Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabrio

The 992-generation Turbo S is the 911 built for speed that can be used in any weather, on any surface and at any temperature, which is a different brief from the track-focused GT cars. Its 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six is rated at 650 hp, drive goes to all four wheels through an eight-speed PDK and Porsche's Traction Management system, and carbon-ceramic brakes, rear-axle steering and a staggered wheel package with larger rims at the rear are part of the standard specification. The Cabriolet adds a fabric roof that folds away at low road speed without changing the mechanical package underneath.

What separates the Turbo S from the rest of the range is not simply boost. It is the completeness of the delivery: full torque arrives low in the rev range and the four-wheel-drive system puts it down without drama, so the car covers ground with very little apparent effort.

Variable-geometry turbochargers and active aerodynamics

Porsche has used variable-turbine-geometry turbochargers on petrol 911s for two decades, and the 992 Turbo S takes the idea further with a symmetrically arranged pair, one per cylinder bank, with electrically controlled wastegates. Moveable vanes in the turbine housing change the effective gas path through the turbine, so a single turbocharger can behave like a small one at low engine speed and a large one at high speed — the reason the engine pulls hard from low revs without running out of breath at the top. The aerodynamics work the same way: the front spoiler extends in sections, the rear wing changes angle with speed and driving mode, and both surfaces move again under hard braking to act as an air brake.

In the Batman Garage collection the Turbo S Cabriolet is the usable extreme, which puts it at the opposite end of the 911 spectrum from the naturally aspirated GT3 RS Weissach in the same garage. What tuners do with the same platform is covered in our report on the Brabus 900 Rocket R, the open-top GT alternative appears as the 911 GT3 S/C Cabriolet, and the car that still defines Porsche's analogue high point is the Carrera GT in our legends section.