‘Everyday Supercar:’ 2018 911 Turbo S Gets a Makeover
I decided to give my 2018 911 Turbo S a bit more visual pop to go along with the performance enhancements.
It has been several months since I provided an update on my journey with my 2018 911 Turbo S. Being located in the great state of Pennsylvania means that the last couple months had generally lousy driving weather. Car events are few and far between around here from November through March. But that doesn’t mean that the car has sat idle. I have entered it into a competitive autocross, entered it into car shows, and taken it on many spirited drives since the last update. Oh, and it’s purple now. More on the color change in a bit.
The longer I own this car and the more adventures I have with it the more convinced I get that a 911 Turbo is as close to a perfect everyday supercar as you can find. That is not to say there are not faster cars. Or more comfortable cars. There are also more practical cars. But the combination of all those attributes in a single car elevates the 911 Turbo to the top.
Not only are these very capable and well-rounded cars, but they are fairly bulletproof in reliability (knocking on wood). So, a 911 Turbo S might not have the same level of flash as something out of Italy. But if you want a little more flash with your 911, you could always wrap it in purple.
GT-ish Performance
We know the 2018 911 Turbo S has stunning straight-line speed. However, what you often hear is that if you want performance that involves carving up corners you need something from the Porsche GT car range. And while it is certainly true that a GT3 has more of a motorsports focus and divine handling.
The Turbo cars should not be ignored. They can hold their own and are more capable than some folks may give them credit for. I took my car to an autocross competition a couple months ago. This course was setup on a portion of the Pocono racetrack. So, it allowed for a higher speed than a typical autocross course. At a full mile long, it was also longer than a typical course. But it was still tight in sections that prevented me from using any power advantage I may have had over the other cars.
Autocross Results
It was a bit like fighting in a phone booth, but it was an opportunity to see how the car can handle. The car is on the stock suspension and the stock (and lousy) Pirelli P Zero tires. I am an autocross novice in every sense of the term. I have done track days for many years, but this was my second timed autocross event ever.
And I took a very causal approach towards it. I drove to the course, did my runs and drove home. No tire changes, or suspension adjustments. I didn’t even check my tire pressures. I wanted to see how the car could do if I just rolled it out there. Although I started to regret that decision when I saw how seriously many of the other competitors were taking this event. But I was out there conducting serious research.
My best raw time of the day was 73.297. That put me 14th fastest out of the field of 64 cars. The 992 GT3 that was there managed a best time of 77.013. Nearly 4 full seconds behind. My car was also quicker than a 718 GT4, 718 Spyder, Ferrari 488 and many others. To be fair I was slower than a 2018 GT3 by 2.5 seconds.
I was also three tenths of a second slower than a 2004 Boxster. These cars were piloted by folks with way more autocross experience and prep than me. There is no question driver talent is the key. But the point is I rolled up to the event with virtually no experience and zero prep and finished in the top quarter of all competitors.
I also had the most comfortable ride to and from the track. And if we would have happened to stop at a drag strip along the way, I would have destroyed any of the cars that finished ahead of me at the autocross. The Turbo S really can do anything.
Color Change
Even though I am lucky enough to own a fantastic car that I love I am always looking at something else. A new Turbo S would be cool. Maybe a Carrera T. Maybe a Targa. I think a lot of you can relate. But allocations are still tough to come by and prices are high on the new models. So, I decided to just change the look of what I already have.
I like the Carrara White of my car, but why not mix things up a bit? I was first thinking about a Nardo Gray wrap. But that film was not in stock and after thinking about it some more I thought I may as well go bold. If I am spending the money on a wrap, why not go nuts?
Afterall, I can always go back to white. I settled on KPMF Matte Purple Black Iridescent. I did the roof and mirrors in gloss black. The rear badges I did in black vinyl à la Porsche RS models. My friends at Pristine Auto Solutions did the wrap for me. At the same time they also tinted the side and rear glass.
They did a great job and I love the new look. It may not be to everyone’s taste, and that is part of what I like about it. To me a car like this should be a bit bold and aggressive. I now have a louder look to go along with the louder exhaust.
To me this color change gives the car even more of a supercar feel to it. Before it could be mistaken for just another white 911. Now it stands out and makes a love it or hate it statement. Speaking of love it or hate changes.
You may have noticed my new custom license plate. Just a friendly dig at those rushing to the EV bandwagon. EVs certainly have their place and are damn quick. But I don’t consider them enthusiast cars yet. However, that is a topic for another day.
Year and a Half
I have now owned this car for 18 months. During that time, it has proven itself to be every bit the everyday supercar that I thought it was going to be. I have more challenges for it planned in the coming months. I will continue to test it, tweak it, and enjoy it as it should be enjoyed. If anyone out there is considering getting a 991 Turbo or Turbo S I can tell you it gets the Joe Kucinski stamp of approval. Not sure how much value that has but hey you didn’t have to pay anything to read this article. Stay tuned for more updates on this amazing car.
Photos: Joe Kucinski
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