Porsche 911 S/T 2024: first test in Australia

Tick, tick, tick… The Porsche 911 S/T’s exhaust continues to vocalize long after the flat-six engine has been turned off – a lingering reminder of the exhilarating moments spent at 9,000 rpm earlier.

As it sat, admittedly out of place, in the car park of a nondescript Brisbane shopping centre, the limited edition car’s appearance is easy to appreciate against the backdrop of the grey, white and black SUVs surrounding it.

This is the most expensive Porsche sold in Australia, after all. The new Porsche 911 S/T is arguably the most driver-focused 911 variant ever, and translates the GT3 RS’s track prowess into a more road-going application.

Just 1,963 examples will be made worldwide, and Australian pricing starts at $660,500. Add in on-road costs and options, and this unique 911 variant will almost certainly top the $750,000 mark. Our test car did, anyway – $795,751 to start with, based on dealer delivery in Melbourne.

Key details	Porsche 911 S/T 2024
Price	$660,500 plus road expenses
Color of the test car	Shore Blue Metallic
Cost of options	$54,780
Price as tested	$715,280 plus road costs
Takeaway Price	$795,751 (Melbourne)
Rivals	BMW M4 CSL | Lamborghini Huracan STO | McLaren750S

But this is a special car, and you don’t have to look far to appreciate it. Our Shore Blue Metallic example featured historic logos and lettering on the side, a wonderfully simple and clean interior, and a 60 Years of Porsche badge on the rear of the car.

Of course, the requisite 911 S/T badge indicates that this 911 is the most hardcore of them all, and harks back to the Porsche 911 S/T of the early 1970s – a lightweight, road-going interpretation of Porsche’s 911 racer of the day. Today, the model uses lightweight components to become the lightest variant of the 992 generation.

The door panels and wheel arch covers are made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, while the windows are made of thin glass. The staggered 20/21-inch center-locking wheels are made of magnesium and reveal a set of standard carbon-ceramic brake discs. Porsche has also removed the GT3’s rear-wheel steering capability, further reducing weight.

In practice, the running gear is borrowed from the 911 GT3 RS. It’s a rear-mounted 4.0-litre flat-six engine that develops 386 kW and 465 Nm. All of this is sent to the rear wheels and mated to a unique six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox.

Porsche also equipped the manual transmission with a lightweight clutch and a single-mass flywheel, which together enable race-car-like agility and a savage zero-to-60 mph acceleration time of 3.7 seconds, according to the automaker.

Given that this is the quintessential road-going 911, designed for cornering on public roads rather than setting blistering lap times (although it’s probably capable of that too), To drive was invited to Brisbane to test the new variant ahead of customer deliveries.

The irony is that I had at my disposal an $800,000 limited-edition 2024 Porsche 911 S/T, arguably the most driver-focused 911 variant ever, and found myself stuck in late afternoon traffic for what was likely our only opportunity to test it.

At an average speed of 5km/h on Brisbane’s Bruce Highway, it’s clear that the 911 S/T is designed to go fast, not to stumble through rush hour. Sound-deadening and sound-absorbing materials are kept to a minimum, so the constant vibrations and rumbles of the big flat-six are ever-present despite idling at less than 1000rpm.

The new special clutch may be light, but it feels very heavy under the foot. Repeatedly engaging and disengaging the pedal is tricky – this gearbox is not comfortable with urban speeds.

It takes some getting used to, especially when it comes to changing gears. The combination of a light clutch and single-mass flywheel allows the engine to rev faster, which gives a motorsport feel, but the engine also drops off revs alarmingly and the resulting experience can be clunky at low speeds.

But the gearbox is undoubtedly one of the most interesting aspects of the 911 S/T. The ratios of the six-speed gearbox are eight percent shorter than those of a conventional 911 GT3, meaning the driver can push the car to its glorious and frightening limits more often.

