An intriguing Porsche 911 Turbo S that had only been caught in still images before has now been captured on video, but despite the extra bits of information seeing and hearing it move brings, we're still not sure about what the Germans have cooking for us.
The 992 Turbo S has been out long enough to convince everybody it's not the kind of machine to be taken lightly. Its turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six develops 650 horsepower and an even more monstrous maximum torque of 590 lb-ft (800 Nm). Combine that with an all-wheel-drive system, and you get an acceleration beast that finishes the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint in just 2.7 seconds, according to Porsche. However, real-world tests have proven that number to be quite conservatory, in true Porsche fashion.
It sounds like the 911 Turbo S won't need any changes a long time for now, so what could Porsche be testing with this strange car spied on the Nürburgring during the Industry Pool days? Well, let's take a look first, and then a listen.
The only part of the Nine Eleven that wears any camouflage is the rear, so that's where all the action is. It doesn't take a very keen eye to spot the ducktail wing replacing the standard Turbo S aero, but the bumper cover does its job of covering whatever's going on there pretty well. However, we do get to see two large rounded exhausts that don't fall in line with the twin rectangular ones of the standard Turbo S. Also, unlike the previous spotting, this test car skips on the roll cage and keeps its rear seats.
Listening to it roar on the track doesn't reveal anything new, but a few situations make it seem as though this particular 911 is using a manual transmission. Porsche is currently offering this on the 911 in the form of a seven-speed option, but only for the Carrera S and Carrera 4S. It's hard to imagine that unit can handle the extra grunt of the Turbo S, so we're likely looking at a modified version of the six-speed in the GT3. That is if there is indeed a manual and we're not mistaking.
So, what's the deal with this 911 weirdo? We can only guess at this point, but the most likely explanation is that Porsche is preparing a new version of the 911 Sport Classic. We probably won't know for sure for a while, so your interpretation is as good as any.
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