[manson]

Around the same time last year, I distinctly remember telling GTO on how the E63 was too fast, powerful and all that, but it wasn't a Porsche!



What is seemingly becoming an annual ritual of sorts, I was at the Buddh again last month. This time for the launch of the Porsche 911 Carrera (992) and to participate in the Porsche World Road Show Experience.

Due to an early start to the event, we had flown into the capital the evening prior. Not known for being a morning person, I had a full-fledged army of alarms and wake up calls to ensure I wasn't going to be late. I have childhood memories of not getting good sleep before an exciting day, and that night was no different. Thankfully, this ensured I was up and good to go in time. There was enough drama lined up for the day, an ordinary start was not going to make it any less of a day, classic calm before the storm stuff.

The BIC isn't too far from where we were put up for the night and a short bus ride later, we reached the famed, under-utilised but exciting Buddh International Circuit.

All the folks attending the experience were handed out black wrist bands:


A sight that guarantees every Indian motorhead a sense of pride and joy :


Walk through the gates and we were greeted by the brightest mornings in recent times:


Overwhelmed by the first sight, I went click happy on the line-up and familiarized myself with the trims and variants within the Porsche line-up:


The 991 GT3 is powered by a 4.0-liter flat-six engine producing 493 BHP @ 8,250 rpm and 460 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. 0-100 km/h is said to be 3.4 seconds with PDK transmission and top speed is claimed to be 320 km/h:


The 991 Turbo has a 3.8-liter flat-six engine producing 533 BHP and 710 Nm of torque. 0-100 km/h is said to be 3.0 seconds and top speed is said to be 320 km/h:




Just for the record, none of us got a go at this baby in Nardo Grey...


...and this Boxster remained parked at the same spot all day!


Another angle of the sports car line-up:


Looking beyond the sports car line-up. Here we can see Panameras, Macans and Cayennes:


Checkmate!


After the initial drool, we proceeded to the registration desk to sign the participation, emergency contact numbers, liability, indemnity etc. forms:


Notice the pile of forms, one of those times you wished you could write with both hands!


Folks such as myself who were going to be driving were handed different coloured bands. We were divided into four groups to facilitate easy identification for the activities planned for the rest of the day.

All of the cars for the Porsche experience were brought down especially for the event, and that is exactly why all the cars you will see through the thread are left-hand drive vehicles.

And then you see the pile of tires for the weekend. I was told that there were over 40 sets!


Keeping in mind that all the driving participants would cover a distance of merely 50 km through the day, full marks to Porsche for budgeting the extra mile. The logistics were worked out by the Porsche India team whilst the track activities were entirely managed by the Porsche Roadshow Experience.

I managed to sneak in a few more pictures of the line-up whilst the Porsche Experience team fine-tuned their plans and the Porsche India team prepared for the 911 launch:


A 718 Cayman GTS. The 718 GTS models are powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 360 BHP:


Leading the pack is a yellow Boxster GTS:

[manson]

Registrations done, initial euphoria and bubbling aside, it was time for the 911 992 Carrera launch:


Some timeless stills from the launch that I guess Porsche fans can universally identify with:








The design of new Carrera 911 (992) is unmistakably Porsche and I LOVE how its design has evolved further and still deeply connected to the DNA of the early generation cars:


The 992 911 Carrera S is powered by a 3.0-liter flat-six engine producing 444 BHP @ 6,500 rpm and 530 Nm of torque @ 2,300 - 5,000 rpm:


The sports car is available in four variants - Carrera S, Carrera S Convertible, Carrera 4S and the Carrera 4S Convertible:


Looks splendid in white :


Gotta love the way the heavy rear arch merges with the roofline, something that will possibly never look out of place:


In the current times of Sci-Fi clinical supercars, the Porsche 911 holds its own design DNA in place and looks as stylish as ever. Reminds me of the F430, classic Ferrari with perfect execution of modern evolution. If I had to nitpick, I'd probably say that the rear design, apart from being a part of something special, isn't imposing or flamboyant as its Italian competitors. It looks like a bit less time and effort went into the rear design which makes the 911 look relatively less charismatic, but that is probably why they are the preferred daily drive sports cars. So can't be sure if it was less effort or simply a design, rather classic DNA trait:

