Porsche has used the Rennsport Reunion event at Laguna Seca in the USA to reveal its new 911 GT3 R Rennsport track car with a power output of up to 620ps. Only 77 will be produced and the company says it sees the new model as a spiritual successor to the 935.
Porsche says it has gone beyond the requirements of motorsport homologation or restrictions imposed by a balance of performance (BoP) though. The development team have combined more engine power with reduced weight and a sound similar to that of the 911 RSR to create what the company says it probably the hottest track tool it has ever made as a collector’s item.
The 4.2-liter six-cylinder boxer engine revs up to 9,400rpm with peak power peak of up to 620hp. This corresponds to a power output of as much as 148hp per liter of displacement, significantly more than the original power unit in the 911 GT3 R, depending on the BoP rating. The water-cooled four-valve engine with direct petrol injection has been designed to run on E25 fuels including bio-ethanol and reFuel, in addition to regeneratively produced e-fuels. With their lower knocking tendency, they are paving the way for more advanced ignition angles and increased compression in the six combustion chambers. While the engine has been developed with these fuels in mind, it can also run on conventional fuel.
The power transmission to the rear wheels, including the sequential 6-speed constant-mesh gearbox, originates from the 911 GT3 R with only minor modifications. Gear changes are made via steering wheel paddles that control an electronic gearshift actuator. The transmission ratio of the fourth, fifth and sixth forward gears corresponds to the Daytona set-up of the GT3 racing car. In sixth gear, with an engine speed of 9,000rpm, it gives the car a top speed that is around 12mph higher than the shorter FIA-homologated gear ratio of the GT3 R.
There is a choice of a silenced or un-silenced version, the former for circuits with noise restrictions and the latter featuring a racing exhaust system with centrally positioned twin tailpipes and an extremely emotional engine sound.
“The new Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport offers the experience of driving a 911-based racing car in what is probably the most primal form,” said Thomas Laudenbach, vice president, Porsche Motorsport. “It gives you goose bumps whenever you look at it and it combines the finest motorsport technology with a design language that is typical of Porsche.”