Following the launch of the high-riding 911 Dakar, Porsche is setting its sights a little lower – the still-secret 911 ST will feature a lower ride height, lower weight, and deliver faster lap times thanks to various bits of hardware borrowed from the GT3 RS. The ST takes its name from a small run of lightweight 911s built for racing in the early 1970s when the FIA changed competition rules to allow racing cars to run wider arches than their showroom cousins. But while its modern namesake should feel right at home on the track, it’s definitely been designed with the road in mind.
It’s best to think of the new ST, which is
the next car of Porsche’s Heritage Design projects, as evidenced by the
circular badge on the rear deck, as a mashup of your favorite modern Porsche
911 components. So the muscular rear end blends wide arches with a spoiler-free
tail, just like the GT3 Touring, and the original ST predated the legendary
Carrera RS 2.7 and its iconic ducktail. Then there’s the double-bubble roof
from the Sport Classic and the cutaway front fenders (obscured by disguise in
these images) and matching slash-cut carbon doors from the GT3 RS.
Like the Sport Classic, the ST will send
its power to the rear wheels alone via a six-speed manual transmission. But
instead of adopting the Classic’s brawny 911 Turbo powertrain, the ST will
almost certainly get the 518-hp 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat six
from GT3 RS, which is currently only available with a dual-clutch PDK
transmission. Having three pedals means the ST won’t match the RS’s 3.0-second zero
to 97 km/h time, though it might take a tenth or two out of the 3.7
seconds a manual GT3 Touring needs.
Porsche only built around 24 original STs
between 1970-71, but you can bet that it will be pumping out around 50 times
the number of modern STs based on the 2500-unit run for the Sport Classic. And
if we also use the Sport Classic as a price guide, you could be looking at
paying US$ 274k (£ 214k) to get into one, or US$ 100k more over a GT3 Touring.
