So, you’ve digested the news of batteries and electrically driven turbochargers in the new 992 GTS. But what if you’re so violently allergic to hybrids you can’t book an Uber without developing a rash? What if you want a base-model 911?
Well, the bread-and-butter Carrera returns too. Prices kick off precariously close to six figures, and in return you get a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six that’s never heard of e-boost or re-gen. Ahh, the good old days.
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The turbos nestled in the new Carrera are in fact the bigger blowers that used to live in the old GTS model. It’s also borrowed the intercooler from the old 911 Turbo. Porsche says the engine’s emissions are cleaner. Along the way it develops 389hp and 450Nm of torque.
That’s only a lift of around 6hp from the old Carrera, and you might wonder why Porsche went to the bother of bolting in bits from much faster 911s to only go from 0-100kph in 4.1 seconds – a sole tenth quicker than before. The engineers say it’s getting ever-harder to pull power out of non-hybrid engines without tripping over emissions legislation, so this hefty re-engineering is the result.
Now let’s tuck into how the new 911 looks, because wow, it’s unrecognizable. A complete about-face from Porsche, this, innit? If it wasn't for the badges, you’d think it was a Zonda.
Only joking. It’s a 911 and some mildly tweaked LED light units, revised bumpers for the Carrera that ape the old Turbo's frontage and apparently refreshed wheel designs aren’t much to write home about.
Inside however, there are some changes that will upset the purists. For a kick-off, a 911 is now a two-seater as standard. Yes, you can still have the +2 rear seats as a no-cost option, but in order to save 10kg in the homologation of the car’s weight, it’s now a two-er as standard.
The twisty starter has been binned for a nondescript button, and so has the physical, chronograph-like rev-counter. It’s now all-digital, like the Taycan. And the Macan. A slight loss of Porsche DNA, perhaps?
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
