The winter testing session was in full swing, and Porsche has been keeping busy lately with preparing a mid-cycle update for the 911. An extended gallery of spy photos highlights two coupes and two convertibles featuring camouflage that is deceptive to trick the untrained eye into believing the 992 The -gen sports car is more or less the same. However, eagle-eyed viewers will notice two different headlamp designs, possibly with and without matrix technology.
The most obvious change is in the front bumper as it is no longer integrated with the LED strip. Its functionality has been embedded in the main headlights, giving it a cleaner bumper appearance. All four 911 test vehicles had multiple cowlings behind three horizontal slats, presumably for aerodynamic purposes. It is not clear whether these shutters are active and only open at certain times or if they are in a fixed position.
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Moving around at the rear, the dual exhaust tips are closer to each other but don’t sit next to each other like on the GT3 or GT3 RS. Porsche is also working on new air intakes to cool the flat-six engine and there seems to be a sneaky body-colour disguise of the taillights. Our spies couldn’t get a peek inside, but the black cloth placed on the dashboard indicates that the cabin will be undergoing some changes we haven’t been allowed to see.
Generation 992 still feels fresh, but the guys from Zuffenhausen are working hard on preparing for a facelift. Styling changes aside, we expect the biggest novelty to be the hybrid version that Porsche has repeatedly said is coming. It would not be a PHEV and would be performance tuned rather than efficiency. Lessons learned from the 919 Hybrid program will be put to good use, but the fully electric 911 has been sidelined this decade.
Towards the end of the 992.2’s run, the German automaker could come out with another GT2 RS to serve as the ultimate version. Meanwhile, spy shots have revealed a potential ST is on its way, possibly even before the facelift. It will reportedly be based on the Carrera T but with GT3 power and lots of lightweight parts.
