To celebrate the 911’s 60th birthday, Porsche has announced a new version called the Porsche 911 S/T. But it’s not exactly one of those lame anniversary editions that bundles a few options together and offers a special paint color that only anniversary-edition buyers can get. Instead, it’s a lightweight road car that borrows heavily from the 911 GT3 Touring and 911 GT3 RS. And we are absolutely not complaining at all.
First, let’s start with the weight. Porsche is very proud of the fact that the 2024 911 S/T only weights in at 3,056 lbs, making it 70 lbs lighter than a 911 GT3 Touring. To get there, Porsche started with the body of the 911 GT3 Touring but went even further with lightweight components such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic on the hood, roof, front fenders and doors, as well as the rear anti-roll bar and shear panel.
You also get magnesium wheels, a lithium-ion starter battery and lightweight glass. Engineers also developed a new lightweight clutch that, when paired with a single-mass flywheel, reduces rotating mass by 23 lbs. Additionally, Porsche removed rear steer and some of the insulation. As far as the seats go, full carbon buckets come standard, but you can switch to Porsche’s four-way-adjustable Sports Seat Plus for no additional charge.
Power, meanwhile, comes from 911 GT3 RS’s naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-four, which is good for 518 hp and 342 lb-ft of torque. This time around, though, it’s paired with a manual transmission. Would it have been quicker with a PDK? Sure. But the 911 S/T isn’t meant to deliver the best possible track times. The GT3 RS already exists for that.
Instead, the 911 S/T was tuned to be an incredibly fun-to-drive road car. And it’s not like it’s slow, either. It’ll still hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 186 mph.
Only 1,963 will be built, so the 911 S/T isn’t going to be a regular production model, but if you really want your car to be special, you can always add the Heritage Design Package, which unlocks Shore Blue Metallic paint and Ceramica wheels. It also lets you add a starting number from zero to 99 to the doors. And if you’re ordering a 911 S/T, why not? The car starts at $291,650 including destination, so you’re already spending a small fortune on it anyway. You might as well get the special paint and the fancy wheels.
You won’t have to wait terribly long to get your 911 S/T, either. Porsche says deliveries are expected to begin next spring. That’s not even a year away.