Year after year, the Porsche 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S Coupes just keep getting better, not through revolutionary re-engineering, but through sometimes subtle changes that take place beneath the cars?now-classic silhouette.

The enhancements continue for the 2007 model year with such new standard features as leather seating surfaces and tire-pressure monitoring technology. The optional navigation system has been expanded to include maps of Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as the rest of North America. There even a new exterior paint color Meteor Grey Metallic as well as new optional 19-inch wheel designs.

Such changes may not be dramatic, but they illustrate Porsche on-going enhancement of the venerable 911, which is now in its sixth generation since being launched at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show. While the powerplant continues to be a horizontally opposed lat?six-cylinder, that rear-mounted engine now generates 325 horsepower in its 3.6-liter version that propels the 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and 355 horsepower in the larger, 3.8-liter variation found in the 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe.

The 911 has been constantly refined over the course of more than 40 years, and the result is a nimble, dynamic sports car that is at home on the road or the racetrack.

The 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera and 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupes may look similar to the 911s that came before, but they are thoroughly updated models inside and out. They feature six-speed manual transmissions or optional Tiptronic ?S automatic gearboxes with shift buttons on the steering wheel, variable-ratio rack-and-pinion steering, Porsche Active Suspension Management (optional on the 911 Carrera and standard on the 911 Carrera S), an optional Sport Chrono Package Plus that enhances 2007 911 Carrera / Carrera S Coupe 2 performance and records and displays lap times, as well as a passenger compartment with several seating options and a long list of active and passive safety equipment.

For example, for the newest generation of the 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S Coupes, Porsche engineers widened the track, improved suspension, steering, braking and aerodynamics, and increased not only engine output but also fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, designers created an even more athletic and aerodynamic body and a new and roomier interior compartment for people and their gear.

New technologies and advances in lubricants extend service intervals and should contribute to a lower cost of ownership during the lifespan of the 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S Coupes. Oil changes are required only every 20,000 miles, air filters last until 40,000 miles and spark plugs should be changed at 60,000 miles.

Every 2007 Porsche vehicle sold in the United States or Canada is covered by a fouryear/50,000-mile (80,000 kilometer), bumper-to-bumper limited warranty, which includes Porsche roadside assistance program. The galvanized body and 26-step paint and anti-corrosion process enable Porsche to warrant each car against rust perforation for 10 years and unlimited mileage.

We've said it before, but news travels fast on the web. Especially when it's powered by a 530bhp boxer six engine strung out over the rear wheels.

Yes, this is the Porsche 911 GT2. You weren't meant to find out about it for weeks and weeks, but some lightfingered soul in the Porsche factory managed to smuggle out a few details today. And, as these things have a tendency to do, it all went a bit ballistic over the web.

So the gents over at Zuffenhausen have responded by giving TopGear.com all the juicy details about the fastest 911 ever. They're nice like that.

The biggest news is the mighty horsepower of the 911's turbocharged 3.6-litre boxer six. Over 500 horses is a stunning figure - 72bhp more than the 911 Turbo, with torque of 505lb ft from just 2,200rpm - and it's been produced, says Porsche, by concentrating on efficiency.

Large intake air compressors and variable turbine geometry don't just squeeze every possible ounce of power from the six cylinders (but no doubt the Porsche engineers will find another few bhps in there next year), but also have a positive effect on the GT2's economy. Not that you'll be returning Prius-bashing mpg figures, we fear.

With the GT2 tipping the scales at just under a tonne-and-a-half, it's set to be frightening quick. Porsche is quoting a 0-60mph time of 3.6 seconds and 7.4 seconds to 100mph, but it is well known for being circumspect over its performance figures.

The GT2 will also be the first road Porsche to top 200mph in production guise. At 204mph (only on a track, as Porsche is keen to point out), you'll probably be glad for the strengthened bodyshell and six airbags on board. Actually, at 204mph you'll probably be glad if you can see straight.

In the styling department there are no big surprises, the GT2 looking every bit the lairy cousin of the GT3 RS and the Turbo. A deep eggcrate grill at the front and a revised wing at the back keep air going in and over smoothly, and while it's not the most beautiful 911 ever, there's no doubting that it'll eat just about anything off the lights.

Porsche was even kind enough to tell us how much the 911 GT2 will set us back when it reaches British shores in November. A curiously precise £131,070 will secure your spec'd GT2, as well as Porsche's Vehicle Tracking System and Driving Experience course.

Failing that, book yourself a flight to Frankfurt for a closer look at the motor show in September.

Stuttgart. Presenting the new 911 GT2 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is proudly launching the most powerful 911 so far homologated for road use. Through its striking design with large air intakes at the front and the rear wing so characteristic of this very special model, the new 911 GT2 expresses the power and performance potential of the fastest-ever 911 right from the start even at a standstill. Available exclusively with rear-wheel drive and a manual six-speed gearbox, this high-performance athlete accelerates to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 329 km/h (204 mph) on average fuel consumption of just 12.5 litres/100 km (equal to 22.6 mpg imp) in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), thus offering a level of fuel economy regarded as quite impossible in this performance class just a few years ago.

The power unit of the new 911 GT2 is based on the six-cylinder boxer engine of the 911 Turbo, with air supply by two exhaust gas turbochargers featuring variable turbine geometry (VTG). The 3.6-litre boxer engine achieves its maximum output of 530 bhp (390 kW) at 6500 rpm, with maximum torque of 680 Newton-metres maintained consistently between 2,200 and 4,500 rpm. With its unladen weight of 1,440 kg or 3,175 lb, finally, the 911 GT2 offers a power-to-weight ratio of just 2.72 kg/6.00 lb per horsepower.

The increase in engine power by 50 bhp over the ”regular“ power unit is provided in the new 911 GT2 by two turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and a flow-optimised turbine housing raising turbocharger pressure to an even higher level. And for the first time Porsche’s engineers have combined the turbocharged engine with an expansion-type intake manifold – a genuine revolution on turbocharged power units.

The expansion intake manifold uses the principle of oscillating air in the intake manifold during the cooler expansion phase, keeping the temperature of the fuel/air mixture lower than in the 911 Turbo. This, in turn, means a significant increase in all-round efficiency, with fuel consumption down by up to 15 per cent under full load despite the increase in engine output.

The 911 GT2 offers new achievements also in terms of emission management and control: This is the first Porsche homologated for the road to feature a rear silencer and tailpipes made of titanium as standard equipment. This expensive material reduces weight by approximately 50 per cent versus a comparable component made of stainless steel to just 9 kg.

The new 911 GT2 comes as standard with PCCB brakes featuring brake discs made of a composite carbon fibre/ceramic compound ensuring maximum stopping power maintained with an extremely high level of consistency. A further advantage is that PCCB brakes reduce the weight of the unsprung masses versus comparable grey cast-iron discs by approximately 20 kg or 44 lb.

Yet another feature fitted as standard is the electronically controlled PASM Porsche Active Suspension Management. (PASM). The GT2 comes on 19-inch light-alloy wheels running at the front on 235/35 ZR 19, at the rear on 325/30 ZR 19 sports tyres.

The new 911 GT2 will be at the dealership in November 2007. The base price of the car in Germany is Euro 159,100.-, the market price including 19 per cent value-added tax Euro 189,496