I don’t know if I’m alone in thinking this, but the 911 has become a big car in its current generation. Although the 911 S/T leans toward the lighter side of the 992 lineup, I can’t help but think that the accentuated rear haunches are comically large and hard to see.

Some will love the wide look that characterizes the 992 generation, but I’m sure there’s a subset of 911 aficionados who yearn for a smaller physical footprint.

Regardless, the time spent in traffic allowed me to fully enjoy the 911 S/T’s interior. It’s absolutely gorgeous and decidedly driver-focused. You sit in a set of very wide bucket seats that have virtually no adjustment, while the steering wheel is devoid of buttons and switches.

Even the GT3’s mode selector is gone in favor of a clean look: this S/T doesn’t have a set of specific driving modes, save for different shock settings and an exhaust button.

It’s a refreshingly simple interior and a nice throwback. The retro aesthetic is completed by a phosphorescent green central tachometer, flanked by digital dials, and the regular door handles have been removed in favor of leather pulls.

Even on the exterior, the 911 S/T features pull handles rather than the retractable elements seen on the 911 GT3 or Carrera ranges.

It’s so special, inside and out. But the experience became even more incredible after I freed myself from the constraints of traffic.

Finally, it was time to push the 911 S/T to the rev limit of 9,000 rpm. Wow! What an experience!

Windows: Up. Gear: Second. Foot: Down. Hearing that flat-six engine rev to redline is an intoxicating experience, but it’s also one that ends all too soon.

Key details	Porsche 911 S/T 2024
Engine	4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six
Power	386 kW at 8,500 rpm
Couple	465 Nm at 6,300 rpm
Reader Type	Rear wheel drive
Transmission	6-speed close-ratio manual transmission
Power to weight ratio	280 kW/t
Weight (tare)	1380 kg
0–100 km/h	3.7 seconds

However, this temperamental gearbox is much happier to shift up at higher engine and wheel speeds, and then it’s ready to dance all the way to 9,000rpm. The short-throw gear lever itself is a joy to hold, and features a notchy action. True, you have to be particularly deliberate in your movements – or simply well-trained – but the feeling of shifting into a perfect gear is rewarding.

Fortunately, Porsche has arranged the car’s computers to do the opposite: there’s an automatic rev-matching beep function that executes a downshift better than I ever could.

There’s no doubt that the 911 S/T is fast, but it’s not the extremely nauseating experience you get in a regular turbocharged 911. (Relatively) lower torque and a linear curve ensure that the punch builds slowly but steadily.

The speed increases deceptively, but of course, before you know it, you’ve exhausted the limits of play imposed by the highway code and speed limits. Even though this 911 is designed for the road, I’m sure its performance would be even more exploited on a racetrack.

Then there’s the handling. Even at moderate speeds on the winding country roads just south of the Sunshine Coast, the 911 S/T’s sharp nose enthusiastically follows the pinpoint steering system, while reliable feedback keeps the driver in touch with the road.

Every change in direction or road surface is transmitted to the driver for a wonderfully tactile ride quality. Even though it’s actually a GT3 derivative, the 911 S/T senses road imperfections and handles them without sending any sudden jolts or impacts to the driver’s rear. This is a car built for the open road – imperfections included – and it drives like one.

Carbon ceramic brakes are sensitive when starting, but their ability to straighten the car out in a short amount of time is very impressive. By the way, not only do carbon ceramic discs work harder physically than regular brakes, but they also generally produce less brake dust to dirty those beautiful off-white wheels. Win-win!

What makes the 911 S/T so brilliant is how Porsche has distilled the model. Its no-frills exterior design is free of wings, flaps, and air-bending canards. The interior is focused solely on the manual sports car driving experience: no modes, no distractions. And the elimination of unnecessary weight has resulted in a more dynamic sports car.

Porsche is good at coming up with a new special edition with all-new technology (911 Dakar, 911 Sport Classic, GT3 Touring), but it’s very likely that the best driving experience in a 911 comes from a model born in the 1970s.

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