But why should I be embarrassed? Even with the autobox the Turbo will sprint away from just about anything else on the
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| Even with the autobox the Turbo will sprint away from just about anything else on the road like it's standing still. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
road like it's standing still. Speaking of embarrassed, I did just that more times than I care to admit, reaching legal speeds at a ridiculously rapid rate. I presume that the manually-equipped Turbo corners as well as the auto-equipped version does, being that it easily felt as secure as the 6-speed manual-fitted C4S Cab I tested a few months ago, both tackling the hairpins on the way up to the ski resort behind my home with uncanny adhesion. The Turbo, of course, shortened the straights in between substantially; once again causing more embarrassment as the schoolboy giggles overcame my normally composed self, now caught up in a shamelessly immature act of "just-got-my-license-so-look-at-me" abandon. Thankfully there's virtually no one on this road this time of year, which makes for a safe test track. By the way, the stock
911 Turbo puts 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque down to all four wheels, which is ample for most speed
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| The stock 911 Turbo puts 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque down to all four wheels. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
freaks. Just the same Porsche offers an engine upgrade that I tested in a previous review dubbed the X50 package, which ups power to 450 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. This was more than enough, although Asgar Virji, who owns Weissach Performance in Vancouver, sent me an email after reading my review telling me that if I think the X50 is fast, I should try one of his RUF Porsches. OK, I said. Expect a road test on the RUF in the near future. Nevertheless, I'm not about to complain again. The stock Turbo is still plenty fast, despite new more powerful super-models coming from Mercedes-Benz, the SL55 and SL65, as well as much less expensive domestic offerings such as the new
2005 Corvette that comes stock with 400 horsepower and, of course, the all-powerful
Viper SRT-10.
