Porsche 911 Turbo, a Mix of Performance and Balance

[Kєvin.™▲]

I HAVE two vivid memories of the Porsche 911 Turbo.

There was the first one I ever saw, parked in Duluth, Minn., in the spring of 1976. It was brown. Brown never looked so fast.

The more recent encounter was a new 2017 Turbo S model, in Lava Orange, at Thunder Hill Raceway Park outside of Sacramento. This one I drove. Hard.

That brown first-generation Turbo belonged to the son of Jeno Paulucci. Jeno made his initial fortune creating Chun King canned Chinese food. Yep, Chinese food. By an Italian-American. In Duluth.

That old car pumped out a seething (for the day) 245 horsepower and was known for its tail-happy dynamics. All I knew is that I now foolishly wanted a whale tale on my dad’s Delta 88.

While all 2107 911s are turbocharged, the Turbo is the 911’s 911. The Turbo is equally at home grabbing a gallon of milk or slaying supercars on closed courses. With all four of its wheels in action, the S coupe model tested from rest to 60 miles an hour in 2.8 seconds. Stuttgart produces more aggressive cars, like the 911 GT3 RS, but the Turbo has more balance.

Imagine what the good people of Duluth would think of 580 horsepower (more than twice as much) and up to 553 pound-feet of torque produced by the 3.8-liter flat-6 engine.

Granted, at 3,527 pounds the new 911 weighs some 900 pounds more than the original Turbo. But the Turbo’s electronic nannies, which might have more computing power than was available to the entire state of Minnesota in the late ’70s, will virtually assure the 911 always remains shiny side up.

Thunder Hill is nearly five miles of off-camber corners, elevation changes and blind whoop-de-dos. Hurley Haywood, a much decorated endurance driver, offered two Info McNuggets.

One: “I use the 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission in auto mode. You can’t do any better.”

Two: “Trust the car, it will save you every time.”

And with that, the other drivers and I eased onto the track slowly, and then, very fast.

Pushing the Sport Response button on the steering wheel provides 20 seconds of engine overboost and aggressive shift calibration. Top speed is 205 miles an hour. I regularly flirted with 140 miles an hour at the end of the long straight section before massively scrubbing off speed to enter turn 1E. Ceramic brakes, standard on the S, do not fade. At all. Even under constant punishing.

Did I mention it was 104 degrees?

With some cars, these conditions can trigger gauge cluster messages that suggest stopping for a Coke while the drivetrain cools down. Not so with the Porsche.

There’s a distinct feeling the Turbo S is built twice as strong as it needs to be. The eight cars on hand, including a few Cabriolets, ran constantly for five hours, stopping only for fuel. The sole hiccup? A windshield rock chip.

Mr. Hurley was right. The PDK gearbox (the only one available) is a savant. Porsche’s electronic power steering provides good road feel, rare for the tech. My fingertips and keister knew exactly when all four tires were drifting in a controlled and precise way that the first Turbo never knew.

The stability control feathers in as deftly as a Jedi mind trick, going full Darth Vader only when the driver does something stupid, which I’ll admit to. Once. I’ll claim professional evaluation.

With no servicing whatsoever, I drove the tangerine Turbo away from the track south to Monterey, Calif., for the Pebble Beach Concours weekend. Then, picking up my son in San Jose, we motored northward along the coast. I volunteered to deliver the Turbo S to the Seattle press fleet.

In 1,200 civilian miles, I learned that the Turbo S is livable as an everyday car, with a ride quality a skosh firmer than a standard 911. Porsche’s new touch-screen user interface with Apple CarPlay is a welcome improvement. The cabin is moderately quiet, and fuel economy is good for an overachiever.

Seeing 26 m.p.g. on specified premium fuel, the car beat the E.P.A. estimate of 19 city, 24 highway. We were not lollygagging.

A base 911 Turbo retails for about $160,000, and the Turbo S tested will lighten your lunch money account by $196,000. That buys a lot of pizza rolls. Jeno Paulucci created those too.