I was invoted by John Lee from Downtown Porsche in Toronto to the 911 test drive event hosted by Porsche Canada at Niagara-on-the-lake. The day consists of driving the brand new 911 PDK (Carrera S & 4S) thru autocross track, 0-100-0 test (with launch control) and finally a hot lap driven by one of the cool professional drivers.

The event overall was very very well organized. All the staff knew what their roles were and they certainly did not waste any time trying to get us behind the wheel.

We first got a quick lunch and got started at the autocross track, the new Carrera 4S was very nimble and the PDK transmission knew exactly when you needed to downshift to maintain enough torque when cornering.

With the 0-100-0 test, we got to try the launch control on the Carrera S. Due to the cold temperature and with a passenger on board, we were only able to do 0-100 Km/h at 5.13 seconds. Braking from 100-0 Km/h was 2.93 seconds at 1.06g.

Finally it ended with a hot lap (see link to my youtube video below) and lunch was provided. It was definitely a very enjoyable experience, and it really showcased what the new 911 with PDK transmission is capable of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuZ8NKiVSJY

PS: The female Porsche staff were also very hot. Their tagline should change to something like "Porsche. Buy one and you will never meet an ugly chick again."

 

Here are the pics.

 

LOOKS very very nice. how much did the session cost?
i would love to do one to get to know the core of my 911.

 

XM bump is up at the front of the roof of the Targa? Not very nice...

 

The session was free. I believe they run this program in the US as well and they were Porsche staff from all over who were there.

They also brought a 997 Carrera from Germany with all the options imaginable, I think the price came out to be around the ballpark of a Turbo.

 

It was at the NASCAR speedway in Fontana, CA. The track also has a road course in the infield of the super oval. It was invitation only from a couple of local dealers, about 30 people in all. No charge, and they provided food and souvenirs. We took turns following a Porsche Driving School instructor around the track, in new 911 PDK's (Carrera 2, 2s and Cabrio S) and also Cayenne GTS's.

We then moved to the autocross course they'd set up and lapped in Caymans and Boxsters. An instructor sat in and gave instructions on the Autocross course.

We finished the morning by hotlapping both the autocross and road courses being driven by the instructors.

When we were driving on the road course we had to "follow the leader" with an instructor in front - no passing allowed. It was described as "a spirited test drive rather than a track day" but we got going at a pretty good clip.

The 911's were great, and the PDK seemed quite efficient. What really amazed me, though, was how fast you can drive a 3-ton Cayenne GTS!!

At first I was convinced we were going to roll it, but the instructor in front of me stayed upright so I just stayed close and held on for dear life. I don't drive SUV's (Hell, I hate the damned things) but it really was pretty impressive.

DMoore
'08 C2