2010 Porsche 911 Turbo: First Drive [And Prizes!]

By Marty Padgett

Marty Padgett

Editorial Director BIO

Marty Padgett is High Gear Media's Editorial Director, overseeing the words that skim across High Gear Media's portfolio of automotive destinations... More

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2010 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

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• Specs: Direct-injected 3.8-liter boxer six-cylinder, 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet torque; seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or six-speed manual
• Speeds: 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds; top speed, 194 mph (estimated by Porsche)
• Price: $132,800 (Coupe) and $143,800 (Cabriolet)
• On sale: January 2010

You've been teased for too long: first by Porsche, then by High Gear Media's previews from the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Finally, this week, we're overdosing you on the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo with a live drive from Lisbon, Portugal and the famed Estoril race track.

Both the 911 Turbo Coupe and Cabriolet arrive early next year in the U.S. with a staggering new powertrain stuffed into the latest generation of the 911 body shell. The engine's been upsized 0.2 liters, but it's still a flat six; with variable turbocharger vanes, direct injection and a new performance intake manifold, the Turbo's 3.8-liter six fires up 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque (peak, with the optional Sport Chrono package). It's an entirely new engine for the Turbo, a first in the 35-year-history of the Turbo, Porsche says.

With the new seven-speed Porsche "PDK" dual-clutch transmission or a six-speed manual, the stout new engine's enough to propel the 911 Turbo to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, Porsche also says. Top speed is a promised 194 mph for either Coupe or Cabriolet models. And despite adding 20 hp and a near 200-mph top end, the 2010 911 Turbo also checks in with carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 18 percent and with better fuel economy, though the official EPA figures aren't available yet.

The other important drivetrain add-on is the optional Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), which combines with the standard Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) to pair electronic and mechanical controls to put power to individual wheels where needed, for the utmost traction. It's similar to the system pioneered by the Acura RL, and is installed on the 2010 Porsche Panamera to brilliant success.

Inside, the 911 Turbo wears a new optional steering wheel that changes the buttons controlling the PDK transmission. On other Porsches, the left and right buttons each can control upshifts and downshifts. With the new wheel, the left paddle downshifts the PDK gearbox and the right triggers an upshift. The rest of the 911 Turbo's already impressive and capable feature set carries over from the previous model.

There's much more to come. Stay tuned at High Gear Media for our first drive of the Porsche 911 Turbo this week - we're feeding you the latest starting Tuesday via CoverItLive, with Twitter-ized updates from our road and track drives in and around Lisbon and Estoril. Follow our trail at @therealma #911turbo or bookmark this page for updates.

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2010 Porsche 911 Turbo engine die-cast model

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You can write--and win, too! We're not the only ones going on the record--so can you. High Gear Media wants you to tell us about your favorite Porsche, or about the cars you think can challenge the 194-mph supercar. To egg you on, we're giving away free Porsche gear to the best entries published through our network of High Gear Media sites. Prizes include a special commemorative book about the 2010 Panamera, a cool Porsche baseball hat and a special-edition 911 Turbo diecast engine model. All you have to do is sign up here and write about Porsches or Porsche-beaters for High Gear Media. Finish your post before Saturday, October 24th and we'll choose a winner from all the great entries. May the best gearhead win!