2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S First Impressions

Much advancement accompanies 6th generation
This is now the 6th generation of the 911, a performance coupe that has set benchmarks throughout its journey to becoming perhaps the most iconic and recognizable sports cars in history. More than 700,000 units have been sold, 80% of which remain street legal.

While the new 911 adheres to the size and shape of its lineage, its wheelbase has been stretched 100 mm. This was achieved by moving the front wheels 30 mm forward from the centre of the car, and the back wheels 70 mm rearward.

While the new 911 adheres to the size and shape of its lineage, its wheelbase has been stretched 100 mm. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com)

The longer wheelbase has expanded the 911’s cabin, and while the rear seat remains a chamber of torture, the pain it inflicts has been slightly lessened. In addition to growing the vehicle’s wheelbase, Porsche engineers also widened the 911’s front track by 50 mm to improve handling dynamics – not that it was needed. The 911 has always been respected and idolized for its cornering tenacity and searing track athleticism.

At the track
Our introduction to the new 911 included numerous laps of a specially designed high-speed autocross course. Here it became evident that the new 911 is exceptionally controllable yet ludicrously fast through the cones.

I was quite astounded by the degree of forgiveness it indulged over-exuberant drivers. Its “acts of kindness” kept drivers from rotating the vehicle when far too much speed was carried into a decreasing radius hairpin. The electronic safety net allowed sufficient yaw to embrace “edge of the seat” exhilaration while not allowing a complete collapse of sanity.

Although I never switched the electronic nanny completely off, I utilized the 911’s Sport Plus mode, which extended the range of free-spirit cornering by adding stiffness to the underpinnings and remapping the throttle.

Throughout the on-track experience, I was impressed with the performance of the Carrera S. Despite harbouring an immense cache of horsepower and torque, the car proved to be predictable and composed on the track, even when I wasn’t. It also proved to be fast – wickedly fast.

Throughout the on-track experience, I was impressed with the performance of the Carrera S. (Photo: Porsche)