Few cars match the pace and panache of Porsche's 911 Turbo S.

Priced from $456,200 (plus on-roads), that car is a benchmark blend of supercar speed and everyday liveability, even if it can't quite match the exclusivity of top-tier supercars built in Italy and beyond.

So Porsche has returned to familiar territory in hope of wooing 500 well-heeled enthusiasts away from the likes of Ferrari or Bentley with a more potent and lavishly appointed version of its high-performance coupe.

Available for a whopping $590,700 plus on-road costs, the new 911 Turbo S Exclusive represents a return to form for Porsche's rebranded Exclusive Manufaktur bespoke department. Following in the footsteps of the previous-generation 911 Sport Classic and Speedster, the new coupe features a smattering of precious brushstrokes that combine to create something special.

This car serves to highlight the considerable abilities of Exclusive Manufaktur, which adds finishing touches to around 15,000 cars each year. The vast majority of those do not go to the lengths of this model, benefiting instead from minor changes such as larger wheels, body kits, louder exhausts, sporty mirrors or a litany of interior add-ons.

The Turbo S Exclusive benefits from much of what Porsche can offer without exhausting the full gamut of potential options that can bring more than 600 opportunities for customisation.

Finished in golden yellow metallic paint with numerous carbon fibre highlights, the Exclusive features a colour never before offered on Porsche sports cars. The manufacturer will also sell you a car in white or grey, but it expects the majority of customers will run with the hero hue.

Standing apart visually from the regular 911 Turbo with the aid of new wheels, a carbon fibre roof, bonnet, side sills, engine cover and mirrors, this model also benefits from a sport design body kit available as an optional extra on lesser models.

But some of its features aren't found on other cars.

One of those is a retuned engine that produces a staggering 426kW of power - 19kw more than the standard Turbo S. That seems purely for bragging rights, as I couldn't really feel a seat-of-the-pants difference in speed.

The stopwatch agrees, as Porsche claims identical 0-100km/h times (2.9s) and top speeds (330km/h) for the Turbo S and its Exclusive spinoff. Engineers reckon the new model is three tenths of a second quicker to 200km/h, reaching the mark in 9.6 seconds.

We didn't test that claim.

But we can say the Turbo S continues to offer ludicrous levels of acceleration, bringing real-world speed even the wild rear-wheel-drive GT2 RS may struggle to match. Porsche guru and former world rally champion Walter Rohrl reckons this new Turbo S is Porsche's quickest model for a cross-country assault on regular roads, thanks to its prodigious torque and superior all-wheel-drive traction. We believe him.

A brief drive in the countryside surrounding Stuttgart revealed that the Exclusive has lost none of the Turbo S' composure, feeling planted and purposeful no matter the circumstance. The active suspension, omnipotent 410mm-diameter carbon brakes and fat 305mm-wide rear tyres work in harmony to create an effortless machine capable of flattering novice drivers and testing professionals.

If your name isn't Walter, Webber or Winterbottom, this is way more car than you'll ever need. But that also goes for the regular Turbo.

Even so, driving thrills are a small element of this Exclusive car's purpose.

Made from lightweight aluminium, its race-like 20-inch centre-lock wheels are milled to a fine shape before a four-day painting process begins. Technicians hand-spray each wheel with golden yellow paint before covering that with a glossy black coat. They then use a laser to artfully burn away parts of the black layer, revealing fine gold highlights that pick out the wheel's rim and spokes.

The Exclusive's carbon fibre bonnet is completed in a similarly painstaking process that leaves the car with unpainted GT stripes that reveal its carbon fibre form. The bonnet's painting process unfolds over three weeks, around seven days longer than it takes the team to assemble intricate carbon fibre rear air vents.

Black and gold calipers for oversized carbon ceramic brakes are unique to this limited-edition model, though it shares a carbon fibre roof with the ultra-focused GT2 RS track car.

The Turbo S Exclusive offers the most decadent interior of all the current-generation 911s, highlighted by new carbon fibre trim interwoven with golden-coloured copper thread. Its leather steering wheel, seats, dash and centre console are stitched using gold-coloured thread to match the exterior paint, and the heated and cooled 18-way adjustable chairs feature striped perforations that reveal yellow fabric underneath a black veneer. The same treatment is mirrored in black Alcantara roof lining as well as a central tachometer home to twin racing stripes. Illuminated carbon fibre door sills and handcrafted jewel-like exterior badges seal the deal.

There is also a matching watch that mimics the car's colour scheme and design details. While Porsche's Australian arm hasn't finalised pricing for the timepiece, we wouldn't expect much change from $20,000.

You might think this is all a bit heavy-handed or overwrought, particularly for a brand with Porsche's usually crisp, tech-focused design ethos.

And you might be right.

It does feel a little too much, almost as though the brand went out of its way to craft a car for the title antagonist in Austin Powers' Goldmember. While the golden elements do tie together neatly, this isn't remotely the sort of treatment I would personally specify in a 911.

But here's the thing: my current personal car has black paint, black wheels, black leather, black badges and black window tinting, and Porsche will build you one of these - or any of its cars - with those exact features. I love that.

You certainly don't have to have the gold paint, wheels or interior trim - you can specify the Turbo S Exclusive almost any way you like. Rarer than the discontinued 911 R, upcoming GT2 RS or hotly anticipated GT3, the new model is limited to just 500 handcrafted examples of Porsche's finest craftsmanship.

And that's the point of the exercise.

While few cars can match the way a 911 Turbo performs, fewer still have the sort of customisation or attention to detail offered by Porsche.

2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive pricing and specifications

Price: From $590,700 plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.8-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo

Power: 446kW at 6750rpm

Torque: 750Nm at 2250-4000rpm

Transmission: Seven-speed auto, all-wheel-drive

Fuel use: 9.1L/100km

• For all the latest info, visit our Porsche showroom.