This Porsche is quick.

From Road and Track November. This '07 Turbo had the Tiptronic...and blasted an 11.6 in the 1320...and 3.3 0-60. Great numbers.


Porsche 911 Turbo
Porsche’s Tiptronic electronically controlled automatic transmission makes the 2007 911 Turbo quicker down the drag strip.

It’s been a long-standing tradition that true sports cars are equipped with manual transmissions, putting the driver in full control and enabling him to extract the utmost from his machine. Things have changed: Computers can simulate logic, and machines can manipulate things more accurately and quickly than humans. Clutch pedals and stick shifts are giving way to buttons and paddles. Increasingly, the automobile is becoming less and less in our control — anti-lock brakes with brake assist and force distribution, yaw and traction control, active suspension, electric steering with variable ratios, active cruise control — all for the better they say. But lost is the necessity for skills that once made racing drivers famous.

It is no surprise that Porsche’s Tiptronic electronically controlled automatic transmission is good, but it is a surprise to learn that it makes the 2007 911 Turbo quicker down the drag strip. Aside from special applications, the torque converter has always been considered a hindrance. In this case the Tiptronic even has one less gear, being a 5-speed. The 6-speed manual on the face of it should clearly out-drag the two-pedal car. Nay, it does not. Power-braking the Tiptronic loads the turbo and builds boost before the car leaves the line. To build boost in the manual-equipped car would require excessive slipping of the clutch. This delay in building boost gives the advantage to the torque-converter-equipped Tiptronic — the gain being a tenth of a second to 60 mph despite its taller first gear.



The ability of the Tiptronic system to quickly shift gears shaves time the whole length of the strip — pulling out two more tenths. This is because the turbo stays under load while the Tiptronic shifts — keeping the 480 bhp at work pushing the car. In contrast, the manual is given pause three times in the quarter- mile as the driver changes gears.

Aside from transmissions, the two cars we tested were identical. The red one is the Tiptronic. The Tiptronic’s shifts are not made with a conventional paddle system. Instead, Porsche opted for rocker-type switches on both left and right sides of the steering wheel, located directly under the thumbs. The rocker switches allow up- and downshifting with either hand.

We know the automatic car is faster, but we still don’t like it. We continue to prefer the traditional method of making a car go fast and hope the art of driving isn’t lost.

2007 Porsche 911 Turbo

List price $129,685

Price as tested $141,285

Curb weight 3610 lb

Engine, transmission 3.6 liter turbo F-6; 5-spauto.

Horsepower, bhp @ rpm 480 @ 6000

0–60 mph 3.3 sec

0–100 mph 8.3 sec

0–1320 ft (1/4 mile) 11.6 sec @ 118.3 mph

Top speed 193 mph

Braking, 60–0 mph 116 ft

Braking, 80–0 mph 207 ft

Lateral accel (200-ft skidpad) 0.97g

Speed thru 700-ft slalom 70.7 mph

Our mileage, EPA city/highway est 18.0, 17/25 mpg

 

Most important sentence of the article IMHO.

 

Agreed. If they offered me a faster FGT in an Auto tranny...I would have to go with the slower car!!

 

I still think that even though the tip is quicker, they will have a harder time selling it than the 6-speed.

There was an interesting write up on the tip 997tt in Panorama not too long ago. No doubt this car is a beast...I can't wait until the tuners get their hands on it.

 

If all we cared about was quickest time off the line none of us would be driving a mass produced car... We'd be driving Ariel Atoms, Caterhams,etc...

Having said that I had the pleasure of driving the new 911 for a couple hours over the past weekend and its a joy to drive. I felt more 'in tune' with it than either my 355 or my viper...

Unfortunately in LA theres this metrosexual stigma that comes with them and as shallow as it seems..I just cant get past it to buy one. But it is an amazing automobile.

 

Actually ,it's much harder to find a Tip.
Manuals are readily available(or after short wait)

 

This surprises me, I have never heard that about 911's maybe a Boxster but a 911?
Around here a new 911 would say I have sophisticated taste, and money. But I live in a blue collar town.

