First photos of the all-new Porsche 991 – the new 911
This is the first time we’ve seen undisguised photos of the new 991 and, close inspection suggests that the images are genuine.
Of note are the more upright front lights, more aggressive front end treatment, and more shapely body shell.
It’s at the rear, though, where we see the biggest design changes. The lights are remarkably slender and set into the rear bumper. Between, there’s an array of badging – the word ‘Porsche’ dominates and, beneath, is ‘911 Carrera S’. This is new – for many years, Porsches haven’t been badged so at the badge, and neither has the 911 label been used. This leaves onlookers in no doubt what the car is. The engine lid is wider and cuts into the rear wings, while the top vents are larger with less slats. Note, too, the small fog lights (we assume) at the base of the bumper.
The silver car’s roof shows a larger sunroof – something we pointed out on a recent video – which should be an improvement on the rather small aperture that the 911 has lived with since the 1960s. The door mirrors, meanwhile, are now mounted in the doors themselves, not the window frames.
The new bodyshell is about 70mm longer, with a 100mm longer wheelbase, to give a better ride and more interior space. The longer wheelbase is achieved partly by moving the rear wheels back, thus reducing the amount the engine hangs out behind the wheels. This should make the handling feel less, well, rear engined.
The 991 will be lighter by about 30kg, thanks to use of aluminium and plastics, plus advances in the design of the steel shell. Aluminium is used for the floor, doors, bonnet and possibly the front wings.
The cockpit will be roomier are more luxurious too, taking styling cues from today’s Panamera, and expect to see advances in perceived quality. The dash retains the trademark 911 five dials but one of the ‘dials’ has become a digital display. The door panels retain the usual 911 door pockets but the shape is fresh.
Power will come from revised versions of the current A91 flat sixes. The standard Carrera engine drops to 3.4 litre but power will be the same or slightly more than in the current car, at about 350bhp. The S engine will be 3.8 litre but with a boost in output to around 400bhp.
The current six-speed manual gearbox is being ditched, to be replaced by a seven-speed manual transmission based on he PDK gearbox.
The 991 will feature electrically assisted steering. while PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) gives an increased emphasis on ride quality. A new option will be PDDC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) which allows the antiroll bars to be deactivated when not required.
Wheels will be 19-inch as standard, with the option of 20-inch rims.
Comments (4)