Porsche T-Hybrid system to spread to 911 Turbo, possibly GT2 RS

Porsche’s innovative T-Hybrid system that created the most potent 911 GTS to date looks set to spread to the 911 Turbo family as the 992.2 series of the iconic sports car continues to expand.

And Porsche hasn’t ruled out a manual gearbox for the complex assortment of electric propulsion blended with horizontally-opposed six-cylinder firepower.

Speaking via video link at the local launch of the 992.2 911, Porsche engineers were guarded about the use of the T-Hybrid system in other 911s, although clearly there’s a desire to spread the F1-inspired system further.

At the heart of the T-Hybrid is an exhaust driven turbocharger featuring an electric motor to assist with bringing the turbine up to speed quickly, all but eliminating turbo lag.

That same motor can harness excess boost pressure and act as a generator to create electricity for a 1.9kWh battery that in turn powers a 40kW/150Nm electric motor integrated between the engine and transmission.

And it’s that electric motor that gave the new 911 GTS such a big power boost compared with the model it replaces.

The new 3.6-litre single-turbo T-Hybrid powertrain develops a combined 398kW/610Nm, a sizeable 45kW/40Nm jump over the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre 992.1 GTS.

Acceleration to 100km/h is 0.4 seconds quicker, the 992.2 GTS completing the dash in three seconds flat, bringing it tantalising close to the 911 Turbo (427kW/750Nm, 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds) that has more low rev lag.

When asked whether the T-Hybrid system would make its way across other models in the 911 family, the director of the 911 product line, Michael Roesler, said it was “not finally answered”.

“We wanted to close the dynamic gap a little bit between the predecessor engine and the Turbo,” he said, adding that “maybe in the future we can think about to put a T-Hybrid in other variants”.

Last year, recently departed Porsche finance chief Lutz Meschke told Carsales the GTS and 911 Turbos – including the ludicrous Turbo S – were in line for the T-Hybrid system.

Frank Moser is the vice president for the 911/718 product line and hinted the T-Hybrid love could be spread further.

“The hybrid system we launched with a GTS, which is the highest position car within the Carrera model line,” he said.

“This is the system for the highest position car in the 911 model line, so we will see what we are doing with that system in the future.”

The challenge, of course, is how to separate the new 3.6-litre T-Hybrid system used in the GTS from the drivetrain used in the Turbo and its derivatives, one of which is tipped to be a new range-topping 911 Turbo GT.

The 911 Turbo models have always used a different engine to the regular Carrera models, all of which suggests a new engine is in the wings – or, at least, a heavy development of the new-generation engine that debuted in the latest GTS.

If it follows tradition, it will have a larger capacity than the versions used in Carrera variants and would get two turbochargers.

However, when asked whether a second turbo could be adapted to the 911 GTS, engineers quickly confirmed “there is no space”.

That said, 911 Turbos get a unique wide-body design that could potentially provide the space for a bigger engine.

These are all things that will no doubt become apparent over coming months as Porsche looks to keep the 911 rollout bubbling along, though there’s another obvious application for the T-Hybrid system at the very pinnacle of the 911 line-up: the GT2 RS.

Essentially a turbocharged version of the rear-drive, track-honed GT3 RS, the GT2 RS is a limited run model that usually arrives every seven or eight years – the last version was available from 2017 to 2019, suggesting a new one is due soon.

When it arrives, expect the new version to output upwards of 530kW of power, making it the most potent 911 to date.

While technology and pace are at the forefront for Porsche, the German brand is also open to tradition in the form of a manual transmission.

The new 911 GTS controversially does without the option of a manual transmission, instead defaulting to an eight-speed ‘PDK’ dual-clutch automatic.

Since its introduction, the PDK transmission has brought huge performance gains for every model it’s been applied to, as proven by the 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera T; the manual only Carrera T takes 0.4 seconds longer (4.5s total) to reach 100km/h compared with the 911 Carrera and its PDK.

But Porsche hasn’t ruled out a manual gearbox option matched to the 911 GTS if there’s enough buyer interest.

“Let’s think about it in the future,” Roesler said. “If the market wants it maybe we have to consider it, but there’s nothing decided.”

He pointed out that as well as the complexity of engineering a manual to work with the T-Hybrid system, there’s the step backwards in terms of performance.

“There was a reason why Porsche put a PDK years ago in the (911) 997. When the car is revving very, very quick shifting is an issue, so that’s why it’s not on the market.”

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au