[manson]

After the 911 Carrera launch, we were divided into 4 groups of 10 members each, based on the colors of our driving wrist bands:


We were run through basics and some specific track etiquette to be followed through the day, i.e. no overtaking, always wearing seat belts, no stopping on the track, recommended seating position, and the biggest of all - never disengaging the PSM button that all the Porsche cars come engaged with:


All the cars were insured, but in the event of an individual having an unfortunate crash with the PSM (Please Save Me in common Porsche speak) button turned off, the car in question would be considered sold. So we were advised to pick cars with our choice of colour, should any of us decide to do away with the PSM function.

Considering many of the participants, including yours truly, were not familiar with the Porsche controls, it was terrific that the Porsche instructor team had a brief module for familiarizing us with the controls on the car, seat and steering settings, switching between driving modes, etc.:


The activities for the day were split up into six segments - offroad, sports cars, slalom, launch control, four-door cars and hot laps.

[manson]

Offroading

Shortly after the track etiquette briefing, we split into 4 groups as per the colour of the wrist bands handed out at the registration desk. Our first activity was to go offroad in the mighty Cayennes!


At the first briefing station, we were familiarized with Cayenne specific controls, driving modes and seat controls of the SUV, following which, two of us went into each of the 5 cars for the participants. We were to follow the instructor's lead car to a specially prepared offroading track just outside the main arena. All the 5 Cayennes to be used by participants were current generation, i.e. petrol only - a mix of regular and the turbo versions:


Not being familiar or well versed with these higher end cars, I usually prefer to hold back and let the partner for the day go first whilst I get oriented with the car and the activities. I walked to the last car in the line-up and to my dismay, my partner, Anirudh, was standing on the left side of the car, which caused a nervous moment until I remembered all the cars at the event were left-hand drive cars and I made myself comfortable in the passenger seat with a sigh of relief:


The car was already in on-road mode and we followed the line-up to the offroad track:


Upon approaching the track, our instructor asked us to switch the driving mode to Rocks and chassis height to Terrain over the intercom system, and then again ran a check before we proceeded offroad:




After the cars in front had cleared the way, we slowly made our way through some rough speed breaker strip-resembling surface and baby rock formations:




The next maneuver was going to require a bit more patience:

https://youtu.be/RxVBv9XR7T4

With all the professional assistance and the tech-laden Cayenne's abilities, fancy skills were not the need of the hour by a long shot:


It was going to be a nose dive to start with, one wheel in the air followed by a sideways roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaGzXoPtllY

Slow, steady and mindful to not do anything stupid. We nicely made our way through this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlmzNo8bpaA

The group was always held tightly together and everyone waited for all the cars to complete the maneuver before proceeding to the next one. Must add here that all major maneuvers were executed only under the direct supervision of the instructor:


Our third and probably the most fun offroad maneuver for the day was going up a ramp, holding right in the middle of the incline to get a demo of how the hill hold system works, and then descending entirely on the auto controls of the car's system, without any brake or throttle input:


Upon descent, we were stopped at the deepest point to ensure the descent mode had activated. Kudos to the instructors standing under the hot summer sun and not relying entirely on the instructions over the intercom system:


What seemed ordinary from the outside was absolutely thrilling on the inside :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK4S9ET79TA

After the descent, we went through a patch resembling steep and relatively sharp rock formations, which self-explained the advantage of having a chassis height adjustment system:


The group made a quick stop for drinks at the end of the turf, following which we switched drivers and I got behind the wheel for some slow action.

Once we were done with the second set of drivers going through the lap, we switched the cars back to on-road mode and made a swift return to the main arena.

