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2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S Review

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Mathieu St-Pierre
:-O
Holy son of a botch! Un-farkin’ believable! Redunculous! Sick! Mother-arfer! These censored and modified for our family programming captions were all followed by: “That’s fast!” Yes, the 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S is wicked insanely fast. “Cut to the chase! How fast is it?” Very fast! So fast, in fact, that this is the quickest car I have ever driven. Fine, I’ve never beaten, sorry, evaluated a Ferrari or any sort of Aston Martin, Lamborghini or Bugatti for that matter but believe me, only the most insane versions of these exotic cars (save for the Veyron) can match this baby’s gusto.

S, in the 911 Turbo, stands for 530 hp, ceramic brakes, 19’ center-lock light alloy wheels and a whole slew of Porsche goodies. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)

S, in the 911 Turbo, stands for 530 hp (30 more than the “regular” Turbo), ceramic brakes (drool), 19’ center-lock light alloy wheels (more drool), the Sport Chrono package Turbo with dynamic engine mounts and a whole slew of Porsche goodies like PDK, VTG, DFI, PSM, PASM, PVT, PTM, ABC, easy as 123, do, re, mi... All kidding aside, all of these components have their say in how this beast performs, except maybe for the “ABC” part.

Bang for your buck
Be patient! These features are all standard on the $200,000 911 Turbo S. I agree with what you are thinking, they should be. Although they are all important, the ones that directly affect the driver’s involvement include the PDK, or Porsche’s Duplekamplunkingkrackleg... (or for those that can read and pronounce German: Doppelkupplung). This 7-speed twin-clutch automated manual transmission is, by far, the best of the sort I have ever evaluated and perhaps the most competent ‘box I have ever worked with over the years.

911 + track = :)
My initial introduction to the car took place at Mosport where the Turbo S amassed its first kilometres. Yes, the break-in period took place at high-speeds and massive revs... Gotta love it! Anyhow and to put the experience into perspective, I went out on the track in a “regular” 911 Turbo beforehand in order get comfortable with the power levels of these cars. I was reacquainted with said track previously at the wheel of a Boxster Spyder (yes, I know...). So, here I was with a 6-speed manual Turbo tearing up the road course, going fast (wait for it!) and having a blast. I’m a sucker for manual-shift cars and a Porsche is perfectly laid out for heel-toeing and quick gear transitions. I was on top of the world!

I went out on the track in a “regular” 911 Turbo beforehand in order get comfortable with the power levels of these cars. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)
Mathieu St-Pierre
Mathieu St-Pierre
Automotive expert
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