The Porsche 911 S/T is an extreme take on the GT3 Touring
The wizards of Weissach have been cooking, and the result we see before us could be the one 911 to rule them all. This is the Porsche 911 S/T: inspired by a special race-prepared 911 of the past, it’s the GT3 Touring taken to the ultimate extreme, in celebration of 60 years of the world’s favourite sportscar.
Porsche 911 S/T: RS power, Touring elegance
Think of it almost, as a 992-generation 911 R, in that it borrows some key components from the GT3 RS and combines them with some bespoke bits, wrapping them in an elegant wingless body. Coming from the new RS is its engine, the 4.0-litre flat-six boosted to 525PS (386kW) thanks to hotter cams than the ‘standard’ GT3s. The performance numbers, however irrelevant, are as follows: 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds, on the way to a 186mph top speed. The latter seems a little low, but for good reason. The rev limit is still 9,000rpm, only unlike the RS, that engine gets its grunt to the rear wheels via a manual gearbox.
Unlike the GT3 Touring, the S/T gets a special lightweight clutch and single-mass flywheel (like the 911 R) reducing rotating mass by 10.5kg. The total of all that with special shortened ratios (remember that lower top speed?) and of course, the hotter cams of the RS engine, should result in some mythical throttle response.
Porsche 911 S/T: The lightest 992, designed for the road
The light weighting continues throughout the car. Those scalloped new front wings and doors, along with the bonnet and roof are carbon-fibre. The wheels are magnesium, the brakes carbon and the battery lithium-ion. There’s less insulation, and even the glass is thinner. Chuck out the rear-steering and you get a 1,380kg kerb weight, 40kg lighter than the ‘normal’ GT3 Touring, making the S/T the lightest 992.
There was a lingering feeling with the current GT3 that it was too hardcore for the road. Could the S/T suffer similarly. Well, an encouraging sign is Porsche’s claim that it comes ‘optimised for a fast-road’ setup. ‘Unlike the GT3 RS, the focus of the development of the 911 S/T has been not on track use, but rather journeys on public roads.’ Here’s hoping.
2023 Porsche 911 S/T: Elegant ‘60s influence
What about the design? Well, truthfully, there’s not a huge amount to mention bar the exotic wheels, sculpted wings and doors – influences no doubt from the GT3 RS, in spite of the S/T not sharing the hardcore track monster’s widened body-in-white. Why no ‘duck tail’ wing? Well, the old S/T was a race-prepped 911 that predated the aero addenda that began with the 2.7 RS. So the new S/T misses out too.
Perhaps the biggest giveaway at a distance, at least for some S/Ts, will be the Heritage Design Package. This adds among other options, Shoreblue Metallic paint, Ceramic wheels and, most obviously, roundels on the doors, in which numbers 0 to 99 can be had. Heritage Design cars also get the classic Porsche badges all around. On the inside, classy Cognac leather – black pinstriped in the centres – for a proper classic look, even if the seats are a full carbon bucket.
Porsche 911 S/T: Price and availability
So now, the sticky issue of production numbers and price. Well, happily, the 911 S/T will be much more numerous than the 911 R it sort of succeeds, with 1,963 due to be made, celebrating the year the 911 was first introduced 60 years ago. Price is a little more of a talking point, given it starts at £250,000, rising to £275,000 with the heritage design pack.
A GT3 Touring at £147,000 suddenly looks great value, if you can get your name down… Regardless, we’re in no doubt that a quarter of a million pounds is the cheapest 911 S/T will ever be. Could it be the ultimate 911? We’ll have to wait and see…
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