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All the talk is about the torque

Whytar

Well-known member
Joined
3 Jan 2015
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661
So I've been watching reviews and reading in earnest about this new 991.2 Porsche 911 that is apparently going to render all that has gone before redundant. Although there are some modest horsepower hikes, all the talk seems to be about the increase in torque across the range for these all new turbocharged 3.0 litre engines. Apparently the driveabilty and refinement is second to none, they swear we will all love the exhaust note and that within no time at all we will have all forgotten about the long linage of naturally aspirated engines that made Porsche so famous in the beginning.
Well I'm not so sure...

The word on the street is that all 369Nm of torque will be available from a lowly 1700rpm and that the torque curve is flatter than ever. I'm sure this is true and I have no argument here. The thing that I have concerns with is that Porsche have built a heritage on being a race car manufacturer first and a road car maker second. Thus, the reason we all went out and bought these cars is that we felt we were buying a small part of this 60 years of racing DNA.

Now excuse me if I'm wrong, but this new turbo charged engine with it's 1700rpm full torque offering must, in my opinion, lose some of that drama by offering such immediate performance. Many modern performance cars drive this way and offer some incredible statistics, but they are just statistics, not necessarily driving pleasure.

I love the crescendo that builds across the rev range in my 911. I love how you can feel the cams start to work, breathing ever increasing energy into the motor. I relish in the way a 911 teases you with its aural notes until you persevere with a single gear for no other reason other than to soak up the song only a Porsche can play near the redline. It's a process, a performance, a rite of passage that endears the Porsche owner further into their car's potential. Should I fear this will be lost with the new generation?

Call me old or sentimental or both, but I felt a duty to put down my own thoughts on this changing of the guard in the world of 911 ownership. I dreamt as a teenager about driving a 911 every day, as a 20 something I worked out ways of owning one, and as a 30 something I eventually reaslised my dream. Now on my 4th Porsche I can't help but feel that the iconic presence of a Porsche may forever be different. The sound and feel has never left me. I know in my heart what makes a Porsche a Porsche. And it isn't born from a spreadsheet or a computer program...

Instant and devastating acceleration seems to be the measurement of the day, Nurburgring times reign supreme, I get that, but little compares to having to literally work for the performance that a 911 'potentially' offers. I use the word love again, but I do love the relationship that builds over time between an owner and their 911. It takes time to explore and exploit the performance, it takes time to work up to a competent level of mutual talent. It takes time to understand your car and it's capabilities. Will this become a little valued commodity with the modern interpretation of the 911? Will the devastating performance just become expected, will it be normal for a 911 to pull back it's skirt at 2000prm and show it's all?

I hope not.

Porsche just have a way of building upon what came before. Rarely are they disappointing and frequently do they delight. Let's all hope as lovers of our unique marque, that Porsche get this right and don't forget the reasons we all love this car.
 
Whytar, an excellent reasoned argument. :thumb:

Will be really interesting to see if the 991.2 becomes a plateau in the 911's long development, or if it indeed becomes a step improvement in the hands of actual every day road users.

Time will tell, and no what the internet/magazines say, the only way I'll be able to judge is through the seat of my pants around town and by giving it the full beans on the open road. :?: Look forwards to getting my hands on a demo. :D
 
all this talk of talk, you would think it's a diesel engine :dont know: the question i will when i come to change, is what's the power like in the upper rpm range, the 911 party piece :?:
 

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