400bhp and 450bhp. It’ll even have the eight-speed double clutch PDK transmission, along with other sophisticated options, such as rear-wheel steering, active engine mounts and carbon ceramic brakes. Purists, however, needn’t worry – for the evergreen manual transmission will still be present on the eighth generation of this iconic car, which was first designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche.

1963 
NUMBER ONE 2.0-LITRE BOXER

When Porsche unveiled the first 911 (codenamed 901) at the 1963 Frankfurt motor show, it was a more powerful and comfortable version of the 356 – Porsche’s first model. Although it retained the design cues of its predecessor, the 901 was modern and edgy. That, however, wasn’t a guarantee of its success and popularity amongst buyers. But, as history would demonstrate, the world soon began to warm up to the 911.

2018 
BEEN TO THE GYM

The changes to the upcoming 911 (codenamed 992) will be significant – especially from the back. In the rendering you see here, the sports car from Zuffenhausen seems to have more muscular fenders and seamlessly integrated taillights – much like the new Cayenne and Panamera. Plus, note the new grille at the base of the rear windshield. The quad-exhaust is also new, but, like earlier models, the position of the tailpipe will vary depending on the variant. The new 911 is expected to go on sale globally by the first half of 2019.

The new car will have a completely revamped interior. The dashboard will have a full 12.3-inch HD multimedia touchscreen, inclusive of online services and voice commands. The instrument cluster will be placed on the same level as the infotainment screen and will have two 7-inch displays, as already seen on-board the Panamera and Cayenne.

An electrified 911
FIRST MILD AND THEN PLUG-IN

Porsche’s belief in the hybridisation of its models can be gauged from its commitment to invest almost six billion Euros in this project before the end of 2022. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the new 911 models arrive with a 48V mild hybrid system. August Achleitner (in the photo below, with the prototype of his design) seems quite candid about the entire process of electrification: “It’s a solution that two years ago I would have completely excluded. But, today, everything has changed.” There won’t be a zero-emission version of the car, however, a plug-in hybrid version will be introduced within five years of its market launch. After all, even the most iconic sport cars can’t remain immune to technological changes and increasingly stringent emission laws. If anything, it’ll be interesting to see how these innovations will affect the charisma and the status of the 911. 

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