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Apr 15, 2023

Undisguised Porsche 911 ST Reveals Its Aero Secrets

New spy shots of 911 lightweight show unique front

New spy shots of 911 lightweight show unique front fender vents designed to match GT3 RS carbon doors

Porsche has pulled the last strips of disguise from its lightweight 911 ST prototype, which must mean were only days away from an official launch of what could be for most people the coolest 911 in the 992 line.

We’ve known for a while that it featured the doors from the 2023 GT3 RS with their carbon-reinforced plastic skins, pronounced horizontal crease, and lightweight, old-fashioned exterior pull handle. But only now can we see how that door matches up with the trailing edge of the front fender.

In all previous spy shots, the bottom of the front fender between the wheel and the door was covered with a disguise, but we knew what was hiding under that disguise must be shaped something like the fender on the GT3 RS, which features a vertical fin at the base of the fender. It turns out that the ST is slightly different though because the fin is shorter, doesn't come out as far from the body, connects to the fender in two places, and leaves less gap at the top.

Related: Porsche Will Show The "Sportscar Of The Future" On June 8

The ST's fender also misses out on the GT3 RS's saw-tooth vents above the wheel arch, and it's interesting to note that Porsche hasn't bothered to replicate the front fender cutout in the rear bumper behind the rear wheel, something it did with the GT3 RS. In fact, it would be easy at first glance to mistake the ST for a GT3 Touring, which has the same hood vents, rear diffuser, and a spoiler-free tail.

Well, almost spoiler-free. Unlike the Touring, the ST gets a tiny lip spoiler to improve downforce along with the double-bubble roof from the Sport Classic, a different style of mesh cover for the engine lid, and the circular ‘Heritage’ badge on the left-hand side.

As for what's under that engine cover, we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out. The smart money is on the GT3 RS's 518 hp (525 PS) 4.0-liter flat six, and we’re pretty confident that Porsche will offer that motor with a manual transmission, something not available on the RS. We expect production to be extremely limited, potentially to less than 1,000 units, and the price to be north of $270k.