Is the 2024 Porsche 911 S/Tthe best driver's car in the world? I think it may just have everything it needs to take home that title. So what makes this 911 the best driver's car? Lightweight in nature, naturally aspirated 4.0 liter flat 6 straight out of the GT3RS, carbon ceramic brakes as
standard, carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) and much more.
The S/T name is resurrected from the famed 911s built for FIA group 4 racing. Porsche offered these custom ordered 911s to both full fledged racing teams and privateers from the late 1960s to the 1970s. Constructed from a number of fiberglass panels to keep weight down, Porsche gave their racing customers a whole catalog of modifications they could choose with their 911 S/T unit. From plastic or steel gas tanks, to a variety of engines between a 2.2 and 2.5 liter flat sixes, of course. Wider wheel arches to fit wider racing tires, and much more. This was a race car, not intended for the public roads. The new S/T however, is a different story entirely.
The new 911 S/T is not yet another variant for the track. it is also not a time attack car. In fact the new S/T doesn't belong anywhere near a track, something the original S/T was exclusively built for. However, the spirit of the original lives on in the new one, with immense focus on weight saving and a driver focused experience, this new S/T is going to be one for the history books.
The New S/T has the most lightweight panels fitted on a Porsche, a short-throw six-speed manual, the naturally aspirated 4.0 liter flat six from the GT3RS, a thinner wind-shield, the flywheel and clutch both halved in weight. Magnesium wheels and carbon ceramic brakes shed more weight. Even a lighter 6.6 pound battery was used to save more weight. Rear wheel steering is gone to save even more weight. Throttle response is as fast as it is in an EV. That's wild, and thanks to its 9 throttle bodies (yes 9) most cars have one. You instantly have torque at nearly all RPMs and being a N/A engine there is no lag.
Everything in the S/T feels as if though it was built strictly for the driver to feel connected to the car. From the incredible and accurate steering, to the shortened gear ratios, lighter package, and stripped of a lot of the unnecessary tech, this car takes the driver back to a time where we had no driver aids, we didn't have all these computers telling us how to drive. This is raw and refined in the best way possible. The sound deadening is stripped so much so that the driver can hear every gear change, even the clutch work. The engine which revs to 9,000 RPM is loud and constant as a beutiful symphony of sounds putting a big smile on the driver's face. No rear seats here just empty space for the incredible sound of the engine to reverberate in.
In an age where ICE engines are threatened, where computers are taking over all functions of the car, where more and more tech is being thrown in for no apparent reason other than to just have more tech, the Porsche 911 S/T exists. Ironically, all the advancements in car tech and engineering allow this car to be possible. However, this car provides the driver with something much more valuable and important than all the stats, specs and figures, it provides a feeling. The feeling of joy, excitement, the thrill of driving, rowing through the gears (when possible), un-compromised focus. This is pure driving, an old soul in a new package, a legend reborn, purely for the enjoyment of the drive, Something I still believe in and hold dearly.
There is much more about this car that was not mentioned here, I would encourage you to explore more about what makes this car so incredible today and why it is so important to people like you and me, Drivers.
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