Performance upgrades roll out for Porsche 911 S

PORSCHE may have recently plugged a gap in its 911 line-up with its more powerful and agile GTS model, but the rest of the range may have caught up thanks to a just-announced power upgrade.

Customers looking at the 911 Carrera S can now order what Porsche calls a power boost option that will increase the power of the 3.0-litre turbo flat six by 22kW from the S’s existing 309kW peak output.

Achieved by fitting a larger pair of turbochargers and a re-mapped engine management computer, the upgrade means the Carrera S will match the GTS’s 331kW maximum: perhaps not too surprising, given those modifications sound exactly like what it took to produce the GTS’s beefier lower curve in the first place.

The upgrade also includes Porsche’s Sport Chrono package with dynamic engine mounts, modifications to brake cooling, and a twin exhaust system that exits from the centre of the 911’s rear end.

It all gets a bit more intriguing when you start to look at pricing. The upgrade package will cost at least $24,580 in Australia which, when you add it to the entry level Carrera S’s price – that’s the manual rear-drive coupe – takes it to $280,880 without any other options.

Given the GTS (pictured, below) in the same body and drivetrain spec arrives in Australia costing from $279,000 it seems that deciding whether to buy the S with upgrade or the GTS is another version of Hobson’s choice.

But in a further twist, Porsche has said the upgrade package will be available from June this year as a retrofit option to existing 911 S models (including the Carrera 4, Cabriolet and Targa S) already fitted with the Sport Chrono package.

In other words, if you already have an S and wouldn’t mind boosting its horsepower to GTS levels, drop the car off at your friendly Porsche dealer along with a bundle of cash and it’s yours for more than $1000 a kilowatt.

On top of the 911 S power upgrade package, Porsche has announced it has extended its Connect Plus connectivity system for smartphones across the entire model range, offering greater access to apps via the car’s display and communications hardware.

It has also added a suite of new exterior and interior trim colours across the range. While these include the relatively subtle – brown and burgundy metallics with a black or beige interior on the Panamera, for instance – Porsche’s more extroverted customers can now get a 911 Turbo S with metallic yellow exterior and a black/yellow-gold interior.