new, lusty 2017 Porsche 911<\/a> setting the bar once again for balanced, jaw-dropping performance. That unmistakable, fast-back shape is the product of years of high performance testing, highly skilled engineers and a tried-and-true architecture.<\/p>\n\u201cWe always want to offer our customers the best concept from the best engine, best body and chassis. The combination of all these makes the 911 \u2014 including the rear-placed engine,\u201d says engineer Bruno Kistner, 47, based in Weissach, Germany. \u201cIts day-to-day usability, race track performance and design are unique. It\u2019s a Porsche.\u201d<\/p>\n
As drivetrain manager, Kistner puts the 911\u2019s so-called boxster, flat-6 cylinder engine through some extraordinary calisthenics to make sure it\u2019s not just production worthy, but track worthy, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cPorsche thinks differently,\u201d he says. \u201cYou won\u2019t see this type of testing at BMW or Audi. They would say it\u2019s a nonsense test.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s this relentless pursuit of perfection that has kept the 911\u2019s rear engine architecture competitive \u2014 while at the same time applying its own inherent advantages. Better braking thanks to less weight shift to the front wheels. Better interior room for rear seats. Better, lower center of gravity.<\/p>\n
And traction, traction, traction. With more weight over the rear wheels, the 911 has consistently ranked with all-wheel-drive cars for best acceleration off the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to use an all-new AWD drive system on our latest 911 to finally make the AWD drive car accelerate any faster over the rear-drive car,\u201d says Atlanta-based Frank Weismann, 35, product experience manager for Porsche Sportscars North America.<\/p>\n
That formula also pays dividends at the race track. \u201cLook at Long Beach,\u201d says Weismann, speaking of Porsche\u2019s recent, dramatic victory there. \u201cIt\u2019s a street course where it\u2019s essential to accelerate out of a corner. The 911 was all over the Corvette.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every 911 is baselined to track performance. And every 911 is baselined to its predecessor. Porsche\u2019s heritage runs deep \u2014 and though the company makes midengine Caymans and front-engine SUVs, that heritage is synonymous with the rear-engine 911\u2019s distinctive silhouette.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 911 evolved out of the 356 that evolved out of the Beetle. So there is that lineage, and at Porsche a lot of the development has to do with tried-and-true basic layouts and dependability,\u201d Weismann says.<\/p>\n
But tradition doesn\u2019t mean ignoring progress. Indeed, even as the 911\u2019s iconic architecture has remained familiar, it has been on the cutting edge of development over the years, from water-cooled engines to turbocharging to rear-wheel steering.<\/p>\n
The 2017 911 is no different \u2014 for the first time employing turbocharging in its base model.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a revolution to bring it into the 911 \u2014 and not just for the (high performance) 911 Turbo,\u201d says Kistner. \u201cThe techniques are just an evolution. To change from a naturally-aspirated engine to a turbo we could have done it differently. But we only changed the displacement from 3.4 to 3.0\u00a0\u2014 that\u2019s almost nothing. Again because we wanted to figure out the best combination. We don\u2019t call it turbo downsizing \u2014 its turbo right-sizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porsche\u2019s challenges don\u2019t just come from competitors such as Ferrari and Corvette \u2014 but from governments as well. Kistner and Weismann see coming global warming regulations as the most challenging the industry ever has faced. And not just the US government\u2019s 54.5 mpg-by-2025 mandate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Europe, a significant revision in 2018 (will be) how the fuel economy cycle is conducted,\u201d says Weismann. \u201cThat\u2019s making Bruno\u2019s job a lot more challenging. Emissions mandates are not the only reason (for the 911\u2019s turbo engine) \u2013 but government\u2019s an important factor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kistner sees the turbo as a bridge to other technologies as rules tighten. Will we see an electric-hybrid 911 someday? Kistner is mum. But whatever the energy source, you know the 911 will be hanging the engine out the back and leading the pack up front.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Porsche 911 is a living legend. Now in its 53rd year of production, it is the world\u2019s most iconic sports car badge. It is the dream car of every young gearhead. It is the winningest race thoroughbred on the planet. And yet, it is an anachronism. With its engine still hanging out the rear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19003"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19003"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19004,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19003\/revisions\/19004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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