New Porsche 911 heading to Frankfurt

Porsche has revealed its all new 911 (known as 991 internally), and will make its public debut at Frankfurt’s Motor Show in mid-September.

If it weren’t for the much thinner looking rear lights, you would be forgiven for thinking that the new 911 isn’t new at all.  Luckily mechanical changes aren’t as minimal as the styling. At launch the Carrera will have a 3.4-litre flat-six engine producing 350hp, while the Carrera S will have a 3.8-litre engine with 400hp.

The new 911 will have a seven-speed manual transmission – the first of any road car – as well as Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.  Acceleration times for PDK equipped cars from 0-62mph are 4.1 seconds for the Carrera S, and 4.4 seconds for the Carrera.  Top speed for the Carrera S is 188mph (300.8km/h) and 179 mph (286.4km/h) for the Carrera.

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Despite the new 911 being slightly bigger than the model it replaces, it is 45kg lighter thanks to the use of aluminium-steel construction.  It is also equipped with electro-mechanical power steering.

Porsche is claiming a 16 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, thanks to the use of stop/start technology, thermal management, electrical system recuperation, and its seven-speed gearboxes.  On the combined cycle, the Carrera consumes 8.2 litres per 100 km (34mpg) and emits 194g/km of C02, while the Carrera S uses 8.7 litres per 100 km (32mpg) and emits 205g/km of CO2.

European sales of the new 911 will begin on 3rd December, however order books will be open from 1st September.  Prices will start from 88,038 Euros for the Carrera, and 102,436 Euros for the Carrera S.  North American sales begin in February 2012 with prices starting at $82,100 for the Carrera, and $96,400 for the Carrera S.

Alex Kisiri