The new 2024 Porsche 911 S/T has been billed as the greatest road-going Porsche ever created. Over a year of work went into tuning just the dampers. Porsche’s spare-no-expense approach to the S/T’s development comes on the 911’s 60th anniversary, and the company wanted to commemorate the occasion with a special car. Only 1963 copies were made, and most are probably spoken for. With a retail price of US$290,000 (C$325,000) before taxes, it’s also one of the most expensive 911s you can buy, and it comes with a matching numbered Porsche Design Chronograph, which retails for $18,000; a similar offering as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS Chronograph.
The S/T starts with a 911 GT3 and tacks on an extensive list of parts and modifications. The resulting car is fat-free, loud, and focused. With a 4-litre flat-6 that spins all the way to 9000 rpm and a shift-it-yourself 6-speed manual, the S/T provides one of the best analog driving experiences money can buy. It’s a visceral, mechanical feast for the senses. Driving the S/T is akin to experiencing a rock concert for the first time—sensory overload.
Here are five big differences the S/T boasts over the GT3 Touring.
Engine from the GT3 RS
The 4-litre naturally aspirated flat-6 in the back of the S/T has been taken straight out of the GT3 RS. It gets different camshafts and a modified throttle body to make 518 hp and 342 lb-ft of torque. It revs all the way to 9000 rpm and sounds glorious the whole time. This engine derived from motorsports is the reason any Porsche GT car feels like a race car, the S/T included.
Carbon everywhere
The S/T has a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) hood, fenders, and doors. Even the roof is made of the lightweight material, which adds to up some big weight savings. The standard brakes are carbon ceramic, accounting for a nearly 40 lbs weight reduction alone.
Lightweight flywheel and clutch
The 911 S/T has a single-mass flywheel and clutch that’s nearly 50 per cent lighter that the dual-mass unit in the GT3 Touring. Dual-mass flywheels reduce noise and vibration and offer a more refined and comfortable driving experience. The S/T has a very raw, gravely character at idle and you can hear and feel the gearbox and clutch when you push the pedal in. The S/T is always loud even at a standstill but that’s what the car is all about.
The 6-speed gear box has also been modified with a shorter throw and 8 per cent shorter gear ratios meaning you’ll have to shift more often, a good thing. The revs drop nearly instantly during a gearchange—there’s no such thing as rev hang here—and you can shift with lightning speed and precision. The gearbox in the Touring was good, but the S/T is next level.
Magnesium wheels
You’ve heard the term “mag wheels” before and it’s been loosely applied to most any alloy wheel, especially on a curbsider’s used car ads but real “mag” wheels or magnesium wheels are quite rare. Only some Ferraris and Lamborghinis , and cars of that ilk use them, and they are still used in racing. Magnesium wheels like the ones that come with the S/T weigh about 1/3 less than comparable aluminum wheels. All told, the S/T’s wheels save 23.3 lbs compared to the GT3 Touring’s wheels.
The lightest 911
The S/T weighs just 3056 lbs (1386 kg). That’s 70 lbs lighter than the GT3 Touring making it the lightest of the 992 generation. Additional weight savings over what’s already been mentioned above are realized through standard carbon bucket seats, the removal of rear-axle steering, a lightweight battery, a CFRP shear panel, CFRP anti-roll bar, and even lightweight carpet. It’s geeky stuff, but the 911 S/T is a geeky sort of car.
