CAR reader Mark Burston didn’t think his holiday could get much better until he spotted this convoy of Porsches on his way through Italy.
‘I thought the visits to the BMW museum and Ferrari at Maranello were the highlights until I stopped on the A8 Autostrada near Trento and came across this small convoy of matt black heaven,’ Mark tells us.
Porsche 991: the reader scoop
The new 911, known internally as the 991, is due to be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September and, despite those same-again looks, is a line-in-the-sand new car.
Porsche claims that the new 991 will reduce fuel consumption by 12%, thanks to intelligent alternator charging, stop-start and other eco-saving toys. The new Porsche is also the first 911 to be built mainly from aluminium.
Engine wise, downsizing is the name of the game – the Carrera’s 3.6 shrinks to a 350bhp 3.4 boxer six. It’s enough for the base 911 to achieve a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 180mph.
And the Carrera S?
The new Carrera S retains its 3.8 litres and has 400hp – 15bhp more than its predecessor. More power and less weight will result in a 0-60mph time in the mid to low four second area.
The Boxster seen in Mark’s spy shots is the Mk3, also due in 2012. It will share parts with the new 911, but will eventually adopt a new flat four engine under development in Weissach.
Evolution is the name of the game in the styling department. These photos confirm the Mk3 Boxster is little different to 1996’s original.
But then the 911 has been recycling the same look for 49 years…