One of the main highlights at the Geneva Motor Show in March was the release of a wide variety of tuning programs for the 2012 Porsche 911 (991) Carrera and Carrera S. Following its release at the end of 2011, a large number of tuners, mostly from Germany, presented their take on the seventh generation 911. One of these companies is SpeedArt from Rutesheim, Germany, who offered us the chance to experience their package for the 991.
When we arrived at the headquarters close to Stuttgart, the home base of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, the white Porsche 911 was parked inside the showroom surrounded by other SpeedArt cars and a team of employees working on the latest offerings and sales. SpeedArt owner Björn Striening welcomed us and moved the sports car outside for our road test.
The basis of the SpeedArt 991 is a 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S with PDK and Sport Chrono package. Björn and his team added a series of exterior and interior design parts to the stock car and fitted 21 inch forged LSC wheels. The SpeedArt LSC wheel center star and outer rim are available in different colors, but the ones fitted on our test car were respectively black and chrome.
The body kit of the SpeedArt SP91-R features a front chin spoiler, side skirts, rear wing and rear diffuser. The upgrades offer small changes to the sporty design of the car. They enhance the looks while taking design cues from the styling of the SpeedART Panamera and latest Cayenne models. This new rear wing mounts on top of the original rear spoiler for an integrated look. The stock wing is still usable and the new bolt-on wing does not intervene with its operation. The tuner is currently developing a larger rear wing, which will provide a more prominent design statement to the looks of the German sports car.
Our test car did not offer any technical upgrades. SpeedArt is currently working on an engine upgrade for both the 911 Carrera and Carrera S. The performance upgrade will feature an ECU remap offering an increase in horsepower of 25hp and 25Nm of torque. Just a small recap, the Carrera S is powered by a direct injection 3.8 liter flat six which delivers a stock performance of 400hp and 440Nm of torque. The Carrera is powered by a naturally aspirated, direct injection 3.4 liter flat six which delivers a stock 350 horsepower and 390Nm of torque. The 911 Carrera S with PDK manages to accelerate from nought to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds. Pressing the Sport Plus button on the optional Sport Chrono package cuts that to 4.1 seconds. The 911 Carrera with PDK needs only 4.6 seconds (Sport Plus 4.4 seconds) to sprint from a standing start to 100km/h.
Additionally, there is a sports exhaust system with a butterfly valve, sport-catalytic converters, manifolds and SpeedArt exhaust tips. The latter parts were installed on our test car. The exhaust system itself was still the stock unit from Porsche. A light Titanium sport exhaust system will be available at a later stage for racing enthusiasts.
On the option list you will also find different sport suspensions for street and race track use. Next to the standard sport suspensions there is an airlift suspension to maintain the everyday practicability of cars with the SP91-R body kit. During our drive we did not experience any major problems with the ground clearance of the car’s front, but we can imagine that in densely populated areas with speed bumps the system may come in handy.
SpeedArt offers endless customization options for the cabin of the sports car. The specialist fitted a combination between blue and green stitching, leather and alcantara on the door panels, seats, dashboard, steering wheel and center console of the press car. The final combination would not be our immediate choice, but it did introduce us to the type of craftsmanship SpeedArt offers for the interior. Additionally, the Germans fitted new floor mats, new door sills and an aluminum pedal set. All with matching SpeedArt logos.
Overall, our experience of the SpeedArt SP91-R did not change our opinion about the 2012 Porsche 911 (991) Carrera S. The only noticeable change was the 21 inch forged LSC wheels. They offered a slightly more bumpy ride due to the larger rim size, but not up to a level you would feel uncomfortable.
For us the new Porsche 991 is still a sports car close to perfection. It became more of a gran tourer capable of offering you sportiveness when requested. SpeedArt just added its own type of refinement to the equation you either love or hate, but making the overall experience more unique from the stock offering from Zuffenhausen. It is now up to the customers to decide if they would opt for it!
