Porsche 911 (2011) first official pictures of new 991

At last, the new Porsche 911 is here. This all-new, 991-spec Porsche 911 will be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show next month, and although you may feel like you've seen it already, that's only because a few pictures leaked out last week.

The 911 has been around since 1963, but even the most long-sighted, harshest critic will notice the new styling. (N.B. that’s new styling, rather than a new style direction). The architecture underpinning this latest 911 is all new, and the wheelbase is 100mm longer than the current 997-gen cars'.

Add in shorter overhangs (both front and rear), a lower roofline, a wider front track (and a new rear axle), and the new rear-engined icon looks much more curvaceous than before.

Hiding beneath the sleeker LED taillights and wider pop-up rear spoiler are two direct-injection iterations of Porsche’s famed flat-six engine. The Carrera now features a smaller but more powerful 3.4-litre engine (down from 3.6) while the S runs an upgraded version of the existing 3.8. The S is identifiable by its red brake calipers and quad exhausts, anoraks note.

Porsche has thus far only released details for the PDK-equipped 911s, as the double-clutch transmission ensures not only the quickest acceleration but also the cleanest emissions. Equip the basic Carrera with said gearbox and you’ll have a 911 that emits just 194g/km and manages 34mpg – today’s cleanest Porsche sports cars, the PDK-equipped Cayman and Boxster, achieve 214g/km and 31mpg.

Thank the aluminium and steel construction of the new lightweight body, which helps trim up to 45kg off the kerbweight. Plus the standard-fit stop/start system, clever electrical system recuperation, a ‘coasting’ function for the PDK transmission that decouples the engine, and (this could make or break the latest 911) new electro-mechanical power steering.

Another first for the 911 is Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), a system to reduce body roll when cornering and thus increase your speeds through the curves. 

* = equipped with Sport Chrono Pack                                                  

Porsche says the interior styling takes its design cues from the Carrera GT supercar, but we can’t see a wooden gearknob or bum-basic stereo – it’s the Cayenne and Panamera’s innards that the 911 most emulates. However, the high-rise centre console does mean the gearstick (of the seven-speed manual or seven-speed PDK ‘box) is now located closer to the steering wheel.

Five dials confront the driver, with the rev counter taking central stage (as always), and – as per the Cayenne and Panamera – another dial is digital and customisable to show the sat-nav or trip computer.

A standard Carrera is yours for £71,449, up from the £67,270 that Porsche charges for the 997-spec car. But leather, sports seats, climate control, bi-xenon headlights, a 4.6in sat-nav screen, MP3 connectivity, Porsche Stability Management (PSM) and a course at the company’s Experience Centre at Silverstone are all standard.

£81,242 buys you a Carrera S, and besides the bigger engine, there are also 20-inch wheels, adaptive dampers (Porsche Active Suspension Management, or PASM), a limited slip differential (need we tell you that it’s at the back axle?) and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV).

The new Porsche 911 will make its world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September, and (precise, as ever) the first cars reach UK showrooms on 17 December 2011.

By Ben Pulman