Porsche World Road Show Comes to India: Most Iconic Supercars on Display

• Published On: 29 April 2019
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The Porsche World Road Show came to India and we had a chance to drive various luxury models of the company at the Buddh International Circuit.

The Buddh International Circuit is the Mecca of motorsports here in India. This Formula 1 spec race track then was the apt location for the Indian edition of the PWRS or the Porsche World Road Show event. We were invited to come and drive various Porsche models including the newly launched 911 Supercar.

The new 911

This the eight generation of one of the most iconic Supercars the world has ever since. Priced at Rs 1.82 crore for the Carrera S and Rs 1.99 crore for the Carrera S cabriolet version (ex-showroom), these are Sports cars of the new era. In their own words, the 911 icon has once again evolved and is now more powerful, more emotional, and more efficient than its predecessors.

We love the design changes on the new model. From the massive low air dam to the slim horizontal tail light bar at the back, the 911 retains its cult design and yet brings in a host of changes. For example, it now uses the MMB or Modular mid-engine platform and gets increased body stiffness. The body is made of aluminum and the revised 3.0-litre petrol engine makes 450 bhp of power or 30 more than the previous model.

We drove the 911 around the Buddh International Circuit and even though we were in a convoy, our lead expert gave us enough leverage to push the car on both straights and corners. In terms of numbers, the 911 goes from 0-100 in just 3.7 seconds and with the optional Sports Chrono package, does the same in 3.5 seconds! Given the road it will hit a top speed of 308 km/h, an increment of 2 km/h.

I had kept the car in Sports Plus mode that still keeps all electronics in place and yet allows the driver (me in that case!) to get the rear out for a second or two. It simply is addictive and so is the stock exhaust note while shifting through the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (PDK). I agree though that our experience lasted just a few minutes but a grin remained plastered across my face even post the drive.

Launch Control fun!

The 911 also comes with launch control that can be used back to back numerous times. It is the perfect way to get a great start for doing acceleration runs. For this, I had to select Sports Plus, shift to D, hold the foot brake while pushing down the accelerator pedal. Within a second, the system understands the driver’s intention and blinks “launch control activated” on the speedometer console. At this moment, all I had to do was lift off the brake pedal and the car shot forward with momentum that was enough to induce a mild G force pain in my head. I kid you not! Its worthy of a mention that we journos repeated this with the same car back to back and it responded well each time with any overheating issues.

The off-road session

Porsche also offers two SUV models in its range, the smaller (and younger) Macan and the big daddy Cayenne. We had the latter to our disposal and this was the new model that is currently on sale. Do note that all cars you see here are left hand drive versions as these are part of the PWRS fleet.

Porsche’s experts had made a special off-road course for us.

But before I went inside the track, I had the option to select from the various off-road settings from the menu on the screen. Depending on the mode, the control unit conditions the engine idling, working of the Tiptronic S auto ‘box, the PTM (Porsche traction management) all-wheel system, torque distribution to the rear axle etc. The air suspension also works accordingly, lifting or lowering the Cayenne accordingly.

We had four different obstacles to us. The first one had us driving into a ditch with only the right wheels in it which meant the Cayenne tilted to its side at a steep angle. But getting in and out wasn’t an issue thanks to the working of the PTM, which ensured the right amount of power and torque to the wheels that needed the most.

Next and the most capable of the one actually was to drive up a steep, really steep incline, come to a halt on midway and again power our way up to the crest. Post that, we were asked to come down the little but scary slope, relying solely on the downhill assist function. Our pulse did shoot up for a few seconds.

This was followed by my favorite, the humps, wherein the wheel articulation comes handy and makes sure the wheels get as much traction as possible. The last obstacle was the ramp angle test wherein the expert pestered us to drive up to crazier angles while the Cayenne easily drove through.

The hot laps

The day hadn’t finished for us, yet! Post the driving sessions, we were invited to experience hot taxi laps while the experts did what they do best behind the wheel - drift! I was to take the same in the 4-door Supercar, the Panamera and though I had my reservations, the cabin of the car was filled with screams of joys for the next few minutes. What fun!

I have attended quite a few Supercar experiences on the BIC but this one was managed quite well. As many as 40 journalists were broken down into 4 batches and each expert did the job so well in making sure we all felt comfortable and could experience as many cars as possible.