Progress over 12 generations

I thought I would look at the new 911 Turbo S (992.2) to see what is going well and what is going mad in the new car world of 2026.

The very first 911 turbo dates back to 1974 with the 930 911.  Back then it had an impressive (for the time) 260HP.  It weighed 1,195kg.

Getting that much power out of an engine in the 70s meant a big turbo.  A big turbo means lots of lag.  You stamp on the accelerator and – nothing happens.  Slowly, as the exhaust gases build, the turbo spools up and then – wallop – all the power comes in at once!

That’s ok in a straight line, but a problem in the middle of a corner, particularly a wet one.  One of the first in a long line of ‘widow maker’ 911s.

How things have moved on in 2026.  This is now the 12th version of the turbo 911 and they have been refining as they go.

Power?  Well that is up to 701HP with a tyre shredding 590 lb-ft of torque.  That includes an 80HP electric motor shoehorned in between engine and gearbox.

The 4WD system gets that power down to sprint from 0-60 in 2.5 sec.  Turbo lag?  Not any more – the turbos have motors attached to spin them up near instantly on demand.

Any other tech?  Oh yes!  There is a 400V system that now powers the hybrid system, turbos, active anti roll bars, rear wheel steering, power steering etc etc.

It does all sound very clever, but also a lot of expensive parts to go wrong.

On one level it is great – It wins at Top Trumps.  Fastest accelerating, 14 sec quicker around the Nurburgring that the last 992.1.  Super quick on paper.

But it weighs 1,725kg.  This is a sports car, not an SUV!  And how much of the performance is extracted by computers rather than the driver?

You know my take on this. The best gen of 911 turbo?  The 997.2 turbo.  Yes it has ‘only’ 530HP.  But it also has hydraulic power steering to give you beautiful fingertip feedback.  And no active anti roll bars, just lots of grunt.  And it’s 140kg lighter that then new one at 1,585kg.

Yes it’s slower on paper, but it is vastly more rewarding to drive in the real world.  And that is what I want from my car.

Hagerty has the price of a 997.2 Turbo S from £58k up to £100k.  In comparison the 2026 car costs you £208k – and that is before you add any extras.

Another thing to note, before parting with your cash, is that older cars are in demand and rising.  However this new generation of hybrid cars cost a lot more to buy than they used to – and depreciate a lot faster too.

Thanks,
Neil @ Carrosserie
Tel: 01833 630 011

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