It's Official: The N/A Porsche 911 Carrera Is Dead

Porsche has officially revealed the facelifted 991 Carrera, and it's lost its big N/A flat-six for a smaller, twin-turbo lump
It's Official: The N/A Porsche 911 Carrera Is Dead

Normally when there’s news of an automotive facelift, we’ll lead with a picture of the car. Maybe a comparison with the old one, attempting to pick out the very subtle differences (which you can see a little further down). However, for the refreshed 911 Carrera, we’re slapping a picture of the engine at the top of the page, because it’s way more significant than any aesthetic tweaks. Why? Because it’s packing a pair of turbochargers.

It's Official: The N/A Porsche 911 Carrera Is Dead

Yes, as has been anticipated, the days of the naturally aspirated 911 Carrera are over. Sitting in the back of the new Carrera and Carrera S is a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo flat-six. The standard version kicks out 365bhp at 6500rpm, and 332lb ft of torque from 1700-5000rpm, while the S puts out 414bhp and 369lb ft of torque. That’s around a 20bhp boost for both cars, plus a 45 and 48lb ft increase for the Carrera and Carrera S respectively.

It's Official: The N/A Porsche 911 Carrera Is Dead

Naturally, this makes the new cars faster than the old ones; when fitted with the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) automatic gearbox, the Carrera will crack 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, while the S will do it in 3.9. Both represent a 0.2sec improvement over the N/A model, and the top speeds are also up a little to 183 and 191mph.

It's Official: The N/A Porsche 911 Carrera Is Dead

Of course, the fuel economy and emissions - the driving forces behind adding a pair of blowers to the 911’s flat-six - get an increase as well. The standard one is the most frugal, with a claimed combined figure of 38.2mpg, and 169 g/km CO2. Those are almost Greenpeace-friendly figures, from a ruddy 911 that’s up to seven seconds quicker around the Nurburgring than the old one. Not bad.

It's Official: The N/A Porsche 911 Carrera Is Dead

However, while it’s all well and good looking at little bumps in performance and economy, there’s one burning question we - and no doubt a lot of you guys - want answering. Is the death of the N/A 911 imminent? Not yet, at least. The GT3 and GT3 RS are still naturally-aspirated, and there’s no official line on the future of the GTS range.

In the mean time, if you fancy a new turbo 911, you’ll be able to order one now, with prices starting at £76,412 for a boggo Carrera, rising to £94,698 for a Carrera S Cabriolet. Expect first deliveries in December.

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