[manson]

Sportscar Handling

Kid at a candy store. Trapped in Lego Land. Any phrases less direct or pure would be way out of place for spending a day with the Porsche sports cars at the track. It was time for the most sensational experience of the day - driving the Porsche range of sports cars on the track to experience the handling & dynamics:


Following the lead car, no overtaking, maintaining a safe distance, and having PSM on were the key rules to follow through the activity:


The line-up of sports cars at the handling station was terrific. In order - blue 911, blue 718 Cayman, red 911, yellow Boxster GTS and the yellow 911 AWD:


And all of these would follow the sharp Nardo Grey GT3 which was going to be the instructor's car in the front:


Anirudh and I walked straight towards the 718 Cayman. And by default, I walked straight to the passenger side. Slowest car to start with and a good view of the lead car. The drive was going to be sorted. Anirudh took the first lap in the 718 Cayman and just like the offroad session, we swapped drivers in the pitlane after completing the lap:


The 718 Cayman / Boxster are globally seen as the stepping stone to true two-seater sports cars, and once you open the door to one of these, you realize how much more focused a proper sports car is...right from the seating. Seating is low, space is limited, shoulder room is just about enough for two, getting in requires some effort.

To give you an idea on the insides of the Cayman:


However, getting out to leave the car after a sensational drive requires way more will power than physical effort. When going into one of these lovelies, it was recommended to find a nice low driving position, lower center of gravity for the butt to get a feel of how the car was moving when going in or coming out of corners:

https://youtu.be/Kv5wkDKrUUU

We were second in line after the blue 911 which was following the lead car. Getting out of the pitlane, I realized that everyone around the world complaining about the 4-cylinder engine note on the 718 Cayman and Boxster was right. This sounds good, but far from anything special. The power is adequate, not scary. The handling is direct and all those electronics are doing their job well to ensure that there is no drama. After the first quarter of smooth corners, we were on the back straight. 3/4th into the straight after ensuring everyone got to floor the throttle, there was a tiny S made with cones. We were earlier asked to keep adequate distance between the cars when we got onto the back straight in order to avoid any loose track surface and going into the back of the car at the front, which could cause serious damage.

Through the more involving second half of the lap, I found it fascinating how the butt sends out signals to the hands without the brain's intervention, total harmony when in a Porsche!

Showoff!!

https://youtu.be/mx4OWUHnG60

Every time we would come into the pits after completing both the driver laps, we would move to the car in front, and the drivers of the blue 911 following the lead car would move to the last car in the line-up, the yellow AWD 911. We slowly made our way into the pitlane in the 718 Cayman, switched to parking mode and proceeded to the blue 911 ahead of us.

Still blown away from the very powerful E63 experience last year, I yet again walked to the passenger side . The 911 immediately felt more spacious and plush. The interiors, graphics and overall feel of the 911 were easily two segments better and modern in a nice way:


The 718 Cayman, within moments, went from value for money proposition against the 911 to compromise. And I had not driven just yet. Anirudh was nicely following the GT3 lead car and I could tell he was being as cautious as I would have been. I had just about started to feel relatively comfortable and we got into the pits for a driver change. Frankly, after hearing the engine note from the passenger side, I could not wait to get behind the wheel of this famed machine:

https://youtu.be/4um2sB3AF2E

So belted up, butt firmed up, Sport (not +) mode engaged, we slowly made our way out of the pitlane. The engine sounded excellent, just the right note that wants you to blip that throttle a wee bit more! Through with almost half the lap, I found the gearbox to be extremely responsive to the rpm needle, just how one would like it in an iconic sports car. The 718 gearbox was nowhere as quick. In the 5,000 - 7,000 rpm range, through the second half of the lap, mixed with the aggressive downshifts, these are the things Youtube videos with a billion views are made of. The connect was just too overwhelming for me to be able to put down in words. I can tell you one thing though. The driving experience of the 911 is just as connected to the Porsche DNA as its modern yet trademark exterior design.

