Seventh-gen Porsche 911 revealed!

Frankfurt preview: Seventh-gen Porsche 911 revealed!

AUGUST 23, 2011 AT 7:29 PM BY DANNY TAN FILED UNDER CARS, INTERNATIONAL NEWS,PORSCHE

Yes, believe it, this is the new seventh-generation Porsche 911 Carrera. Despite the same same looks, Porsche is calling this ’991′ model ‘completely redesigned’. Try mocking their lazy designers and you’ll get this for an answer: ‘evolution, not revolution’.

At 2,450 mm, the new 911′s wheelbase has been stretched by 100 mm. Zuffenhausen did not reveal the dimensions, but Autocar UK quotes insiders saying that it’s 56 mm longer, 65 mm wider and 11 mm lower than the 997. Compared to that car, the 991 body, with its aluminum-steel composite construction, is 45 kg lighter. The combo of a bigger footprint, lower height and reduced weight sounds good.

It might take an avid 911 fan to spot, but the 991′s side mirrors are now mounted on the upper edge of the door. Porsche says that this helps highlight the new design line and gives the visual impression of width. The iconic silhouette of the 48-year old model is unchanged, but there’s a wider, variably extending rear spoiler at the back, which features slim tail lamps that should be the 991′s most distinct signature.

The spoiler, combined with greater structural rigidity and optimised aerodynamics, means that the 991′s front and rear lift has been reduced to near zero while retaining the Cd value of 0.29.

The new Carrera and Carrera S boast better performance and efficiency. The latter is aided by automatic start stop, engine and transmission thermal management, electrical system recuperation, the world’s first seven-speed manual gearbox and the ability to ‘sail’ or coast with the PDK transmission. There’s also a new electro-mechanical power steering in place of the hydraulic setup.

The 911 Carrera is powered by a new 350 hp/380 Nm, 3.4-litre boxer engine, down in size from the current 3.6L. Paired to PDK, it consumes just 8.2 l/100 km, 1.6 l/100 km less than its predecessor. That, plus a century sprint time of just 4.4 seconds (4.2 seconds with Sport Chrono Package’s Launch Control) means it can be all the 911 you need.

If not, there’s the Carrera S with its 400 hp/440 Nm, 3.8-litre boxer – 15 horses more than before. The S achieves 8.7 l/100 km, 14% better than the outgoing car. 0-100 km/h is done in 4.1 seconds, or 3.9 with Launch Control. The S also features for the first time, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) active roll stabilisation.

Inside, it’s still very much a 911, but with a touch more flair than before. Inspired by the Carrera GT are the rising center console and high-mounted shift lever. Classic Porsche elements include the five round gauges – one of them a high res multifunction screen – the central tachometer and the ignition lock to the left of the steering wheel.

As usual, Carrera and Carrera S models start the ball rolling, followed by Cabriolet and 4S variants (2012) and the range topping Turbo (2013). More pics after the jump.