Mehr-minder, literally translated as ‘more-less’, was Porsche’s official name for the M471 option package. Ticking that box back in 1970 would transform your 911 S into a lightweight, stripped-out ST, with Plexiglass windows and body panels made from aluminium, glassfibre or thinner-gauge steel. In essence, it was a road-legal racing car.
Only 33 examples of the ST left the factory, assuring it unicorn status among Porsche collectors. But now the badge is back – this time on arguably the most exciting 911 of the modern era. Unlike its classic forbear, the S/T (newly split by a slash, presumably because Ford has registered the ‘ST’ name) is not designed for racetracks or rally stages. True to form, though, it promises to be a car that does mehr with minder.
Revealed last year, the S/T celebrates the 60th anniversary of Porsche’s ever-evolving 911. A total of 1,963 examples will be made (referencing the model’s birth year of 1963), priced at £231,600 apiece. Inevitably, the entire production run sold out straight away, but the feverish market for special edition Porsches means owners could potentially turn an enormous profit. As I write this, the only UK-based S/T for sale is listed at £459,950.
Best of Touring and RS
The original ST combined the power of the range-topping 911 S with the lighter body of the entry-level 911 T. This reboot follows a similar template, transplanting the 525hp flat-six from the hardcore GT3 RS into the narrower, wingless shell of the GT3 Touring.
The result, once you throw in thinner glass, centre-lock magnesium wheels and lashings of carbon fibre, is a kerb weight of 1,380kg – making this the lightest 911 of the current 992 generation.
For the record, that equates to 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and a 186mph maximum. However, this car is about driver engagement rather than ultimate performance or lap times, as Porsche GT division boss Andreas Preuninger readily admits: “Around the Nürburgring, I don’t have a clue how fast it is”.
Inside the Porsche 911 S/T
Out front, the S/T employs the aero-sculpted double wishbones of the GT3 RS, while its adaptive PASM dampers use bespoke software that took a year to develop. Rear-wheel steering has also been ditched to save weight (7kg, since you ask) and purify the driving experience.
That said, this 911 isn’t all go and no show. Opt for the Heritage Design Package – £14,238, as seen here – and you get retro ‘PORSCHE’ sill graphics, gold S/T badges and lush Classic Cognac leather trim. Further options on my test car included a front axle lift system (£2,546) and a carbon fibre rear roll cage (£3,707). As with all derivatives of the GT3, there are no rear seats.
Rattle and rum
Many of the greatest 911 engines rattle like a box of spanners on start-up, and so it proves with the S/T. You sit low in a fixed-back carbon fibre bucket, facing a large analogue rev counter – the rest of the dials are digital – with the stubby shift lever falling quickly to hand.
I blip the throttle and the revs flare, then fall away with the urgent immediacy of a 911 Cup racer. Into first, the clutch take-up is so sharp I almost stall. The civility of its lesser siblings is absent; the S/T requires your full attention.
And the revs keep rising
Brilliant as Porsche’s paddle-shift PDK transmission is, there’s something wholesome about swapping cogs the traditional way. The S/T’s rabid engine and all-or-nothing clutch mean mastering its notchy six-speed ’box takes time, but it feels more rewarding as a result. Alternatively, if you want to cheat, there’s a rev-matching function that auto-blips the throttle on downshifts.
As for the engine, if you truly love cars, it’s akin to a religious experience. Those shorter gear ratios mean acceleration is even quicker than the RS, and with full power arriving at 8,500rpm, it just keeps on intensifying, seemingly hell-bent on revving itself to oblivion. Frankly, as the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini launch supercars with twice the power output, it makes you wonder how anyone could need or want more.
The sound of the free-breathing flat-six is integral to the excitement, too. Its clutch clatter at idle is soon subsumed by a lupine howl that soars and swells to a furious crescendo. For sheer operatic drama, no turbocharged 992 comes close.
Verdict: Porsche 911 S/T
Downsides? Well, aside from the price and the fact that you can’t buy one (not from Porsche, at least), only the car’s size counts against it. Like many of us, the 911 has expanded over the decades, and the latest S/T is getting towards half-a-metre wider than the 1970 version. Preuninger calls it a “B-road blaster”, but the reality is a car that feels uncomfortably large on many British lanes.
It seems likely that many of the 1,963 S/Ts will be locked away in dehumidified vaults, quietly biding their time as appreciating assets.
This isn’t a car you’d use for daily commuting, but owners who drive them as Preuninger intended will enjoy the 992 at the peak of its powers – a car that bears comparison with legends such as the 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS, 2010 GT3 RS 4.0 and 2016 911 R. Not forgetting, of course, the vanishingly rare original 911 ST.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
PRICE: £231,600
POWER: 525hp
0-62MPH: 3.7sec
TOP SPEED: 186mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 17.6mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 313g/km
