We are slowly approaching the debut of the next-generation Porsche 911 and even more preliminary details are becoming available. Codenamed 992, the new 911 lineup will consist of a plethora of derivatives, including the standard model, a Turbovariant, a hybrid, a convertible, and – of course – a GT3 performance version.

As shocking as it sounds, the latter is rumored to ditch its naturally aspirated flat-six engine in favor of a more technologically advanced turbo unit. According to a Stuttgart-based source, quoted by Autocar, the 2020 911 GT3 and the more track-oriented 911 GT3 RS will adopt a heavily modified version of today’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo boxer engine of the company.

According to the British magazine’s intel with direct links to Porsche Motorsport, the new GT3 will have somewhere in the region of 513 horsepower (382 kilowatts), making it equally powerful to today’s 911 GT3 RS. That would represent a healthy boost over the 493 hp (368 kW) of the current 911 GT3 and, most importantly, the torque will be significantly increased to approximately 524 pound-feet (710 Newton-meters).

As for the lesser versions of the new 911 series, the Carrera and Carrera S models, Porsche has plans to upgrade its current 3.0-liter flat-six turbo unit and give it a boost in the output. More interestingly, a hybrid 911 could finally become reality soon, combining the aforementioned 3.0-liter engine with an electric motor and an 11-kWh lithium-ion battery pack for a combined output of about 480 hp (358 kW).

Given the latest fully revealing spy photos of the new 911, we are probably very close to the official debut date of the 992 family. Of course, Porsche will initially launch the standard models before the year’s end, which will be followed by the Turbo, hybrid, and GT3/GT3 RS variants later during the vehicle’s lifecycle. The first versions should be out early October at the Paris Motor Show.

The 964-generation Porsche 911 Carrera RS was never sold in the United States. Instead, we got the RS America, a watered down version that lacked many of the real RS's weight-saving upgrades. Now that the real 964 RS is more than 25 years old, though, we're finally able to import them to the US and get a taste for ourselves.

Eli Kogan, the subject of this latest Petrolicious video, recently got the chance to purchase a Maritime Blue Carrera RS from a friend that was originally imported from Japan. Kogan says he appreciates Porsche's decision to design the RS based on the 964 Cup racer, adapting many of the race car's lightweight improvements for road use. That means reduced sound-deadening, no airbags, and less crash structure to weight the car down.

Kogan also says that unlike some Porsche models, which need parts from newer cars to be more fun, the 964 Carrera RS was expertly equipped right from the factory. It doesn't need a lager wing, or different wheels, or bigger brakes—it's perfect, and that's what makes it special.

Check out the full Petrolicious video below.

The concept study, presented during the 70th birthday of the sports car manufacturer, will be produced as a limited special edition: Porsche has decided to start producing the purist Porsche 911 Speedster in the first half of 2019. Exactly 1,948 units of the open-top two-seater will be built. The number reminisces the Porsche 356 "Number 1" that received its operating license on June, 8 back in 1948. At the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Porsche presented the second Speedster Concept study of 2018. Its Guards Red paintwork is a reference to the 1988 911 Speedster of the G-Model generation. The new cross-spoke 21-inch wheels in cross spoke and the black leather interior create a tasteful and sporty appearance.

Dream becomes reality: The driveable 911 Speedster Concept, initially presented on June 8 in 2018 in Zuffenhausen as a "Heritage" version, will go into production in 2019. The car was developed at Porsche Motorsport in Weissach in cooperation with Style Porsche and Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.

The future 911 Speedster, based on the 991 range, will be the first car to be offered with the new Heritage Design Packages. This exclusive accessory line by Porsche Exclusive allows for an even higher degree of personalization for the 911.

In addition to the eye-catching paintwork, 21-inch center lock wheels are another visual highlight of this latest concept study presented in Paris. Their cross-spoke wheel design is similar to that of Porsche racing cars such as the 911 RSR and the GT3 R. The tinted day-time running lights were also inspired by racing. Matching the study's paintwork, they are kept in red. The two "Talbot"-shaped exterior mirrors as well as the fuel tank cap - centrally positioned on the bonnet - shine in black-chrome and platinum. In contrast to the previously shown "Heritage" version, the interior is using partly perforated black leather upgraded with red highlights.

