Porsche at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

If Porsche hadn’t already turned to the 918 Spyder so many times as a showstopper at events, diluting the surprise it generates in Frankfurt, the 911 would have a slightly bitter taste in its mouth while celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. But the flagship sports car from the Stuttgart firm has little to worry about at this show. The hybrid already showed off its charms at Pebble Beach, California, last month, so it doesn’t steal as much of the spotlight.

The definitive version of the 918 appears at the German fair with little or no mystery. The figures are already known: 887 hp from a 4.6 V8 and two electric motors, 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, a weight of 1640 kg (reducible to 1606 with the optional Weissach package) and around three litres per 100 km of consumption. Its maximum all-electric range can reach thirty kilometres and it will cost 767,500 euros in our country (more than 200,000 euros cheaper than a LaFerrari or a P1). A worthy heir to the Carrera GT in the era of hybrid hypercars.

But as we said, the king of the Porsche stand is the 911, its icon since the 1960s par excellence. It was also at the Frankfurt Show that the unmistakable sports car was presented to the public in 1963. Fifty years later, its manufacturer is commemorating its history at the same show with a limited edition, announced in June, and the launch of one of its most anticipated versions, the Turbo. On this occasion Porsche has put the standard 520 hp version and the 560 hp “S” in its lineup, so customers will have more options to choose from from the start.

My colleague Daniel already broke down its technical data in May, so all that’s left is to summarise its main attractions: the new active aerodynamics system, four-wheel steering, the Overboost engine function with the Sport Chrono Plus package and the ever-useful ceramic brakes, active suspension and all-wheel drive.

On a more discreet note is the new Panamera Diesel. The saloon’s refresh offers in its diesel version a 3-litre V6 engine that produces 50 hp and 100 Nm more torque than before, reaching 300 hp and 650 Nm at 1700 rpm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in six seconds, eight tenths faster, and can reach up to 259 km/h, an increase of 15 km/h. Meanwhile, consumption only rises by one tenth of a litre per 100 km compared with the previous model.

Photos | Highmotor Team