First Drive! Porsche 997 Turbo

I've been saving forever for this day... Finally, I landed on the perfect 997 turbo. If you know anything about these cars you know they are not easy to find. This car was on my list for years for one reason, the last race bred Mezger engine only available from 07-09. While all the new 991's are force inducted in some forum, they switched to a re designed DFI engine that has had mixed reviews across the board in 2009. This leaves very few 07-09 997 turbos on the market and even a smaller amount in manual. This car holds a special place in my heart like many others as a Porsche masterpiece that will stand alone with its big brother GT3 rs and GT2 as some of the best water-cooled 911's ever made.

The 997 Turbo debuted in February 2006 at the Geneva Motor Show. It featured a new front bumper with LED turn signal strips in the air intakes; the fog lamps were moved to the corners of the bumpers. Large air vents fore and aft of the rear wheels provide other obvious visual cues of the Turbo model. Also featured was a retractable rear wing, as used on the 996 Turbo.

The engine was based on the rugged and reliable 964/GT1 design rated 480 PS (350 kW; 470 hp) and 620 N·m (460 lb·ft). The turbochargers are fitted with a two-stage resonance intake system.

The engine uses two BorgWarner VTG turbos, a first for Porsche. The Variable Turbine Geometry incorporates guide vanes on the turbine wheel that change their angle of attack with exhaust speed, reducing boost lag at low speeds while opening up to prevent excessive back pressure at high RPMs. With the exception of the 1988 Honda Legend Wing Turbo and 1989 Dodge Shelby CSX sedan,[5] such variable geometry turbines were previously only available on diesel engines.

The optional Sport Chrono package allows the 911 Turbo to overboost for ten seconds (1.0 bar to 1.2 bar), increasing peak torque over a narrow RPM range.

According to official Porsche figures, the 997 Turbo Gen 1 accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds with the manual transmission, and 3.7 seconds with the 5-speed Tiptronic S transmission. Benchmark times to 200 km/h (124 mph) are 12.8 and 12.2 seconds, respectively. Maximum speed with either transmission is 310 km/h (193 mph).