New 911 Turbo: it’s alive!

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The new Porsche 911 Turbo is here and, before we tell you about all the speed and power – for there is plenty – here’s some genuinely good news: you can order it with proper paddle shifters.

Yes, Porsche has implicitly admitted that the dual function back-and-forth buttons on the PDK gearbox are flawed.

It’s offering DSG-style paddles mounted behind the steering wheels – right for upshifts, left for downshifts – for the first time as a no-cost option on the double-clutch box. If you’re really attached to the current PDK buttons, they’re still available, as is a six-speed manual.

Whichever transmission you go for, the Turbo will be lethally fast. It’ll now hit 62mph in a mere 3.4 seconds, a full third of a second quicker than the current car. That’s courtesy of a new 3.8-litre direct injection twin-turbo engine with variable turbine geometry – the first time we’ve seen this technology on a Porsche engine.

It develops a massive 493bhp – that’s 20bhp more than the current Turbo – and is more efficient than the current engine too, returning a respectable 24.8mpg when you spec the PDK ‘box. Top speed? A heady 194mph, up 2mph on the current car. That’s important, that 2mph.

The new Turbo is slightly lighter than the outgoing car, and features a revised version of Porsche’s traction management system which, we’re told, should channel more of the power through the rear wheels of the Turbo for a ‘sportier’ drive. Sounds good.

We’ll see the new Turbo in the metal for the first time at the Frankfurt motor show next month in both coupe and convertible form. Prices start at £101,000 for the hard top and £109,000 for the cabrio.