2008-2012
The 997-model 911 Carrera S received a major overhaul for 2008.
Visually, not much changed. The most obvious was the restyled LED rear lamps. Also at the back, the bumper was changed slightly, especially between the exhaust outlets. At the front were LED daylight driving lamps, while Bi-xenon headlamps became standard and borrowed the Cayenne’s dynamic bending system. Also at the front, the air intakes were restyled. Finally, the door mirrors became slightly larger, to meet upcoming EU regulations.
However, this was more than a mere facelift. The 997 was given an all-new engine with 40 percent fewer components. The two-piece crankcase now had integrated crankshaft bearing housings, which reduced weight and size. Also, there was now no intermediate shaft driving the timing chains.
The stroke of the 3.8-litre engine reduced from 82.8mm to 77.5mm, while the bore went up by 3mm to 102mm. This meant that the capacity reduced by 24cc to exactly 3800cc.
The cylinder heads had a simpler construction, and were now one-piece with integrated camshaft bearings and guide liners for the hydraulic cup tappets. The lubrication system was optimised to improve efficiency. Finally, and most importantly, the engine now used Direct Fuel Injection, or DFI.
An new option was the PDK (Porsche-Doppelkupplung, or Porsche double clutch) transmission, which replaced the previous Tiptronic S. This seven-speed transmission gave a choice of automatic or manual changes and was faster and more efficient than Tiptronic.
Variations
Cabriolet
The 997-model 911 was offered with a fully electric soft-top to give open-air motoring. The roof was revised from 2008 to reduce wear on the fabric surface during opening and closing.
Specification
Capacity: 3800cc
Compression ratio: 12.5:1
Maximum power: 385bhp at 6500rpm
Maximum torque: 420Nm at 4400rpm
Brakes: Front: 330mm discs; rear: 330mm discs. Servo assisted with ABS
Suspension: Front: Lower wishbones and MacPherson struts with combined coil springs and dampers, plus anti-roll bar
Rear: Multilink with combined coil springs and dampers, plus anti-roll bar
Wheels & tyres: Front: 19x8J with 235/35ZR19 tyres. Rear: 19x11J with 295/30ZR19 tyres
Length: 4435mm
Width 1808mm
Weight: 1510kg (coupé)
0-62mph: 4.9 sec (PDK: 4.7)
Top speed: 187mph (PDK: 186mph)
Did you know?
The Carrera S was one of a long series of 911s to use the S suffix, beginning with the 911S of 1966.