All body components as well as the entire technology of both the 911 Speedster Concept cars are identical. This includes the shortened window frames with their lowered cowl top panels and the smaller side windows as well as the carbon-fibre rear bonnet with the double-bubble cover behind the seats. Both cars come with a lightweight Tonneau cover, fitted by Tenax buttons, instead of a convertible soft top.

The concept cars' body is based on the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet. The fenders, as well as the front and rear bonnet are made from lightweight carbon fibre composite while the chassis was taken from the 911 GT3. Furthermore, the GT development department provided the exhaust system with its titanium tailpipes and the drivetrain including the manually operated six-speed gearbox. The same goes for the centrepiece of the limited special edition: The Speedster Concept is powered by a naturally-aspirated flat-six engine developing more than 500 hp and capable of engine speeds up to 9,000 rpm.

Just when we thought we’ve seen everything done to classic Porsches, famous McLaren specialist Lanzante announces the production of a Porsche 930 Turbo fitted with real TAG F1 V6 engines. And we mean real ex-F1 race engines.

For years, there was this legend talking about McLaren fitting a Porsche 911 with the TAG Turbo F1 engine that later powered its F1 cars between 1984 and 1987. McLaren eventually showcased that car at its factory a few years ago, confirming the legend.

Fast forward to today, when Lanzante announced in an Instagram post that they got permission from McLaren Racing to build a further 11 cars, each with a TAG F1 engine that has actually raced in F1. Now imagine being able to say that your car is powered by an engine that has won an F1 race. It is simply insane.

The first of the “new” F1-powered Porsche 930s was showcased at the Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca but somehow it went unnoticed, until now. Wearing just a set of RUF wheels, this really special Porsche 911 adopts a rather understated look. The interior hosts a pair of lovely bucket seats and that’s it, well, until you take a look at the rev-counter that has ‘TAG Turbo’ written on it and features a redline at 9,000rpm. Oh, an a water temperature gauge as well.

TAG’s twin-turbo TTE P01 1.5-liter V6 engine was able to deliver over 1,000hp in qualifying spec according to some reports, but we still don’t know what kind of power it will make when nestled into the 911’s bottom or if the cars are going to be legal for road use. We reached out to Lanzante and we’ll update once we hear from them.

Lanzante Motorsport are the same people responsible for the McLaren P1 GT and the P1 LM, which is the road-legal version of the P1 GTR. Their relationship with McLaren goes years back and includes a Le Mans win in 1995 with the Lanzante- prepped Veno Clinic F1 GTR.

Sorry Singer, but an F1-powered Porsche 930 will always be the king of the classic 911 family in our books.

The V6 was accompanied by twin turbochargers supplied by a German firm, KKK. With high boost levels in mind, the designers took into consideration the issue of pre-detonation. By relying on a narrow 30-degree angle between the intake and exhaust valves, the compact combustion chamber limited surface area, which reduced the likelihood of knock. The bore and stroke were 82 and 47.3 mm, respectively, which allowed for high revs. When it debuted at the end of the 1983 season at the Dutch Grand Prix, its rev limit was set to 11,800 rpm and generated 715 hp in race trim.

Though Porsche was confident in its motor, it was the diplomatic Niki Lauda who went behind Dennis’ back and convinced Marlboro — McLaren’s main sponsor — that the motor had to be sorted before the ’84 season began. With the cigarette titan on his side, Lauda was able to race with the new powerplant for the last three seasons of 1983 and sort out some of the teething issues. By the following year, they started on a strong note with McLaren’s Alain Prost winning the first race at Rio de Janeiro. In its first full season, the engine produced 820 hp in races and 870 hp in qualifying. By 1987, its last year of competition, the motor revved all the way to 12,600 rpm while power rose to 960 hp and 1,060 hp in race and qualifying trim, respectively.

