2017 Porsche 911 Carrera: Is the Addition of Two Turbos One Step Too Far? - Ignition Ep. 156

In this episode of Ignition presented by Tire Rack, we explore whether adding two turbos to the base Porsche 911 was a good idea. Porsche inadvertently created a problem four decades ago with the original 911 Turbo. It was so fast and so unique that its name became a legend. Ever since, “The Turbo” refers to just one car—the blown Porsche 911. Now, for the first time, the base 911 Carrera has turbos, too. Like them or not, turbochargers fundamentally change the way an engine delivers output. All turbocharged engines have lag; the question is whether the boost is managed well enough to not interfere with the driver’s commands. And, in this case, the bigger question is: Does the new downsized, turbocharged engine alter the 911 experience? MOTOR TREND Senior Features Editor Jason Cammisa secured a base Carrera to find out and spec’d it without performance-enhancing options—no rear-wheel steering or active antiroll bars to compensate for the rear-mounted engine’s weight, no big carbon-ceramic brakes to decrease unsprung weight, and no PDK dual-clutch automatic to help the 0-60 run. Then, he turned hall-of-fame race car driver Randy Pobst loose in the 911 to see how it would do around the Thunderhill Raceway Park 2-mile circuit. Without all the gizmos, can a base 911 keep up with the overachieving BMW M2 around a track? You’ll have to watch this episode to find out.