 

Interesting observation. The four dealers within driving distance of my hometown have always told me that 99% of the people who come through their doors wanting a Turbo want the 6-speed, therefore they (the dealership) rarely bother getting the tip.

I always assumed that demand was the reason the tip was not as common as the 6-speed turbo cars. Who knows, I could very well be wrong. It has happened before.

 

Boost launches rule.
But for any driving other than drag racing, I do prefer a manual.

 

Quick car, but they beat the hell out of it to get those times. They belie the true performance of the car.

Wait, wait, I'll explain...

118mph is awfully 'slow' for an 11.6 trap speed. Fanboi's all over the world will be yipping that the new 911 bests the Z06, SRT-10 and others - but in reality 11.6 combined with 118mph means a very very hard launch. I doubt most P owners would be willing to do that with any regularity.

No slap on the P - the car can do it... just that 99.999999% of launches in this car will be significantly slower and net significantly lower 1/4 times.

But that won't dissuade the owners from proudly claiming their cars are faster than Vipers, Z06's and Ferraris

 

I recently had a run in with a black 997 turbo. Its interesting how Porsche can just tweak acouple of things in the looks department and have it look amazing, not a used up old design. Good exhaust note also. If I bought one, and could drive a manual the 6 speed it would be.

 

That car must be cracking out like 1.5x-1.6x 60 foot times.

 

Mike ya gotta remember, AWD. Those cars launch REAL hard. I would bet that they have one of the fastest 60ft times of any production car out there.

Darrell.

 

I cant imagine those cars taking a whole lot of abuse. I imagine that they will brake some parts if they are at the track alot.

 

I would imagine low 1.7s

 

I don't really know how the new 997's hold up. But Porsche is known for making some of the most robust sports cars around. Years of being so involved in racing thier cars, have done that for them. My guess would be the 997 is going to prove to be a very strong car.

Darrell.

 

Hehe...probably. A large portion of the needed skill to launch a car has been removed (AWD). If you see the Turb lined up against the cars you mentioned and have a mediocre driver in the non-P, the Turb will leave it off the line. But, the other cars will definately catch it. Look at it's 0-100 time. With a 0-60 in low 3s and a 0-100 in low 8s, you know the car is a pig.

I'd also like to know what it's 660' time was.

 

When the 996 Turbo cars came out they were supposedly running 11.90's and it run like a 12.70. Still respectable but I don’t expect to see your regular P-car driver to run a 11.6 probably a low 12 maybe a high 11.

 

I think you are right, my last autoweek tested it and they got 12.8@114 so once again we will have times all over the map.

 

Yep, no doubt - they do launch hard! I have 3 friends that all have 996 TT's - one of them is a very serious drag racer, and even he saves the high RPM clutch dumps for when he's either getting a baseline for how fast the car *could* be, or when he gets the dream lineup at the track (like next to an F430 or something).

Just that 11.6 sec belies a 118mph trap speed...

 

I agree, a lot of that time is with the launch. 11.6 for a street car would normally have a trap speed in th 120's I'd guess.
BTW does anyone know what anyother tests of the six speed cars run?


Darrell.

 

Based on some times and trap speeds from some other AWD cars with similar weight, I'd say the 60' time was between 1.65 and 1.73. If they pulled that with the stock tires, I'm impressed because I would imagine they aren't the softest sidewalls.

 

If only Porsche would race the Cayman...the worm would turn. Get a couple of Le Mans, and maybe ALMS, class wins under its belt.

So much potential for greatness...so little corporate bravery to achieve it.

 

I know what your saying but cars that are built with drag racing in mind brake on the launch. I imagine that car after a couple launches will eat half shafts.

 

We know the automatic car is faster, but we still don’t like it. We continue to prefer the traditional method of making a car go fast and hope the art of driving isn’t lost.

i could not agree more...i want to be more than just along for the ride. i am a driver and i like to be reminded of when i get into a serious car. working 3 pedals is a typified ballet!