Porsche has electrified the 911 with a new hybrid flat six developed with learnings from the Le Mans-winning 919 race car.
The new T-Hybrid petrol-electric system is the headline addition for the facelifted seventh-generation 911, which will go on UK sale in September. The set-up features an all-new turbocharged 3.6-litre six-cylinder boxer engine, a gearbox-mounted electric motor and a compact liquid-cooled lithium ion battery.
Together, they provide the restyled rear-wheel-drive 911 GTS – which sits beneath the hardcore Turbo and GT3 and will be the first model to receive the drivetrain – with 534bhp and up to 450lb ft. Those outputs represent increases of 60bhp and 30lb ft over the previous model, which used a twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder.
Porsche claims a 0.4sec reduction in the 0-62mph time, at 3.0sec. It also quotes 0-100mph in 6.8sec (0.9sec quicker than before) and 0-124mph in 10.5sec (1.1sec quicker), along with an incremental 1mph increase in top speed to 194mph.
The improvements come despite a 50kg rise in kerb weight for the hybridised GTS, at 1595kg. Some 27kg of that is contributed by the battery, but because it sits up front, it is claimed to subtly improve the weight distribution of the new 911, giving a ratio of roughly 37:63 front to rear.
The performance-enhancing potential of this hybrid drivetrain is reflected in the new GTS’s official Nürburgring lap time, which is 8.7sec quicker than that of its predecessor, at 7min 16.93sec. Notably, that time is also roughly in line with the 718 Cayman GT4 RS and only four seconds behind the 918 Spyder.
T-Hybrid stands for Turbo Hybrid. Key among its developments is the adoption of a new BorgWarner turbocharger featuring an energy recuperation system that operates through the capture of hot exhaust gases. Similar to that employed on the 2.0-litre V4 petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain used by the 919 racer, it is capable of harvesting up to 11kW of kinetic electricity.
Together with the electric motor’s brake regen, this has allowed Porsche to engineer the T-Hybrid system with a compact 1.9kWh battery and without the need for external charging.