Porsche 911 Turbo S cracks 300km/h at Sydney Airport
German car-maker hires stretch of Sydney runway for launch of new 911 flagship“You are clear for take-off” … Porsche Cars Australia took launch control to a new meaning today, hiring out a 2.2km section of runway at the Sydney International Airport.
The German sports car marque invited select media and 48 of its most loyal customers to drive the new Porsche 911 Turbo S flat-out along runway 16L/34R at Sydney airport.
The new 478kW/800Nm all-paw supercar claims a 0-100km/h time of 2.7 seconds and top governed speed of 330km/h.
Today, participants in the program – which was run by carsales’ own Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden – were able to test the veracity of at least the first figure, before travelling onwards to a speed just exceeding 300km/h.
In our run, carsales achieved a top speed figure of 307km/h.
The unusual launch event comes as Sydney Airport experienced a 97 per cent decline in air passenger numbers during the month of September.
In ordinary operating conditions, a plane takes off or lands at Sydney airport every 45 seconds, accumulating to between 800 and 1000 flight movements per day.
However, in September, passenger traffic dipped from 3.65 million to 132,000 year-on-year, as a direct result of COVID-19 and subsequent border closures.
A Sydney Airport spokesperson told carsales the facility would never normally field requests to drive on the runway, but the COVID-19 environment had created fresh opportunities.
A Porsche Australia spokesperson said the idea to run the program began several months ago.
“We always knew we wanted to do something with the 911 Turbo S. We were sitting in the boardroom one day and the idea of airports came up,” the spokesperson explained.
“We needed the event to be special, we talked about the current climate and knew we needed to aim high. So we said, ‘Why not aim for Sydney?’
“It was challenging just by virtue of the number of parties involved – from the airport to the event agencies to Motorsport Safety and Rescue, who run the drive program.
“Being safe and being able to run the event in a manner that satisfied all the parties was our first priority.
“The participants are rapt and so are we. To see it come off and actually be here is so good. A fantastic day.”
Related: Porsche 911 Turbo S 2020 Review
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