After the most exciting lap I had ever driven, we got into the pitlane to switch cars. Happiness was not going to end, or even take a pause for me. Going from car no. 1 (blue 911), we went all the way back to car no. 5, which was the yellow 911 AWD. We had gotten way too lucky to have a really sexy sequence if you come to think of it. We had done two laps very close to the lead instructor car and had just begun to dwell into what was going to be one of the best sportscar experiences till date. Very (very very very) high on the 911 drive, I asked Anirudh if I could go first in the yellow 911 and carry on the adrenaline push for what the lap was worth. Of course, he would not say no, it was all just too perfect. Beaming with excitement from the deepest part of my heart, we waited for all the cars to get moving and slowly made our way out again for one more lovely, symphonic, fun lap around the BIC. This yellow 911, with the quad exhaust, was an AWD and was not as tail happy as the earlier blue 911, which was a RWD. So if anything, the child inside was slightly (like 0.000000000001%) disappointed with that extra bit of feel and control from the AWD, but what the heck, I was driving a lovely sounding 911 around the track and the opportunist in me could not give a damn about the child for the rest of the lap .

Next time into the pitlane, we went into the yellow Boxster GTS. Anirudh had just gotten done with his lap in the 911 AWD and I asked him to continue his drive with the Boxster to keep his momentum going. Once again, the seating was incredibly low, interior was really tight and the shoulder room was in short supply. A couple of corners into the lap, the brakes on the Boxster GTS were feeling a bit wooden. Could not tell if this was due to brake fade or if I was comparing it to the brakes on the 911. It had been a while since I had driven the Cayman, so could not draw any direct reference either. As if to add positives in favor of the 911, I was immediately missing the orchestra that we had just experienced on the back to back 911 drives. Dare I say, the Boxster GTS, after the 911, was feeling mundane! Considering that the GTS felt considerably less powerful (or was it the gearbox) than the 911, we were more comfortable giving it the beans through the entire track. Frankly though, I was getting done with my lap in the GTS and could not wait to go back to the pits to get back out in the red 911 for the last lap I was going to drive between the sports cars that day:


Last set of aggressive corners put behind, into the pits and going into the gorgeous red 911, I don't even remember asking Anirudh if I could go first. I just had to have a go right then!

Only posing to give you guys a side view of the interiors on the 911!!


Setup nicely with the lap in the tiny Boxster, this was getting more fun than I had imagined. Anyone who thinks having a grin plastered on a face is only a phrase should have seen me through the last lap in the 911. Heck, a few more laps in the 911 would have left me with an aching jaw bone.

Ladies and Gentlemen, to conclude in simple words, the 911 (992) experience was the most fun I've ever had whilst driving a car!

You AWESOME thing!

[manson]

Launch Control

After lunch, it was our turn to be at Bay 6 for participating in the Launch Control and Slalom sections, which were being carried out on the main straight:


Our group of 10 was split into two groups of 5 each, one set for the launch control and the other for the slalom. I was in the group that headed for the launch control first:


Through the launch control activity, each one of us sat in the passenger seat for one stint where the instructor demonstrated how the launch control was activated and subsequently performed + braked hard into the box (thankfully none of us threw our lunch out) and returned back to the starting point for each of us to attempt launching the car twice - first in the regular Sport mode and then in Sport+ using the launch control:


The launch control can be activated only in the Sport+ mode. Switch to Sport+ mode, keep the brake pressed using your left foot, go full throttle with the right foot, leave the brake once you see the launch control notification on the display, and voila, MAGIC!

https://youtu.be/ovZndE4s2vI

[manson]

Slalom

As in the launch control activity, each of us got to ride with the instructor for the slalom, after which we were given two attempts to secure the best time for a return lap and stop in the box upon return:


Each missed or hit cone, overshot or undershot box parking would get a penalty. This timing factor alone made what I usually find mundane - fairly exciting. The participant with the lowest slalom time from each group was acknowledged with a memento at the end of the day:

https://youtu.be/hLvPJ-oIHQg

[manson]

Four-Door Handling

The one thing I really missed through my E63 drive at the BIC last year was having an instructor guide us through the lap. No misses here by Porsche. They went all out with the arrangements and had top instructors consistently give us instructions / tips through each lap. After the relatively relaxed launch control and slalom courses, it was our turn at the four-door handling experience:


The line-up consisted of the Panamera Turbo, Macan, Macan S and the Cayenne Hybrid.


