For the first time since 1977, the Porsche 911 Carrera now comes in two power versions with engines varying in size: the "basic" 911 Carrera displacing 3.6 litres and developing maximum output 325 bhp at 6800 rpm, and the 911 Carrera S displacing 3.8 litres and with maximum output of 355 bhp at 6600 rpm. The 3.8-litre flat-six develops its maximum torque of 295 lb-ft at 4600 rpm, accelerating in 4.8 seconds from 0 - 60 mph and ensuring a top speed of 177 mph.

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera (997) Preview

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera (997) Preview
  • Horsepower: 325@6800
  • Torque: 4250
  • Transmission: 6-Speed Manual

Six-Speed Gearbox Tailored to the Car

To cope with the extra power and performance of the Carrera S, both 911 Coupés come with a six-speed manual gearbox able to convey even higher torque while reducing weight and shortening gearshift travel. Tiptronic S with an optimised gearshift program and even better shift quality is available as an alternative to the six-speed manual gearbox.

Rack-and-Pinion Steering with Variable Transmission Ratio

The 911 Carrera comes for the first time with rack-and-pinion steering featuring a variable transmission ratio responding even more smoothly and precisely to the driver's commands and thus enhancing the car's agility particularly on winding roads and in sharp bends. Handling in town is improved above all in parking manoeuvres and when turning, thanks to the far more spontaneous response of the steering particularly in such a situation.

Another First-Time Achievement: Active PASM Suspension

Resting on the updated chassis and suspension, the Porsche 911 comes for the first time with an active damper system: PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) featured as standard on the 911 Carrera S combines two suspension systems in one: a sporting and comfortable suspension for long distances and a very sporting set-up for performance driving and comparable requirements.

Outstanding Brakes – Available as an Option with Ceramic Components

Reinforced four-piston fixed callipers operating in conjunction with cross-drilled, inner-vented brake discs measuring 318 millimetres (12.51") in diameter at the front and 299 millimetres (11.77") at the rear on the Carrera, and 330 millimetres (13.00") on all four wheels on the Carrera S, guarantee supreme brake performance even when driving to the extreme. PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes now enhanced to an even higher standard are available as an option, the re-designed composite ceramic discs raising the benchmark once again in terms of response, fading-free stability, low weight, and long service life.

For the Sporting Driver: Sports Chrono Package Plus

Both the 911 Carrera and the 911 Carrera S come as a very special option with Porsche's Sports Chrono Package Plus allowing the driver, at the touch of a button, to choose various control maps and strategies for a particularly sporting style of motoring. Combining a stopwatch, lap meter, and an appropriate evaluation and control system, this gives the driver a unique, all-round sports program for performance driving and similar requirements.

Head Airbag Beneath the Side Window

The 911 Carrera naturally meets all demands in terms of passive safety and offers exemplary safety particularly in a collision from the side: Hidden in the side window sill, the head airbag interacting with the thorax airbag in the front-seat backrest ensures superior safety in an impact from the side. In conjunction with the driver and front passenger airbags, this increases the total range of airbags in the Porsche 911 to no less than six.

Sporting and Comfortable All in One

Porsche's designers have given the cockpit of the 911 Carrera a unique touch of sporting style: The circular dials in the instrument cluster stand out even more clearly than before and the three steering wheels including a special sports and a multifunction steering wheel are adjustable for both reach and height. The seats, in turn, offer superior stability at the sides, a quality enhanced to an even higher standard by the sports seats available as an option. Indeed, the new 911 Carrera comes for the first time with adaptive sports seats featuring individual adjustment of the side supports and backrest to meet the needs and requirements of the respective driver.

Powerful Body with an Even More Distinctive Waistline

In its design, the Porsche 911 consistently continues the existing model line with all its features. With evolutionary restyling from front to rear, the 911 Carrera is however even more dynamic than before, although the 911 Carrera and the 911 Carrera S differ from one another on some fine but significant points. The wider track and the slimmer, more accentuated waistline, for example, make the car even more powerful and athletic in its look – and, of course, a lot more powerful and athletic to drive. Further striking features of the car's evolutionary design are the innovative headlights with separate additional headlights in the front section, the fenders and wheel arches accentuated even more strongly than before, the double-arm rear-view mirrors, the aerodynamically optimised rear spoiler, and the striking flow of the car's seams and joints, particularly at the rear. The distinctive figure of the Porsche 911 also offers aerodynamic benefits, improving the drag coefficient from a very good Cd rating of 0.30 on the already outstanding previous model to an even better Cd rating of 0.28.

The 911 Carrera comes to a large extent with the same high-performance brake system already featured on the former model. Only the boost factor on the brake servo has been increased by 17 per cent to 4.5:1, giving the brakes even more spontaneous response and reducing brake forces to an even lower level than before.