I had a yellow MINI a few years back and still miss her. Your color (and car) blows that away, completely .. Wow. I'm in awe and congratulations sir. Just stunning

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No I never had an opportunity to drive an S w/x51. This combination is very, very rare and the dealers will typically not have one on hand. I did a nation wide dealer search and couldn't find one, so I embarked on a research project to find out as much as I could before making my decision. Here's what I found out:

1. Owners who have the X51 option like it and can feel the difference
2. Those who don't have the option and have never experienced it will not recommend it
3. I spoke to a few reputable tuners and they claim the hp numbers are understated by Porsche (imagine that, Porsche understating performance) With the exception of suncoast, none of them were selling the aftermarket kit, (less bias) but all of them highly recommended it and stated that when Porsche offers increased hp as an option, that one should buy it without reservation. Those who dynoed the car w/X51 (manual transmission cars) stated that rear wheel hp was closer to 40 hp.
4. I spoke to a few people who bought their 911S without X51 and who later had it installed by suncoast and they could definitely tell the difference. Some of the comments were “increased drive-ability at low rpms,” “smoother, more progressive torque curve,” and lastly, that the car “screams from 6000 rpms to redline.”
5. Auto Sport, the French auto publication tested an S w/x51 manual transmission, w/o sports pasm, and chrono and the advantage in acceleration was as follows: 0-62mph .02, 0-100mph .04 and 0-125mph .07. The results with pdk, chrono and spasm should make for some very interesting times.

In the end, I would have kicked myself all the way back to the dealership had I ordered and taken delivery of my car without the X51 option. Yes, in the end the price is high, but if you negotiate a good deal the pain is somewhat mitigated. Remember, the options have a much bigger margin than does the base price of the car, so there is even more wiggle room. How much time before your build is locked in? I can certainly take you for a ride once the internals have a few more miles.

On the mask, I will let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

 

Thank you and I will certainly give you my candid impressions of the X51 power kit.

 

Beautiful, what can I say about your combo.

 

I do, but I won't. The only place I've had a problem is in downtown Denver.

 

Will do.

 

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments, et toi aussi Serge. This has been a great experience and this forum has been a big contributor. All in all, people have constructive things to say and everyone seems to really, really enjoy the Porsche brand.