2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S details

The 2020 Porsche 992 911 Turbo is being readied, promising supercar-crushing performance and a return to the model’s sporting roots.

Recent generations of 911 Turbo have been brilliant all-rounders, but in an attempt to answer criticism the model has lost some of its character, Porsche plans on inserting some extra aggro into the new 992 Turbo.

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“We have been steering the 992 Turbo fractionally more in a back-to-the-roots directions,” says Porsche’s sports car development, Frank-Steffen Walliser. Most of the 992’s development occurred under recently-retired 911 boss August Achleitner, but small details such as stiffer bushings and revised spring and damper settings are said to give the Turbo a sportier edge when driven hard.

The new 911 Turbo will be powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six (codename: EA292) matched to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and, of course, all-wheel drive.

Development continues, but it is believed the flagship Turbo S will produce 485kW at 7000rpm and 800Nm between 2500-4000rpm. Performance is set to be eye-opening, with figures of 0-100km/h in 2.7sec, 0-200km/h in 8.5sec and a 333km/h top speed suggested. The standard non-S will be little slower, with power in the region of 440kW.

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What’s interesting is that the Turbo eschews any sort of electrification, even a 48-volt mild-hybrid system increasingly found in the performance models of Audi, Mercedes-AMG and others.

The 992 is hybrid-capable, the eight-speed PDK able to incorporate an electric motor and the body designed to accommodate batteries, but according to Walliser: ““The benefits of partial electrification are marginal compared to the complex weight, packaging and cost issues.”

Weight is already critical for the Turbo, extra equipment and the added gear increasing the kilogram count, which will put the 992 on the wrong side of 1600kg. Controlling this mass will be a full suite of chassis trickery, including all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, torque vectoring and active anti-roll bars.

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Staggered lightweight wheels measure 20 inches front and 21 rear wrapped in tyres 255/35 and 315/30 respectively. Behind this are monster brake discs, 410mm front and 390mm rear, with carbon-ceramic rotors an option.

Revised styling includes restyled bumpers, a new rear diffuser, wider, slimmer LED running lights and larger intakes, which also improve aero. Front intakes channel air to suck the nose to the ground at high speed, while the fixed rear spoiler is 20 per cent larger.

It’s unclear when the production 911 Turbo will make an appearance, but you can read our ride-along in the December 2019 issue of MOTOR, out tomorrow.