2024 Porsche 911 S/T is the Build-A-Bear of hardcore sports cars
Porsche’s got to get through a mound of birthday presents this year, celebrating both the 75th anniversary of the company and the 60th anniversary of the car that defines — the 911. We’ve been waiting for this next bauble for a while, a coupe that honors one of the rarest early 911s. This is the 2024 Porsche 911 S/T, harking back to the 1970 and 1971 ST, a lightweight special designed for sports car and GT racing classes. The early version started with a 911S built with thinner-gauge steel and the deletion of numerous amenities to cut weight to about 2,120 pounds, available with an engine making about 267 horsepower. The 2024 Porsche 911 S/T melds the 911 GT3 Touring and 911 GT3 RS, dropping some weight with a mix of new and existing components but leaving output numbers alone.
We’ll start with the engine, the 4.0-liter flat-six in the GT3 RS that makes 518 horsepower and 342 pound-feet of torque, revving to 9,000 rpm. Engineers worked up a single-mass flywheel that sheds 23 pounds and connects to a short-ratio six-speed manual transmission via a lightweight clutch. It’s the first time this boxer six in GT3 RS spec has been given manual gearbox control. More pounds are lost thanks to the omission of rear-wheel steering, which also hasn’t been done before on a 911 with the latest multi-link rear suspension. An array of other standard Porsche parts add lightness, including magnesium wheels and a ceramic braking system, lightweight Sport Exhaust, a lithium-ion starter battery, lightweight glass, leather doors pulls, and numerous CFRP parts from the GT3 RS builder’s guide. Having lost some sound insulation as well, the total package drops 70 pounds compared to a 911 GT3 Touring with a manual, coming in at 3,056 pounds.
Sending power to a shortened axle ratio, the automaker says the 911 S/T gets from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. That comes just ahead of the 3.7-second sprint claimed for the six-speed manual 911 GT3 Touring, behind the 3.0-second sprint for the GT3 RS with the same engine. That half-second difference to the GT3 RS represents the benefit of Porsche’s PDK transmission.
Because the company sees this as “meant for journeys on public roads,” aero addenda are limited to the spats behind the front wheels and a gurney flap on the deployable rear spoiler. Because buyers might want to let everyone know what they’re driving, there’s a “60 Years of the 911” Heritage Design Package. This comes in a new shade called Shore Blue Metallic with white accents like the roundels on the doors and painted wheels wearing a hue called Ceramica. More subtle clues come with the commemorative and model designation badges on the engine intake, the Porsche logo across the rear in gold, and the vintage-style Porsche crests appearing at the front of the car and on the wheel center caps.
The interior comes in either black or Classic Cognac, also dotted with the classic Porsche crest in places like the steering wheel and headrests. CFRP bucket seats come standard, their center sections decorated with black vertical pinstripes in the Classic Cognac interior or white pinstripes in the black interior. Four-way Sport Seat Plus chairs can be swapped for no charge. The gauges and Chrono Package clock display another throwback, being green illumination that recalls a color the racing division once used for some of its race cars.
Porsche plans to build 1,963 examples, each selling for $290,000 plus another $1,650 for destination. Deliveries are anticipated to begin in spring 2024. Anyone lucky enough to secure an allotment will be offered the chance to buy a Porsche Design watch called Chronograph 1 – 911 S/T for $13,500.
The public debut happens at this autumn’s Rennsport Reunion 7, taking place from September 28 to October 1 at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca.
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