You’re doubtless familiar with the law of diminishing returns – a dictum that essentially advises you to stopping pumping more time and resources into an endeavour at a given point in time because it won’t yield any added benefits.
Someone clearly forgot to impart this pearl of wisdom to the Porsche labcoats, because their propensity for eking out more of everything – notably performance, safety and fuel economy – from the venerable 911 is seemingly interminable. What makes this a particularly head-scratching feat is that the layout of the 911 is basically, err wrong. With its flat-six engine (which weighs in excess of 200 kilograms) slung over the rear axle, the Stuttgart stormer is heavier at the back than at the front, hence the tendency of early models to disappear backwards into the scenery in the hands of less-skilled drivers.
Yet the 911 has not just continued to keep pace with rest of the (more conventionally engineered) sports-car pack since its birth in 1963, but also remained the benchmark by which others are judged. When Audi launched the R8 back in 2007, and Nissan debuted the GT-R later in the same year, car mags around the world immediately rushed out to line them up not against a Ferrari or Aston, but head-to-head with the 911 Turbo of the era.
And so it is today, as incremental improvements mean the German tail gunner is still arguably the pick of the bunch. How do I know this? I have just completed a series of flat-out laps in the new 911 Turbo S at the revamped Kyalami Racing Circuit – a dipping, diving track nestled on the outskirts of the South African metropolis of Johannesburg. It’s a perilous venue – the combination of fast, off-camber, blind-crested corners and minimal run-offs mean there’s scope for a massive shunt if you get it wrong.
Despite this – or perhaps because of it – Kyalami is an ideal venue to showcase the dynamic excellence of the 2016 Turbo S, which somehow manages to eclipse the car it replaces. And that’s taking into account my first experience driving the oldie in 2013, when it blew me away with its bottomless performance reserves.
The latest changes aren’t dramatic, but they’re significant. New turbos have upped power by 20hp to 540hp in the “entry-level” 911 Turbo, while the Turbo S gains the same horsepower hike to take its quota to a towering 580hp. This enables the latter to pile on 100kph from standstill in 2.9 seconds, and if you keep the loafer planted, it won’t stop accelerating until you hit 330kph. Yet the newbie is also more economical than before, burning 9.1L of fuel per 100km if you drive sedately.
Porsche loves acronyms, and among the alphabet soup in the 911 Turbo’s spec sheet is PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), which in the latest iteration provides the adaptive dampers with a greater bandwidth between hard-core, track-attack settings and comfort for day-to-day trundling. Suffice to say, it works.
Our challenge for the track session is to hang on to the coattails of the Porsche factory racer Jörg Bergmeister, who will be setting the pace in a bright-orange 911 GT3 RS – a car that, on the circuit, is the equal of almost any other road-registrable vehicle on the planet.
Wringing the neck of a scorchingly fast car on a difficult, unfamiliar racetrack can result in an impromptu cold sweat and clammy hands, but the beautifully sorted Turbo S makes it all seem rather easy. The fact that power is relayed to the tarmac by all four tyres, and that the rear wheels also steer (albeit only by a couple of degrees at speed), makes for great poise and balance at pace. Consequently, the towering 750Nm torque quota is effortlessly deployed out of corners, and the few short straights between bends are devoured in a blink.
Just as well, then, that the PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes) are up to the task of wiping off huge velocities with disdain. The 911’s rear-engined layout aids its composure here, as the mass over the rear axle ensures there isn’t a huge weight transfer to the front when you stand on the anchors.
After five hard laps, it takes a short while for the adrenaline to settle and the on-track impressions to be assimilated. The conclusion is inescapable. Nothing else out there comes close as an all-weather, everyday supercar that’s just as comfortable pootling down to the shops for a loaf of bread as it is making mincemeat of a racetrack.
motoring@thenational.ae
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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India cancels school-leaving examinations
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
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British Grand Prix free practice times in the third and final session at Silverstone on Saturday (top five):
1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.063 (18 laps)
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:28.095 (14)
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:28.137 (20)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:28.732 (15)
5. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:29.480 (14)
'Nope'
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Match info
UAE v Bolivia, Friday, 6.25pm, Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium, Dubai
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
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