Road Test
Porsche 911 Turbo
Test date 16 July 2006
Price as tested £99,920
For Huge performance/braking ability, grip, usability, comfort
AgainstSteering lacks feel for a 911, tyre noise, poor range
You can almost plot the evolution of mankind over the last 30 years by looking at the Porsche 911 Turbo. In the beginning (1974, to be exact) the fastest 911 was ragged, rugged, very fast and not especially responsible. And throughout the ’80s it was more of the same, only wilder.
Then in the late 1990s Porsche realised that there should be more to the 911 Turbo than pure excess. As the world was getting richer and more sophisticated, so did the Turbo, reaching its zenith in Y2K.
By replacing the fast but still furious 993 Turbo with the altogether more rounded and, yes, faster-still 996 Turbo, Porsche produced what was arguably its best road car up to that point – and not surprisingly it sold in way bigger numbers than any previous Turbo had.
Which brings us to this car, the all-new 997 Turbo. The message
is nothing if not clear. This time Porsche has tried to marry all the elements that have contributed to the 911 Turbo’s enduring success under one roof: thundering power and performance, genuine everyday practicality and huge technical sophistication.
It’s the fastest, most advanced, most civilised and, in Porsche’s view, best Turbo yet. It’s also the most expensive at £97,840.
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