Leaked: Porsche’s next 911 exposed

THE first completely new Porsche 911 in 48 years has broken cover almost a month ahead of its official global debut at the Frankfurt motor show on September 13.

Porsche sources have confirmed to GoAuto that these leaked images of the all-new 991-series Carrera S Coupe are indeed official and that the formal release of first images and details may now come sooner than originally planned on September 1.

Either way, the images confirm what was already revealed by an official prototype testing video released last month: that the next-generation 911’s longer new chassis and all-new engines will be concealed beneath a redesigned body that is more evolutionary than revolutionary.

While the new 911, which will be launched in California in November before hitting Australian showrooms early next year, retains the iconic proportions of previous generations, it features a ‘faster’, more steeply raked windscreen, a lower and more rounded roofline and less prominent front quarter turrets, with all-LED headlights retaining their famous shape but being more heavily recessed into the front bumper at the bottom.

Larger front bumper-mounted LED daytime driving lights are fitted and, at the rear, the bumper joins wider rear sheetmetal to form a continuous full-width feature line that, along with slimmer and more triangular tail-lights, gives the latest 911’s rear-end an Aston Martin-like flavour.

Above that is a much wider engine compartment lid with traditional cooling louvres, while below it are more widely spaced quad exhaust outlets.

Wing mirrors are now door-mounted and, for the first time, the 911 follows the Cayenne and Panamera by featuring capital-letter ‘PORSCHE’ lettering across its rear bumper.

First interior images confirm the next 911 cabin will take on styling cues from the Panamera by featuring a long, flat centre console with multiple control switches, while retaining its trademark overlaid instrument dials and the dash-top Sports Chrono gauge for Carrera S models.

While a longer wheelbase and repositioned rear engine should liberate more interior space and improved weight distribution, wider wheel tracks should improve grip and stability.

The 911’s first electro-mechanical steering system will be joined by completely revised suspension systems at both ends. While the 911’s familiar MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear layout remains, every component is said to be new, with spring rates increased slightly all round and overall ride height marginally lower.

The 2012 911 will come with a world-first seven-speed manual transmission, in tandem with the outgoing model’s seven-speed PDK automated manual, which has also been upgraded to offer even faster shifts.

The top-shelf Carrera S will continue with a naturally aspirated 3.8-litre boxer six, while the entry-level Carrera will downsize from 3.6 to 3.4 litres via bore and stroke dimensions that are identical to the Boxster/Cayman S engine.

However, thanks to a new exhaust and different cams and a 200rpm-higher (now 7800rpm) rev-limit for both engines, the standard Carrera should deliver about 261kW - up from 254kW in the existing 911 3.6, 228kW in the Boxster S and 235kW in the Boxster Spyder and Cayman S – while peak output of the Carrera S is expected to increase to 400hp (298kW) and 440Nm – up from a current 283kW and 420Nm.

More power and less weight should see the new 911 obliterate the 997’s notoriously conservative official 0-100km/h acceleration times, which stand at 4.9 seconds for the Carrera and 4.7 seconds for the Carrera S, while the reported addition of idle-stop as standard across the range should again reduce fuel consumption across the board.

Naturally, a host of 911 derivatives will follow the initial rear-wheel drive Carrera and Carrera S coupe and cabriolet models, including Carrera 4 all-wheel drive variants, glass-roofed AWD Targa 4 and 4S models, the rear-drive GT3 and GT3 RS road racing coupes, AWD Turbo and Turbo S coupes and cabrios, and the range-topping rear-drive GT2 RS turbo.