2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S: Here’s How We’d Build Ours

All that grunt allows the Turbo S coupe to rocket to 60 mph in a mere 2.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 205 mph. Meanwhile, the open-topped Turbo S Cabriolet needs just 0.1 second longer to hit the mile-a-minute mark and sees no reduction in top speed. And those are Porsche’s estimates, which-usually-prove to be conservative. That means the real deal is probably even quicker to 60 mph.

With standard all-wheel-drive and wider front and rear tracks than on regular 911s, the top-of-the-line Turbo (for now) ought to handle as well as it accelerates. Plus, with its long list of standard and available comfort and convenience items, the Turbo S promises to cosset its front passengers with luxury features more commonly associated with flagship sedans and crossover SUVs than hardcore drag racers or supercars. So how would we option our 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S coupe or convertible? Read on to find out.

Greg Fink: My grandma once relayed this wise piece of advice on me: “Rich or poor, money’s good.” That’s why I went light on the options on my theoretical 911 Turbo S coupe in order to keep some cash left over after dropping the rest on a car with a base price of $204,750—a sum which my conservative list of add-ons jacks up to $220,240. So what do $15,490 worth of extras net? 

Well, I avoided all pricey paint options and instead opted for a free coat of Aventurine Green Metallic paint. I also stuck with the standard 10-spoke, 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels and tires. Because I’m a man of refined tastes, I’ve chosen to forgo full-leather seating for tasteful leather and cloth (or Sport-Tex in Porsche-speak), 18-way power seats-a no-cost option. I’m also rather pasty and in order to ensure I get some much-needed UV rays on my mug, I ticked off the box for the $1,560 power sunroof.

A front-end lift system tacked $2,770 to the bill, because why risk scraping my near-quarter-million-dollar sports car’s front end? For safety’s sake, I also opted for a $370 rear wiper, black headlights with all the latest lighting tricks for $750, a $1,060 blind-spot monitoring system, $1,220 in lane-keeping assist and traffic-sign recognition, a $1,430 surround-view system, and $2,000 for adaptive cruise control.

Given the hoopla surrounding Coronavirus, I also added the $350 ionizer to keep my car’s interior as germ-free as possible, Meanwhile, a heated steering wheel, storage nets in the passenger footwell and frunk, and wood interior trim were all no-cost extra. Finally, I splurged and added a Burmester premium sound system for $3,980 because I got caught up in the fantasy. Can you really blame me?

Claire Crowley: I used to think of Porsches as semi-desperate status symbols—until I drove one at MotorTrend‘s 2020 Car of the Year evaluations and the scales fell from my eyes. The only thing about that 911 Carrera S that didn’t float my boat in a major way was its lackluster interior. 

That model had plenty of zing, but for “my own” I’d step up to the meaty Turbo S. I’m pulling out all the stops and springing for the full-leather interior with deviated stitching, the gloriously overpriced Burmester sound system, and a sliding glass sunroof. And since beauty isn’t all on the inside, let’s throw in the Carmine Red specialty paint and black wheels, pipes, and logos. All in, I’m out a hefty $225,490.

Nick Yekikian: Cards on the table here: I love yellow. I see a lemon and I get excited. It may not necessarily be the best color on a car, but it is the best color on my car, so opting for Porsche’s Racing Yellow is pretty much all I did to my particular Turbo S. The “S” model comes with so much standard kit that there’s hardly anything left to want. I went with the optional, staggered Exclusive Design wheels because I think they look cool—no other reason—and added the carbon-fiber roof because I absolutely need the roll center of my Turbo S to be as low as possible, even if the difference is barely calculable. Lastly, I optioned the sports exhaust because turbocharged engines are notoriously quiet. And that’s it. That’s the spec. I’ve wanted a yellow 911 since I knew what the 911 was, so why not start with the brand new Turbo S? My heart says yes, my bank account says definitely no. Oh well, a man can dream.

Alex Kierstein: My love for 911s is inversely proportional to my distaste for attention. Thus Chalk paint strikes a good balance between understatement and looking stunning in person. On the same note, I don’t love exterior carbon-fiber bits but the optional roof weighs 30 percent less where it counts. Black side skirts and tailpipes keep things subtle, as does a rear badge delete. PASM and the Sport Exhaust are a must, as is the front-end lift system-for practical reasons, obviously. Graphite Blue is a great interior complement to the Chalk exterior hue. Hold the headrest logos, please. Lastly, the five-spoke wheels just work with this look, offering a hint of classic Fuchs style without an overtly retro vibe.