Anirudh and I started off with the white Panamera Turbo, which was right behind the lead car. This is the Panamera Sport Turismo powered by a 4.0-liter V8 engine producing 542 BHP and 770 Nm of torque:


Coming from the two-door sports cars, the Panamera felt extremely plush and spacious on the inside. Once out on the track, the precise steering and turbo soundtrack do well to make you believe you are sitting in an all-out sports car:


We observed that the overall speed for the laps in the four-door station activities was much slower, which could be due to the Macans and the Cayenne in the line-up. The last thing instructors would want at the track is participants in the Macans trying to catch up with the powerful Panameras.

Once through with the Panamera Turbo, we made our way to the back of the line-up, straight to the Cayenne Hybrid with the yellow brake calipers . The combined power output in this SUV is 456 BHP and the combined torque is 700 Nm:




Space was getting serious now. We could probably do a yoga asan or two and still have space on the other side. The Cayenne isn't exactly the car one would usually take to the track, but when you are Porsche, it is important that participants know what their flagship SUV is capable of:


With the chassis height set to Low and driving mode set to Sport+ (in order to not have the electric motor kick in), we smoothly cruised behind both the Macans around the BIC. The on-road ride quality of the Cayenne was a great balance between being comfortable, yet firm enough to take a conservative line around the BIC without giving any shivers.

Following the Cayenne Hybrid, we got into the Macan S and the Macan, which were the "slowest" cars of the day (relatively, of course):


We drove both the cars in Sport+ mode to keep them constantly on the boil:


This was going to be the last Porsche we would drive, what a terrific way to call it a day:


The beautiful exhaust note ensured we had our eyes and ears appreciating the Panamera. The black Panamera was beautifully specced - deep stealth black exterior and that lovely exhaust note:


A rendezvous frankly does not get any better than this!


Considering the relatively slow speeds, we unfortunately could not experience the full exhaust symphony or even really find much difference between the drive of the two Panameras. But given the awesome machine that we were experiencing, we honestly could not even care about it too much:

[manson]

Closure and Hot Laps

Final couple of pictures with the Darth Vader followed by one with our group instructor who kept us engaged throughout the day:


The Porsche experience team summarized the activities of the day and were showered with appreciation from all the participants for pulling off a terrific, unscathed, top class day at the track:


After the closure of the track day, it was time for a quick set of hot laps sitting shotgun with the instructor team. The chit I picked from the jar was of the Panamera (God knows how much I loved the Darth Vader):


Fortunately, when my turn came to get into the car, I was the only passenger. So the instructor could go all out - in their definition, about 70% of their regular racing potential, and this is where the Panamera Turbo really came into its own. All of that self-infused rockstar myth developed during the course of the day was busted flat by the second corner. The foot movements, steering technique... these guys are from another level altogether:


Disclaimer: Porsche invited Team-BHP for the track day. They covered all the travel expenses for this driving event.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ajmat]

Amazing thread, am green with envy!!!

[superbad]

An experience to kill for
For someone who has grown up idolising these cars & has seen them for real only a few times, this is stuff dreams are made of.
One suggestion - could you carry a GoPro or something along with windshield mounts so that video quality & consistency is better.

[ritedhawan]

An amazing experience for those lucky ones who were part of this Porsche Drive. This is one of those moments that 'll be cherished by those who were fortunate enough to be part of it!.

'Porsche' has the reputation of making the Best Handling cars in the world is an undeniable truth. The brand name is derived from its originator 'Ferdinand Porsche' who played a crucial role in the inception of the 'People's Car' : 'Volkswagen' (Modern Day: VW Beetle) during Nazi Germany.

My favourite Car amongst the ones that were part of this drive would be without doubt The 'Porsche Panamera' but that's got to do with the fact that I have a predilection for long vehicles!!?

I sincerely believe that the Porsche 'Engine+PDK' DUO can give other car makers 'Engine+Transmission' DUO run for their money!

I may never own a Porsche car in my Lifetime. However, a 'Day with Porsches' is something that I would earnestly desire! Something, the few lucky ones got to experience on that particular day.