S is more for the 911 Turbo

The 911 Turbo S sprints from zero to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds.

Go-faster "S" versions of the Porsche 911 Turbo coupe and convertible will go on sale in New Zealand in August, priced at upwards of $40,000 over the regular Turbo.

The Turbo coupe and convertible arrived here last month and sit at $342,000 and $357,000. Both S models will be listed at $385,000 and $400,000. The S will be unveiled for the first time at next month's Geneva motor show.

At the heart of the 911 Turbo S is the same twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre six-cylinder boxer engine found in the 911 Turbo, but with power boosted from 368kW to 390kW and torque up from 650Nm to 700Nm.

Despite the increase in power and performance, says Porsche, the 911 Turbo S returns similar town-and-around fuel consumption of 11.4 litres/100km, or 25mpg.

The all-wheel-drive S sits at the top of the 911 range and gets Porsche's seven-speed double-clutch (PDK) transmission. A mechanical rear differential lock is standard, along with three-spoke 19-inch RS Spyder wheels.

Porsche claims the Turbo S sprints from zero to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds and reaches 200km/h in 10.8 seconds. Top speed is 315 km/h.

Bringing the S down from such speeds are lighter and more fade-efficient ceramic composite brakes.

Porsche will also use Geneva to unveil a hybrid version of its GT3 race car. It arrives 110 years after company founder Ferdinand Porsche developed the world's first car with hybrid drive, the Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, which had an electric motor at each wheel.

The new GT3 R Hybrid uses two electric motors on the front axle, each developing 60kW to supplement the 353kW 4-litre flat-six engine in the rear.

But instead of the usual batteries in a hybrid road car, a flywheel generator next to the driver delivers energy to the electric motors.

The flywheel generator itself is an electric motor with its rotor spinning at speeds of up to 40,000rpm, storing energy mechanically as rotation energy. The flywheel generator is charged whenever the driver applies the brakes, with the two electric motors reversing their function on the front axle and acting themselves as generators.

The driver can then use this kinetic energy as a power boost when accelerating out of corners or when overtaking. The extra 120kW of power is available for six to eight seconds after each charge process.

Energy formerly converted - and thus wasted - into heat upon every application of the brakes is now converted into additional drive power. Depending on conditions, hybrid drive is used not only for extra power, but also to save fuel, says Porsche.

After its debut in Geneva, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be tested in long-distance races on the Nurburgring circuit in Germany, including the annual 24-hour classic in May.