Alexander Stoklosa: It is, admittedly, quite weird that among the gaggle of Alexes on staff at MotorTrend Group, two chose Chalk-over-navy-blue for their 911 Turbo S builds. The key difference between my 911 Turbo S and Kierstein’s, however, is that mine is a cabriolet. I, too, chose the classic white exterior and blue interior for its relative subtlety, amping up the vintage feel with color-matched Chalk side vents ($600) and rear decklid slats ($720) and a matching blue cloth top. While the roof and interior leather were free, the paint wasn’t—it costs $3,270—and the black-painted brake calipers run $900.

Cost is a parallel theme I chased with my Turbo S. I tried to crack the quarter-million-dollar mark, and I did, barely, adding $32,625 to the $217,550 opening tab with frivolities such as leather-wrapped sun visors and steering column ($590 and $520), a white tachometer face ($420), Chalk seatbelts ($540), an aluminum shift lever ($750), aluminum pedals and illuminated door sills ($630 and $900), and an interior ionizer ($350). I also shot for the practical front-end lift system ($2,770), black LED Matrix headlights ($750), lowered PASM sport suspension ($1,510), sport exhaust ($3,450), Porsche InnoDrive adaptive cruise and lane-keep assist ($3,020), night vision (because, duh, for $2,540), blind-spot monitoring ($1,060), and ventilated front seats ($840). To cap it off, I chose Porsche Experience Center delivery in L.A., both because it cost more than doing the same thing in Atlanta, Georgia, and it would afford me a sunny cross-country drive home to the midwest.

Alex Leanse: Subtle, yet exciting. Modern, but classic. Fast and . . . well, just fast. My Turbo S spec aims for calculated contradictions, with a few details only discriminating Porsche nerds would notice.

Gentian Blue seems like an ordinary dark metallic at first glance, but certain lights reveal sapphire-like depth with plenty of bright pop. I’ve opted for continuity by extending it to the side skirts, side mirror bases, engine cover slats, and, crucially, the signature side air inlets. Black five-spoke Exclusive Design wheels are a nod to the iconic Fuchs rollers of yore, and I had my brake calipers done in black to match. (Finally, Porsche liberates its carbon-ceramic brakes of the horrible yellow binders!) Clear taillights simply look cooler, particularly on the 992’s cycloptic full-width taillight. Black headlights and badging maintain the stealthy vibe. Some may find my carbon-fiber roof showy, but its 30 percent weight reduction would be tangible even on a car as performant as the Turbo S.

No one can eat in my capital-T, but tasty Truffle Brown leather brings a rich chocolatey appeal to nearly every interior surface—please, don’t lick. Seatbelts are done to match, natch. I selected a bit of carbon fiber on the steering wheel spokes just because, though that is it for the cabin. Now excuse me, it’s time to find out how much quicker the Turbo S really is to 60 mph than Porsche’s softball 2.6-second number. Wheelies, anyone?

Jonny Lieberman: I came so close to getting this sucker to $250,000, but came up just short! Now, because Porsche’s configurator isn’t as good as its cars, I could have gone with a PTS (Paint to Sample) hue for about $9,000 more, but the website only shows the car in red, not Irish Green or whatever I would have selected. Also, if you get the rear wiper (a must-have for any serious 911 fan), you have to deselect the thinner rear glass. Boo. Am I made of money? Compared to some, sure, but I’m not made of the kind of money that would allow me to buy a $204,750 Turbo S. Oh yes, that’s the base price of the 992 Turbo S before any options. You see my point—what’s the bloody difference?

As for my build, I like cars with as much color as possible. Even though a carbon-fiber roof would make the Turbo S handle better, I left it painted. Now, could I paint the carbon-fiber roof? Not on the configurator, but surely Porsche Exclusive would hook me up. No sunroof either, because I hate them, so it’s not as top-heavy as it could be. What about max performance, man!!?? It’s not a GT3, bro—calm down. Turbo is luxury. The mirror caps are body-color, as are the side intakes, and even the slats on the rear grille. Contrast is good, too, so I went with the stone guards in black, black gloss in many other places, and clear taillights to get rid of that red band across the back. Red and green are either Xmas or a butcher’s shop, neither of which is good for my Turbo S. The interior is two shades of green with brown contrast stitching and brown seatbelts. Did I mention the gold wheels? I dig this build. This life I’ve had to settle for animal levels of sex appeal; next life I’m coming back rich.

Ed Tahaney: My dream Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet sports GT Silver Metallic paint with a Black and Bordeaux Red leather interior, a red cloth roof, and tasteful 20-inch Sport Classic wheels. Interior highlights include 14-way heated and ventilated front seats, a heated multifunction steering wheel to keep my hands toasty at all altitudes, a Burmester sound system to crank up the tunes, and a tool and luggage set for my garage. Oh, and I will take delivery at the Porsche Experience Center in L.A., which adds only $945 to the tab.