Porsche Carrera S
Originally unveiled in 1963, the Porsche 911 has been around for 40 years. Form the onset, it has been a thoroughbred performance car, and today, it remains at the top of the list for many a car enthusiast, me included. Unlike other thoroughbreds, the modern Porsche 911 is built as a daily driver. The owner has a choice to drive it to the limits every time, or just toodle around in city traffic; the 911 will take it in its stride.
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| The unique 911 shape has been around for 40 years, and is as fresh as ever. |
After more than 14,000 race victories, the 911 is undoubtedly the most successful single model sports car in the world, not to mention its longest surviving shape. Yes, it is true that the body has ‘moulted’ somewhat over its span of existence, having been stretched, lowered, ‘fattened’ and slimmed down many times, but the silhouette has remained unchanged all along. It is actually quite incredible how the design engineers always manage to make each model stand out a little more than the previous one, putting on innovation after innovation and changing the features a little here and a little there, and coming out with a car that everybody wants.
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| This Porsche outline is really timeless |
At the invitation of Auto Eurokars Sdn Bhd, the local importers and distributors of Porsche cars, I took a short test drive in the Porsche 911 Carrera S. It has been almost 2 years since I last drove a Porsche, and naturally I was thrilled to bits with the car.
With 3.8 litres of displacement from a horizontally opposed 6 cylinder engine, the Carrera S has an output of 355 bhp, and torque of 400 Nm, both figures peaking at 6,600 rpm. What this means is that it will rocket from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 5.3 seconds (the one we tested was an automatic; the manual transmission model will do 4.8 seconds). Zero to 160 kilometres per hour is achieved in only 11.6 seconds. Top speed is 285 kilometres per hour.
Drive is to the rear wheels, through a 5-speed automatic gearbox with a‘Tiptronic’ manual shift option. ‘Manual’ shifting is done either by using the gear stick or push buttons on the steering. Traction control, which works with the ABS system, is standard.
The monococque chassis is fitted with McPherson struts at the front, and a multi-link arrangement at the rear. The Carrera S features a variable ratio steering system that is power assisted. Turning circle is good at 10.9 metres.
Fuel consumption is claimed to be 17.9 litres per 100 kilometres, (in accordance with 80/1268/EC standards) for urban usage, and 11.7 litres per 100 kilometres in combined usage. In real life, it is doubtful if any one can get 11.7 litres, because with a Porsche, you aren’t likely to drive to save fuel, unless you are running out of gas, and the nearest gas station is 100 kilometres away. The fuel tank capacity is 64 litres, which should give you a range of between 300 to 400 kilometres, depending on how you drive.
Inside, the seats are body hugging and are finished in black leather. The steering wheel is adjustable for height and reach, and together with the seat controls, allows one to obtain the best sitting position. Driver visibility, surprisingly, is excellent; the large glass area and very slim door pillars contribute greatly to this. I expected to be claustrophobic in the Carrera S, but again, I was pleasantly surprised. Somehow, the design engineers have managed to carve out a spacious cockpit. The Carrera is built as a 2 + 2 touring car, but it is quite obvious from the onset that rear passengers are not welcome. At best, the rear seats will take two little kids; I think adults are supposed to suffocate and die in the rear (joke).
As said before, the Porsche Carrera is built as a daily driver, and has all of the creature comforts. The air conditioner works well; but because of the confines of space, you should wear gloves if you want to be cool in the car, because the vents direct the cold air directly onto your hands. I turned up the thermostat.
There is an excellent sound system in the Carrera S. However, I only listened to it for a few moments; once we started moving, the radio was forgotten. Of course, I must mention that the Porsche is extremely easy to drive. It does not splutter, nor does it jerk at low speeds; it just drives like any other normal car, at any low speed you may want to crawl at. It was a pleasant drive from the Auto Eurocars showroom in Glenmarie to the back roads of Kuala Selangor where we could really let her rip.
Once in the open, the Porsche Carrera S comes alive! It responds instantaneously to throttle demand, the twin exhausts emit a throaty and powerful roar as the exhaust gases force their way out of the manifolds. Acceleration is breathtaking; I could go on forever like this!
I was advised not to switch the traction control off; not wanting to perform an airbag test, I complied. The Porsche is no less fun to drive with traction control on. In fact, without it, one can get into serious trouble, because of the immense power on tap. Anyway, with all systems go, the Carrera S handled superbly. We flew through a long sweeper at more than 200 kilometres per hour, and even though the car wallowed a little under the extreme sideways G-forces, it stayed on line throughout. Awesome! Just for the record, the brakes, suspension, and everything worked perfectly.
All too soon, it was time to head back to the showroom, and the real world. In a way, I was glad, because if I kept the car a little longer, I might not have wanted to give it back!
And where on earth would I find the RM810k to pay for it then?
