2010 Porsche 911 Turbo: Evolution of track star

PETER BLEAKNEY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Unmistakable styling and high-end interiors are hallmarks of the Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe, updated for 2010 with 3.8L bio-turbo flat-six engine.

Peter Bleakney

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

ESTORIL, PORTUGAL–If Charles Darwin was formulating his theories on the evolution of species today, he could easily include a chapter or two on the Porsche 911 (flat-sixus rapidus).

Porsche's iconic sports car has been around for 46 years – an eternity in automotive terms – yet its lineage can be traced back even further to a pre-war Beetle (VW) that formed the basic mechanical and stylistic template to which the 911 still adheres.

Like the platypus or Galapagos tortoise, the 911 is a bit of an, er, odd duck with its unique profile and a flat-six engine hung out perilously beyond the rear axle. Yet, through a gradual development process, the Porsche 911 has remained at the top of the sports car food chain for more than four decades.

And so we come to the alpha 2010 911 Turbo: the seventh generation of this 911 sub-species that first smoked its rear tires in 1975. Not an all-new car, this is a major refresh of the 997-based Turbo launched in 2006.

The 2010 911 Turbo goes on sale in Canada in January. Pricing for the Turbo Coupe starts at $165,300 with the Turbo Cabriolet at $178,400.

Visual upgrades for 2010 include new 19-inch forged Turbo II wheels (with the availability of racy centre-lock units), new LED running lights, larger exhaust tips and revised tallights. The big changes, however, lie beneath the skin.

The heart of the Turbo is a new dry sump 3.8 L bi-turbo, direct-injection flat-six that makes 500 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque (up 20 hp and 22 lb.-ft. from last year's 3.6 L Turbo). The standard six-speed manual transmission can be replaced with an optional seven-speed dual-clutch PDK sequential unit, which replaces the previous car's geriatric five-speed Tiptronic S. As with all Turbos since 1995, the car is all-wheel drive.

Other developments include tweaks to the all-wheel-drive and traction control systems, and an optional Porsche Torque Vectoring system that applies brake intervention to the inside rear wheel when cornering to reduce understeer.

Also new are active engine mounts that come with the Sport Chrono Package (standard kit on Canadian cars). First seen on the rear-drive-only 2010 911 GT3, these magnetically controlled mounts reduce transmitted vibration when driving easily, but clamp down hard when the going gets more aggressive, giving the car sharper reflexes and reducing axle hop under hard acceleration.

Depending on equipment levels, the Turbo is up to 25 kg lighter and 16 per cent more fuel efficient than the outgoing model – about 11.5 L/100 km (25 m.p.g.) on the combined European test cycle.

While these upgrades are all part of the Porsche evolutionary process, we can't discount the fact that an interloper from the Far East, the Nissan GT-R, recently came to the Turbo's natural habitat (the Nürburgring) and gained bragging rights by beating the Porsche's time around the famed German race circuit. This may have lent a certain sense of urgency to the Turbo's modifications.

There is certainly no lack of urgency in the way the new Turbo responds to right foot flexing. Forward thrust can be best described as laughably ridiculous. The fastest way to 100 km/h is in a Coupe fitted with the PDK transmission. The Sports Chrono Package includes Launch Control and a 10-second overboost function of 516 lb.-ft., enabling the car to blast to the century mark in an eyeball compressing 3.4 seconds (3.5 for the Cabriolet). The base car with six-speed manual takes a more leisurely 3.7 seconds – the published figure for such stalwarts as the Corvette Z06, Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche Carrera GT.

Porsche factory driver and Le Mans winner Romain Dumas threw the Turbo around the famed former F1 racetrack at Estoril – the first lap completely sideways like a WRC rally car while the second was a faster "clean" line. I rode shotgun, losing my grip on the oh-crap handle and my lunch.

During my more sedate negotiation of Estoril, the Turbo proved very easy to drive quickly, offering sensational grip, quick turn in and great balance. It was happy to settle into a perfectly manageable four-wheel drift that was easily massaged with gentle throttle and steering inputs.

In light of the fact that few 911 Turbos will be used in this way, half of my seat time was spent in a red Cabriolet coursing the scenic Portugese coastal and inland roads.

Yes, the ride is a bit stiff, even with the standard PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), but certainly not punishing. The $600 optional sport seats were tailored well for my thin frame. The interior is finely crafted and functional (save for the flimsy fold out cupholders).

For a cabriolet, the body structure feels solid. There are a few more cabin quivers than in the Coupe version, but the difference is negligible.

What you don't get is the classic flat-six song that naturally aspirated Porsche engines deliver. The Turbo is considerably quieter, and when you hammer it an angry whooosh comes from the tailpipes that sounds like a fire hose on full blast.

Porsche has bowed to pressure (mostly from pesky auto writers, it says) to offer proper shift paddles with the PDK transmission. They work well and come attached to a new three-spoke sports wheel – for $840. The wheel is not heated nor has multi-function capability, so if you want those features, stick with the standard unit with its obtuse push-me-pull-you buttons. The paddles will make their way into other Porsche products in the future.

For those into East-West grudge matches, the 2010 Turbo shaves 10 seconds off the previous model's Nürburgring lap time, crossing the line in 7 minutes, 39 seconds – just one second behind the Nissan GT-R.

Travel was provided to freelance writer Peter Bleakney by the automaker. pebleakney@sympatico.ca

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