Not that Porsche really needs to camouflage its next generation 911 as even non-Porschephiles are aware of the fact that every 911 stylistically resembles the previous, sometimes even an earlier model. However, it would be unfair to support that nothing has changed on the new 911 that is internally called the 998. Scheduled to arrive in late 2011, Porsche's new bread-and-butter model will wear the 'same-old' 911 suit refreshed with styling cues from the new Panamera sport sedan, mainly in what concerns the front-end design.
Other than that, these latest spy shots of an early prototype model show that the new 911 sports a lower roofline and a visibly wider rear track, while it also appears that the car has slightly grown in length. The heavily camouflaged rear-end that carefully hides the pop-up wing spoiler leaves a lot to the imagination.
What is clearly visible is the discreet roof spoiler mounted above the rear window that belongs to an extensive aero package that is said to significantly improve the 911's aerodynamics on the move.
We don't know all the details, but it is rumored that the package will also include an active front lip spoiler, variable front air intake(s) while some suggest that Porsche will go even as far as replacing the door mirrors with video cameras. As for the side air-vents seen in the prototype model, we're not quite sure of what to make of them as there is a strong possibility that they are fake.
Despite the fact that Porsche recently updated the current 911's six-cylinder boxer engines in the vehicle's latest facelift in 2008, expect to see some improvements in terms of performance as well as in fuel consumption and emissions. That said, the naturally-aspirated flat-six in the basic Carrera and Carrera S models could produce around 360 and 400 horsepower respectively.
Depending on the version, power will channeled to the rear-wheels or to all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox or the optional seven-speed double clutch PDK gearbox which may receive some minor tweaks by then.
The first 911 models to hit the market will be the Carrera and Carrera S coupes in late 2011 followed shortly after by the convertible and targa models, and later on, the Turbo, GT2 and GT3 variants.
