Porsche is marking 60 years of the iconic 911 with a new special edition model. The Porsche 911 S/T gets the same engine as a GT3 RS, a six-speed manual transmission, and a massive amount of weight savings. It's a combination that should make for an understated but seriously impressive Porsche.
Unlike the racetrack-focused 911 GT3 RS, the 911 S/T is tuned for real road driving. Porsche says that the new model should respond "immediately and with pinpoint precision" to a driver's every command.
The 911 S/T's light weight helps achieve this. Porsche has fitted the S/T with a front hood, roof, fenders, and doors made from carbon fibre. The rear anti-roll bar and the stiffening shear panel on the rear axle are also made from the lightweight composite.
Always known to take it to the next level, Porsche has also given the S/T lighter magnesium wheels, a smaller and lighter lithium-ion starter battery, and lightweight glass. Porsche's lighter ceramic brake system is standard, the car has less insulation, and, for good measure, the rear-wheel steering system was also left out.
To trim even more weight, Porsche developed a new clutch specifically for this car. Combined with a single-mass flywheel, it reduced rotating mass by 10.5 kg.
The changes add up to give the 911 S/T a curb weight of 1,380 kg. It's the lightest current-generation 911 available and is a whopping 40 kg lighter than the 911 GT3 Touring.
Porsche said that this "noticeably improves" the responsiveness of the 4.0L flat-six, which it says "now builds revs with especially bracing speed and directness."
This is the 518-hp GT3 RS engine introduced last year, so the S/T marks the first time this version of the engine has been paired with a manual transmission. It's not Porsche's usual stick, though. The six-speed manual used here has shorter ratios than the one in the standard GT3, forcing the driver to engage with that gearshift more frequently.
The S/T badge comes from the Porsche 911 S of 1969. The S was meant as a racing version, with chassis, engine, and other changes to improve performance. Despite the official badge, it was referred to as the 911 ST in-house, and that has been translated to the S/T of this latest car.
Porsche says the car's aero package is optimized for the road as much as the chassis. So instead of a big wing and other complex devices, it has a Gurney flap for downforce on the extendable rear spoiler. Inside the car, full carbon bucket seats are standard (with Sports Seat Plus as an option). The Sport Chrono package is included, and the gauges and clock are finished in a classic green shade.
A Heritage Design Package will be offered on the S/T that includes the new Shoreblue Metallic paintwork and Ceramica wheels. The package comes with optional door numbers, and it uses the classic Porsche crest around the car. Other heritage nods include cognac cloth seat centres, two-tone black and cognac leather trim, and a Dinamica roof.
Porsche will build just 1,963 copies of the 911 S/T, a callout to that first year of 911 production. Pricing in Canada starts from $343,900, $110,000 more than a 911 GT3 Touring. The Heritage Design Package adds another $23,220. But buyers will get a special watch to accompany their special cars. The Chronograph 1 - 911 S/T is an exclusive timepiece offered by Porsche Design for S/T customers. It should give buyers something to look at while they wait for the first cars to hit dealers in the second quarter of 2024.
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