| Mid-life refresh | Porsche 911 |
Mark the 5th July on your calendar as that's when the revised Porsche 911 goes on sale across Europe. The updated 911 features small but significant changes to its appearance and both engine variants gain more power.
From the front, the facelifted 911 will look closer in shape to the
Cayman coupe, with larger front air intakes. The rear bumper has also been reshaped and the rear brake lights' shape now mirror the contours of the body.
Porsche has also mildly revised the interior with an updated centre console and easier to work air conditioning. A new multi-function steering wheel completes the interior makeover.
The 3.6- and 3.8-litre engines have been reworked to produce more power. A 20bhp boost for the 3.6-litre flat-six engine in the Carrera 2 takes it to 345bhp, while the 3.8-litre version grows by 30bhp to 385bhp. Porsche says that these engines are now also more economical and produce less carbon dioxide emissions than the units they replace.
Helping with economy is a new gear shift indicator in the dash that tells the driver when to change up for the best fuel consumption. Other electronic upgrades include a new launch control system and improved Porsche Stability Management traction control.
The Carrera 4 and Targa models will now come with a limited slip differential as standard, while this will be an option for the Carrera 2. Larger brakes are also part of the package for the Carrera 2.
Porsche is yet to confirm prices for the revised 911, but the on sale date of 5 July has been leaked on official documents.
Alisdair Suttie - 28 Apr 2008