New Porsche 911 S/T: lightweight special arrives with GT3 RS engine and manual gearbox
Limited to 1963 examples, the 911 S/T channels Porsche’s lightweight philosophy into a road-biased, 518bhp package
With the 911 GT3 RS and Cayman GT4 RS pushing the envelope of track performance, the gulf between Porsche’s standard road cars and its GT products is wider than ever. Recognising an appetite for a road-biased 911 with the fastidious engineering focus of its GT products, Porsche has created this: the 911 S/T. Similar in concept to the 991-generation 911 R, the S/T has been built to celebrate 60 years of the 911, and arrives with a tantalising mechanical specification that could make it the ultimate road-going Porsche of the modern era.
With a GT3 RS-derived 4-litre flat-six, the S/T generates 518bhp and runs to a 9000rpm redline, but the limited-run special signals a radical change of philosophy from here. In place of the RS’s eight-speed PDK gearbox, Porsche has fitted a six-speed manual and bespoke lightweight drivetrain components for a more interactive driving experience; this isn’t a car for trimming tenths on a circuit but one to be enjoyed on the road, according to Porsche.
> Porsche 911 S/T review – the 992 in its purest, most involving form
The gearbox is borrowed from the GT3 but features closer ratios, a lightweight clutch and a single mass flywheel for less rotating mass and crisper responses. Power is sent through a pair of 315-section rear tyres to launch the S/T from 0-62mph in 3.7sec – half a second shy of a GT3 RS – and onto a 186mph top speed.
The 911 S/T borrows its name from a low-volume, stripped out 911 road racer of the 1970s, and as such, it’s the lightest of any 992-generation car. As with the GT3 RS, the S/T’s bonnet, roof, doors and front wings are fashioned from carbonfibre, with the latter adopting a deep aero undercut as in the track-focused RS. Magnesium wheels from the RS also feature, along with a carbon roll cage, rear anti-roll bar and rear sheer panel. Omitting the RS’s rear-wheel steering system and fitting carbon ceramic brakes, a lithium-ion starter battery and lightweight glass contributes to a kerb weight of 1380kg – a 70kg saving over the RS and 40kg less than a manual GT3 Touring.
In accordance with this, and the S/T’s brief as a road car first and foremost, Porsche’s engineers have recalibrated its dampers and control systems, while removing the GT3 RS’s rear spoiler and aero extensions to save further weight and clean up the design. Buyers can specify a Heritage Design package for a unique motorsport-inspired paint scheme, with the interior trimmed in cloth and leather with nods to classic Porsche’s – including a green illuminated dial pack and gold badging.
The 911 S/T is available to order now from £231,600 with the Heritage Design package costing an extra £14,238.
