New Porsche 911 S/T gets GT3 RS power

Take the 911 GT3 Touring, sling the 518bhp naturally aspirated flat-six from the GT3 RS in the back, link that to a six-speed manual gearbox with tightly stacked ratios and, hey presto, you have a rather fine way to mark the 60th anniversary of Porsche’s iconic sports car.

The 911 was first shown at the Frankfurt motor show in September 1963 (still called 901 at the time, of course), which also gives us the production run for this new 911 S/T – 1963 examples worldwide.

There are weight saving measures front to back, such as carbon fibre body panels, a carbon fibre roll cage and rear anti-roll bar, magnesium wheels, a lightweight clutch, carbon ceramic brakes, a smaller battery, thin glass, reduced sound insulation and no rear-axle steering, all of which means the S/T is the lightest 992-generation 911 yet at 1380kg at the kerb, fuelled and ready to go. That’s almost 40kg lighter than the GT3 Touring.

Porsche says this isn’t a track car, but optimised for the road instead. Presumably quite smooth roads, given that’s where the GT3 Touring is at its brilliant best – on uneven surfaces it can feel somewhat compromised. But that GT3 RS engine – working against less weight, driving through shorter ratios and a single-mass flywheel – should feel electric whatever the road, and it’ll sound the part breathing through a lightweight sports exhaust too.

The S/T takes its name from a racing version of the 911 S built by the factory in the late 1960s and early 1970s, known internally as the 911 ST. Will this be the most thrilling 911 for road driving in modern times? Given its unique specification, you would have to say there’s every chance. And it demonstrates once again that Porsche, more than most car makers, is keenly tuned in to what enthusiast drivers want from their performance cars.

But so too does Porsche know how to charge through the roof for what is, after all, as much a parts bin raid as a bespoking exercise. The S/T costs £231,600, or £85,000 more than a GT3 Touring – enough to buy a Porsche Approved Taycan Turbo. Mind you, in a sense the S/T is vastly undervalued given some will be flipped for much more than list. Half a million quid? Maybe more; there’s a new GT3 RS listed for almost that on AutoTrader right now…