Introducing the 997 Turbo, Porsche was adding the 4. Chapter to the very successful history of turbocharged 911s. Again the sport scar manufacturer from Zuffenhausen managed to exceed the performance benchmark set with the 996 turbo which had defined new performance levels since 2000.
Also for this model the M64 based engine block of the 996 turbo was used. The engine was optimized, the most prominent technical innovation was the introduction of VTG (Variable Turbine Geometry). This system was developed in close cooperation with Borg Warner turbo system and uses guide vanes located in front of the turbine wheel modulating inflow angle and speed allowing quick throttle response and widening the available torque range also to lower rpm’s. VTG allows the engine to build up boost early like a small turbocharger would while not running out of boost in high rpm’s what a small turbocharger would. Neither Porsche nor Borg Warner invented this system; it was already used in Diesel engines much earlier. Due to the much higher exhaust gas temperatures in conventional turbocharged engines exceeding 1000°C it was never used in a production car before. Porsche implemented VTG and used high temperature alloying to withstand the higher exhaust gas temperatures.
These considerable research and development efforts resulted in a performance never experienced with a turbocharged engine before. Power output is 480bhp and 620Nm. These peak numbers are impressive but much more outstanding is the fact that the engine delivers 620Nm constantly from 1950 to 5000rpm allowing the 997 turbo to dash off in every situation immediately.
Porsche also offers the Sport Chrono package allowing a 10 second overboost period raising boost for an additional 0.2bar (2.9psi) upping torque to 680Nm.
As for all its predecessors, the 997 Turbo body kit was specifically designed implementing the requirements of the top model of the 911 product range. It uses a new front bumper with LED parking lights implemented in a horizontal bar running through the front air intake. The fog lights are moved to the corners of the bumpers. Large air intakes in front of the rear wheels are other obvious visual cues. The retractable rear wing is also one of the highlights, a feature which has been derived from the 996 Turbo. In addition to these changes, new wheels and brakes were introduced, the 19 inch wheels no longer feature hollow spoke design but are also very light.
The 997 turbo performance figures are absolutely stunning. Official figures communicated by Porsche state a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.7s and 3.4s with the automatic tiptronic S and a top speed of 311km/h. These figures proved to be conservative as various car magazines tested and timed lower numbers. Even more impressive is the elasticity performance, 40-60mph (64-97km/h) in second gear takes just 1 second. Therewith, the 997 turbo outperforms all his rivals by far while still being a good and reliable daily driver.
The 997 Turbo is also available as a convertible “Turbo Cabriolet” version capable of achieving similar performance numbers making it the fastest production convertible car on the world. Porsche invested serious research and development efforts to achieve best tensional stability and making the convertible version perform and handle nearly as good as the Turbo coupé. This required various minor modifications including the rear spoiler extending 30mm higher (compared to the coupé) in order to increase down force and stability at the rear.
