Porsche 911 S/T Review

The S/T marks 60 years of the 911 and takes its name from the lightweight 911 S/T race cars of 1969. Porsche revealed it in August 2023, built 1,963 for the 2024 model year and charged $290,000 in the US, more than a GT3 RS. The recipe is simple: the GT3 RS engine in a body close to the wingless GT3 Touring, with a manual gearbox and every weight saving the GT department could find.

The 4.0 liter flat-six makes 518 hp and revs to 9,000 rpm, and here it is paired with a manual for the first time: a six-speed geared shorter than the GT3's, with a lightweight clutch and single-mass flywheel that Porsche says cut rotating mass by about 23 lb. Carbon doors, front fenders, roof and hood, standard magnesium wheels and carbon ceramic brakes bring the weight to 3,056 lb, 70 lb less than a manual GT3 Touring and the lightest 992 of all.

Rear-axle steering was left off to save weight. Porsche quotes 3.5 seconds to 60 mph and 186 mph. The light flywheel lets the engine gain and shed revs quickly, and the car feels more alert and more delicate than a GT3, closer in spirit to the 911 R than to anything with a wing.

The drivetrain is GT3 RS hardware, so the costs are mostly consumables: carbon ceramic brakes are standard, and the high-revving engine drinks hard when used. The Heritage Design package adds Shoreblue Metallic paint, Ceramica wheels and Classic Cognac cloth seat centres, and the cabin is finished to a higher standard than the stark RS. It is meant for roads, with none of the RS's aerodynamic drama. The market has treated it as an instant collectible, with cars changing hands far above list by Classic.com's data, which works against the car's purpose.

The S/T is the most complete road-going GT car of the 992 generation: the best engine Porsche makes, a manual gearbox and a chassis tuned for roads rather than a stopwatch. It lacks the historical significance of the 911 R, whose idea it refines, and its price put it beyond most enthusiasts, but as a driving machine it is among the finest modern 911s.