2012 Porsche 911 is the icon, tweaked

With a vehicle as iconic as the Porsche 911, even small changes are a big deal. Take this new 2012 model, for example – its design has only been tweaked ever so slightly, and the non-visual modifications include some powertrain tweaks and overall chassis enhancements. We've been gushing over the official 911 details for a while now, but here at the Frankfurt Motor Show, we're finally able to get up close and personal with Porsche's new hotness.

Arguably the biggest bit of news regarding the 2012 911 is its seven-speed manual transmission, available with both the 3.4-liter and 3.8-liter flat-six engines. That, combined with start/stop technology means the new 911 will be more efficient than ever, though its impressive output numbers (350 horsepower for the 3.4-liter mill, 400 hp for the 3.8) mean it'll still be an excellent enthusiast machine out on the road. Porsche claims 0-60 times of 4.4 seconds for the base Carrera and 4.1 seconds for the Carrera S.

This is one car we'll surely be starting at quite a bit during our time here in Frankfurt, so stay tuned for plenty more live shots to come over the next few days. In the meantime, scroll through our high-res image gallery to see Porsche's new icon for yourself.