The Porsche 911 Turbo is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2014. Hans Mezger, an engine expert and one of the Turbo’s founding fathers, took the occasion to journey from the past to the present—with two charged-up companions.

The sports-oriented gentleman likes checkered upholstery. The light-green leather is a perfect example, framing not only the sports seats. The radio has an integrated cassette deck. A long thin gearshift emerges from the center console. You can’t miss the “H” on its knob—with gears one, two, three, and four—to make sure drivers know what comes next.

But shifting remains a complex task. Despite the little diagram, drivers have to not only find the right slot, but also feel it. To accelerate from second gear (bottom left) to third (upper right), you’ve got to pay attention to the signals traveling from the palm of your right hand to your brain. Light resistance will require a gentle change of course. It’s what we might call a sensitive approach, even for Hans Mezger, whom the industry press once christened the “Engine Pope” and the “father of all Porsche Turbo engines.” He knows the inner workings of the car like no one else, but before this fortieth anniversary tour he hadn’t driven the museum piece in years.


A first-generation Porsche 911 Turbo, built in 1976. It has an air-cooled boxer engine with six cylinders, turbo-charging, a three-liter displacement, and 260 hp (191 kW) at 5,500 rpm. Torque of 253 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm. It needs 5.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph, and has a peak speed of more than 155 mph. Its fuel consumption (converted to the current New European Driving Cycle – NEDC) translates to 15.7 mpg. A timeless beauty in oak green, with a drive system that has always been the measure of all things and is once again expected to enjoy a great future.


Two kings of the road and “Engine Pope” Mezger at Castle Solitude near Stuttgart.
Mezger quickly becomes animated when talking about his Turbo, with which he has a lot in common. A fit man in his mid-eighties, he’s in the same good shape as the sports car. The fact that you need as much strength to steer as you do to shift and brake makes him excited. “This is what driving a car is really like,” he says with pleasure, and pushes down on the accelerator to the point that makes the Turbo into a Turbo. When the rev counter shows around 3,700 rpm, the turbocharger in the rear springs to life and vehemently presses more air into the combustion chambers.

That’s the moment when you’re pressed back into the seat without warning and imagine Apollo 11 going into second-stage ignition. The Turbo takes off. “The Turbo gets going when other engines die down,” says Mezger with satisfaction. “And that just adds to the driving pleasure.” It’s a high-performance principle that, back then, took a little getting used to for most drivers. The Turbo—a sports car right from the pit lane.


Double charge: The 930 Turbo and 991 Turbo on the historical Solitude racetrack.
In the early 1970s, Porsche put fear into the hearts of its competitors in the popular Can-Am series. Naturally aspirated induction engines with seven- or eight-liter displacements had been setting the tone, but Porsche drove to win after win with the 917 and its considerably smaller displacement. The car’s turbo drive principle had actually been considered unsuitable for racing. Although no one disputed its higher output, they thought its response properties were inadequate. The turbine needed a lot of time and high rpm levels before it finally went into action.

Mezger, who is a qualified engineer, and his colleagues from the racing engine department discovered how to get around that. The turbocharger was made smaller, and the exhaust gases that were not used were channeled past the charger with the help of a bypass system. “All of the auxiliary systems that we applied already existed,” recalls Mezger. “They had just been used incorrectly and discarded. We rediscovered—and reinvented—them.”

The 917/30 Spyder of 1973 generated 1,200 hp (882 kW) with a 5.4-liter displacement. By changing the regulations, however, the Americans did away with the fearsome winner. The oil crisis came, and everyone including the FIA was suddenly thinking about fuel efficiency and production-based racing cars. Porsche had already made the decision to let series cars share in the Turbo’s success. In the fall of 1973, Porsche presented the first 911 Turbo at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA). It was something of a premature birth, from which 400 road-going vehicles were to be produced as the basis for a racing car. In 1974 the first road-going 911 Turbo then appeared at the motor show in Paris.

