New-gen Porsche 911 Turbo caught testing for the first time

The new-generation 911 is coming sooner than we know. Porsche had been spotted extensively testing the 992-generation (speculated) sports car on many occasions. Now, for the first time, our spy sleuths caught the potent Turbo variant of the 911 doing rounds near the carmaker’s headquarters in Stuttgart.

The tell-tale sign of the test mule being the powerful Turbo is the massive air-vent placed just behind the doors. The air-vent is essentially a trademark for the Turbo 911 in all the generations before. Apart from the characteristic vent, the Turbo mule differs from the standard 911 prototypes in terms of a straighter front skirt and a straight crease to the hood up front. There are massive lower air intakes which look rather squared-off as well.

The prototype also seems to have a wider track than the standard car. Especially at the rear where there are extended wheel arches that look like a bolt-on widebody kit. The dual circular exhaust adds the aggressive touch but the concealed rear diffuser and air-vents are yet to be seen properly. The spoiler might be a modern electronically deployable one similar to the one seen on the new-gen Panamera. The four-point LED headlights and sleek singular LED strip tail lights are also present. 

There is no clear view of the cabin at the moment. However, previous sightings have confirmed an inclusion of digital screen in the instrument binnacle. There might even be an all-digital unit akin to Audi’s Virtual Cockpit. But that will put off a lot of purists who prefer the intriguing dials and gauges of the current car. 

Then there is the engine. The turbocharged flat-six sitting behind the driver is expected to get a boost in output. It isn’t known yet to what extent, but the current generation’s top-spec Turbo puts out 580 horsepower. So we expect the new powertrain to cross the 600 horsepower mark with the standard all-wheel-drive keeping all the proceedings in check. The 600bhp output isn’t completely unbelievable since the ultra-exclusive Turbo S Exclusive was belting out 607 ponies. With the bump in power, a sub-two second time for the 0-100kmph is on the cards.

The current generation 991 has been around for more than half a decade now. Although the 991.2 was revised for the 2016 model year, it wasn’t an all-new generation. Therefore, Porsche is busy developing the new-gen 911 since a year now. The 911 Turbo will arrive after the standard 911 breaks cover sometime later this year as a 2019 model year.