2012 Porsche 911 (991) Leaked

After months of spy shots, rumors, time has come for the last step before the official announcement, the leak. Set to make its debut next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, we now have the first photos with the 2012 Porsche 911 (codenamed 991) in all its glory, without any camouflage whatsoever.

Design-wise, nothing much to report as the cars looks just about the same as the previous generations, with only a few mild updates here and there. The front bumper will be a little bit sleeker and cleaner, while the headlights and the air intakes have been designed in order to increase the aerodynamic efficiency. In addition, it will come with new LED detailing, borrowed from the 918 Concept. The sides of the car reveal new door mirror housings which now have been installed outboard on the doors as opposed to being in the blanked-off quarter panel at the A-pillar’s base.

The most significant modifications about the styling of the car can be found at the back, where we see a sleeker look for the taillights which are slimmer now. The rear wing, which is electrically operated, has been reshaped for improving aerodynamic efficiency as well as to increase downforce when the car has a speed of more than 75 mph. In addition, the numbers of the openings in the power unit cover is three, down from the previous five.

The wheelbase of the upcoming 2012 Porsche 911 is now longer while the front & rear overhangs have been reduced to minimize the increase of the car’s overall length. The new generation of the 911 is 56 mm longer, 65 mm wider and 11 mm lower than the outgoing 911(997), measuring 4491 mm x 1873 mm x 1299 mm.

It will have the same rear-engined configuration as of all the 911s since the first one hit the market back in 1963, with a few modifications of the engine’s mounting points for improving the weight distribution of the vehicle.

The chassis of the car is mostly made out of aluminum, a novelty for a 911. In addition, the bodywork is made from aluminum while at the back they’ve used steel. By implementing more aluminum, the German engineers managed to lower the curb weight of the car by 45 kg, although the new model has bigger brakes, rims and tires.

The Porsche 911 S will come with an updated version of the 6-cylinder 3.8-liter engine which will produce 400 hp, as opposed to the current generation which has “only” 380 hp. The entry-level 911 Carrera will feature a 6-cylinder 3.4-liter unit which will output 350 hp. The Carrera will come with a twin exhaust pipes configuration while the hotter Carrera S will get quad pipes.

The new generation of the 911 will come with a 7-speed manual gearbox, which will be a premiere in the industry. Basically, this is the manually-controlled single-clutch version of the PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission. Clients will still be able to get the car with the 7-speed PDK auto when the car will go on sale.

The first units of the 2012 Porsche 911 will be delivered before the end of 2011. Stay tuned for more information from Frankfurt Motor Show where the car will get its official debut and we’ll know all the details.

Source: Autocar

Post tags: Tags: frankfurt motor show, leaks, Porsche, porsche 911, porsche 911 carrera, porsche 911 carrera s