The car was initially the object of internal controversy. The sales department thought it would never fly, considering it too sporty and also too pricey at 65,800 German marks (US$ 24,343 at the 1974 exchange rate with the West German currency)—and that during the oil crisis. To promote sales, the Turbo was fitted out as a high-end 911. But still the unsettling question remained: Would Porsche be stuck with the 400 cars?

In August 1975, Mezger and Ernst Fuhrmann, the board member in charge of technology, set off on a trip to Columbus, Ohio, to display the car. The journalists were shocked by its unusual driving properties at first—but then quickly became fans. “It was as if they had all been waiting for a car like that,” says Mezger. The automotive press touted the “mania on wheels,” and the 400 Turbos were quickly snapped up. More than 30,000 Turbos were sold until the end of the air-cooled 911 engines in the mid-1990s. “Without the 917, there probably never would have been a 911 Turbo,” he observes. The car from the pit lane had arrived.

Change of scene: Mezger leaves the checkered upholstery for an all-leather black sports seat with fully electric eighteenway adjustment and a steering wheel with shift paddles. He’s now operating a water-cooled 3.8-liter boxer engine with direct fuel injection, VarioCam Plus (stepless inlet-side timing and lift), and bi-turbo-charging with variable turbine geometry (VTG). You’ll search in vain for a shift-stick knob with an “H” on the sloping center console of the latest generation of the Porsche 911 Turbo S. The Turbo’s power can now be put to optimum use only via an automated seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. We’re talking 560 hp (412 kW), and an average fuel consumption in the NEDC that translates to over 24 mpg.

The sports car drives commandingly down the country road with an engine that can wait patiently until its power is needed. “Downsizing,” remarks Mezger suddenly, while taking a gradual curve to the left. “The word didn’t exist back then, but that’s exactly what we did when we got the best possible output from small engines with low fuel consumption.” During the Porsche Turbo’s stretch of victories on the racetrack, Mezger often gave talks at universities and to engineering associations. Everyone wanted to know more about the performance-boosting power of the underlying principle. He always pointed out that turbocharging is also superbly suited to reducing fuel consumption.

“No one was interested in that back then,” he notes. And when the Turbos slowly disappeared from racetracks in the late 1980s under the dictate of new regulations, he considered that a step backward. “The charger also dampened. That means the Turbos were quieter than other racing cars and had fewer emissions. It’s only now that everyone is talking about downsizing with Turbo support.”

Porsche has always been consistent in its thought and development, to this day keeping engines small and increasing their efficiency. The best example is this 911 Turbo S in the sure hands of Hans Mezger. “It has 560 horsepower,” he says and shakes his head. “Thirty years ago we were winning major races with this output. And today you can take it out on a Sunday drive. Compared to those days, all you have to do now is steer.” Time goes by, and the Turbo does more than endure: it flourishes.

Fuel efficiency: Turbo object lesson from the Formula One

Formula One driver Niki Lauda (left) and Hans Mezger at the racetrack in 1985.
Company founder Ferry Porsche was always clear: “We race in order to build the best sports cars for the road.” This alliance always served the Porsche 911 Turbo well, which owes its existence to the Porsche 917/30 Spyder. A perpetual winner in the Can-Am series, it was known to the Americans as the “German tank.” Even after its Can-Am career, the 917/30 with driver Mark Donohue at the wheel set a new world record for circuit courses in 1975 on the 2.65-mile high-speed oval in Talladega, Alabama, with an average speed of 221.1 mph.

But engine expert Hans Mezger had another favorite when it came to the fuel efficiency of Turbo engines, namely, the Formula One assembly that Porsche developed in the 1980s as a TAG Turbo for McLaren. Thanks to exhaust gas charging, its 1.5-liter V6 engine generated well over 800 hp (588 kW). The regulations limited gasoline consumption depending on the type of engine, which led to a dispute in Kyalami in South Africa in April of 1984. Niki Lauda and Alain Prost were out alone in front in their McLaren TAG Turbo, winning easily after 75 circuits and 191 miles. The rest of the field was lapped or left at the side with an empty tank. The competitors suspected fraud and lodged a protest, claiming that performance of this type could not have been possible. McLaren had to open up the tanks for inspection. Everything was in order. McLaren won world championship honors three times in a row with the Porsche Turbo.

