It's faster to 60 mph than a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, McLaren F1 or Ferrari Enzo. Porsches fastest offerings, including the Carrera GT, GT2 and road-going 911 GT1 Strassenversion will only see its LED tail lamps during a typical sprint. Only the unlikely - make that incomprehensible - meeting of an SSC Ultimate Aero or Bugatti Veyron at a stop light will concern this cars owner that he or she has met a worthy adversary. The vehicle is the new seventh-generation 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo. Sporting a new 500-horsepower engine mated to the automakers lightning-fast dual-clutch PDK transmission, the all-wheel drive coupe devours the magic 0-60 mph benchmark in less than 3.2 seconds.

Porsche invited us to a track outside Lisbon, Portugal to savor its latest Turbo iteration. While the physical appearance remains virtually unchanged to the uninformed eye, hidden under the familiar sheet metal is a new powertrain that makes one of the world's best sports car even more exceptional. What are the new mechanical specifications of the powerplant, and where does it come from? What's it like to drive on a track? Is the PDK transmission really better than the six-speed manual?

Cosmetically, the 2010 model has been tweaked ever so slightly. The titanium-colored louvers in the side intakes are new, as are the LED daytime driving lights on each side of the lower front spoiler. The headlamps are now dynamic (road following), the exterior mirrors improved, and new 19-inch forged wheels grace each corner (19-inch center-lock RS Spyder-inspired wheels are optional for the first time, just like on the GT3). The rear sports new LED lights and the tailpipes have been enlarged. Inside the cabin, a new three-spoke steering wheel on the PDK model is finally available with genuine, and proper, magnesium shift levers (right paddle to shift up, left paddle to shift down, huzzah!).

Under the rear decklid of the 2010 Turbo is the most powerful, and most fuel efficient, engine the automaker has ever offered in the models 30-year history. Displacing 3.8-liters, the four-valve all-aluminum flat-six is fitted with direct fuel injection, an expansion-type intake manifold, and two turbochargers with variable turbine geometry. With a mild .8 bar (just under 12 psi) of boost, the engine is rated at an even 500 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque (the outgoing 3.6-liter engine produced 480 horsepower with nearly 15 psi of boost... and weighs 55 pounds more). An overboost feature (offered with the optional Sport Chrono Package on certain models) is able to punch torque up to 516 lb-ft for ten seconds, if needed.

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