Enlarge / I wouldn't blame you if you lost track of all the different variations on the Porsche 911. This is the latest, and currently, the most desirable. (credit: Bradley Iger)

Although Porsche is in the midst of taking its BEV technology mainstream, the company hasn't lost sight of the fact that its high-performance reputation was built on the 911.

Over the past few years, the automaker has developed a myriad of different versions of the iconic sports car, resulting in offerings that currently range from plush open-top cruisers to hardcore track monsters, along with special edition models like the off-road-tuned Dakar and heritage-inspired Sport Classic. You might be wondering, then, if there's really an opportunity for a new performance-focused model to stand out in the 911 lineup.

On the surface, the S/T seems to tread much of the same ground already occupied by the GT3 Touring, an iteration of the track-ready GT3 that ditches the large fixed rear wing for the smaller, aesthetically subtler active rear spoiler found on Carrera models. But as lovely to drive as the GT3 Touring is, it feels like a conceptual afterthought.