If you tuned in to RM Sotheby’s Porsche 70th Anniversary auction, held at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia, you’d know that gold is hot right now. That’s because a persistent bidder in the auction room kept his paddle up long enough to outlast the myriad competitors both at the auction and on the telephone to pay a huge $3,415,000 (including buyers’ premium) for the much-hyped 2018 Porsche 911 Turbo Classic Series “Project Gold.”

So just what is “Project Gold?” It’s a one-off car designed to show the scope of the Porsche Classic operation, Porsche’s in-house department that services, restores and provides parts and support for the brand’s heritage vehicles. “Project Gold” is based on a left over 993 Turbo body shell that was supposedly laying about Porsche’s Zuffenhausen headquarters, collecting dust in a warehouse until recently. The decision was made to build up the shell into what is effectively a brand-new 993-generation 911 Turbo, famously known as the last of the air-cooled models. The one-off project build also showed off contemporary features, pulling its color from today’s 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series palate.

t took Porsche one and a half years to build “Project Gold,” using over 52,000 genuine parts pulled from Porsche’s part shelves including rear fender air vents as used on the 993 Turbo S series of cars. The 3.6-liter flat-six air-cooled engine was built from scratch using the Porsche parts catalog and develops 42 horsepower more than a stock 993 Turbo, for 450 hp total. The gains came from the “Werksleistungssteigerung II” power kit, which is a too-long term for larger turbochargers, an extra oil cooler, and a tuned Bosch Motronic ECU. The gearbox was also built using available Porsche Classic parts.

The body was given two coats of Golden Yellow Metallic paint, along with a final clear coat stage, while the interior was treated to black leather with gold stitching and various carbon-fiber trim bits. Turn signals were specially tinted, the wheels feature custom paint involving the use of a laser, and even the Litronic headlights were customized in the process of the build. Following construction, the car was thoroughly shook down at the Porsche Development Center at Weissach, where the car passed all its final quality control tests.

No doubt “Project Gold” is an impressive feat of engineering, customization and devotion to the Porsche brand and ethos, but it does fall prey to the same condition as many other “recreation” and “continuation series” classic-inspired vehicles being built around the world today in that it cannot be legally road registered and is sold on only a bill of sale. That means that should the new owner want to use this new toy on the road, “unconventional” methods will have to be used. Then again “Project Gold” will likely be stashed safely inside climate-controlled storage for most of its days given its value.

The golden lining? All money raised by the sale beyond $174,546 (what Porsche says the car would have MSRP’d for in 1998) will be given to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, a non-profit charity.

Perhaps caught up in the excitement, the high bidder for the very next auction lot, a 1980 Porsche 924 (albeit a pristine, 11,000-mile car in a lovely shade of blue), paid $53,760, or approximately 50 times the asking price of your typical worn-out Craigslist example. At least it can be legally street driven.

Porsche has revealed the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport, a limited-edition racing version of the street-legal GT2 RS.

Based on the outgoing 991 series, the single-seat race car is powered by the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat six as the street car. It delivers 700 horsepower via a paddle-shifted dual-clutch transmission.

The interior has been whittled down to a single seat with a six-point harness and necessary safety cage. Despite its light 3,064-pound weight, the Clubsport retains air conditioning to keep the interior cool on the track.

"For the upcoming years, our customers will not only race the GT2 RS Clubsport during open track days but also at international motor racing events," says Porsche motorsport VP Frank-Steffen Walliser. "We are currently holding very productive talks with the race organizer SRO."

Only 200 examples will be manufactured, each priced at $478,000 with deliveries scheduled to begin in May.