The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is essentially a racecar for the road. At least, that’s what the marketing men from Zuffenhausen would have you believe. So, how close is the GT3 RS to the 911 GT3 Cup in reality?
Autocar had a crack at explaining it to us late last year. Now Porsche UK has had a turn, as well. The clip above was released earlier in the month as part of Porsche’s display at Autosport International.
[Thanks to Richard for the tip]
We know the new 991 Porsche 911 isn’t too far away; we’re expecting to see it debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. That means it’s now almost run-out time for the current 997 911. On cue, then, Porsche has released details of the 911 Black Edition.
The Black Edition is based on a regular 3.6 litre Carrera model and has black paint, of course, some black detailing inside and a couple of badges to go with. There’s model specific 19″ alloy wheels and plain “911” badging on the back. Porsche say the Black Edition will cost the same as its Carrera counterparts and to help try and give this “run-out” model some cachet it has been limited to 1911 examples.
And, that’s pretty much that.
Autocar brings word that the road version of the awesome Porsche 918 will be offered in one configuration only—the Spyder version. It’s almost a year since we first saw the 918 Spyder at Geneva, but since then Porsche has shown off the tin-top 918 RSR. The latter model, shown at Detroit earlier this month, prompted speculation there would be both a Spyder version and a Coupé model of the road-going 918 as well.
According to Wolfgang Dürheimer, Porsche’s departing board member for development, “The road application of this car is the 918 Spyder. There is no decision taken that the coupé type will be available on the Spyder.
“We have always told people interested in the 918 Spyder that it will have a roof concept similar to the Carrera GT’s, with a lightweight carbonfibre panel. A closed car is better for motorsport, though.”
So, it’s open air for the road, with the possibility of a detachable roof of some sort, and a proper hard-top for racing. It’s expected we will see the 918 RSR racing at the Nürburgring 24 hour race later this year, but it’s uncertain if Porsche will be able to gain entry into other events or series in time for the 2011 season.
Dürheimer is on his way to a new three-way position that will see him calling the shots for Bentley, Bugatti and Volkswagen Motorsport. He’ll be a busy lad, then.
[Source: Autocar]
The quest for lowering fuel consumption has taken a dramatic step with Porsche confirming it will be introducing a four-cylinder boxer engine to its Boxster and Cayman range. If that wasn’t dramatic enough, the four-pot hasn’t been ruled out for the 911 either.
It’s expected the engine would be turbocharged to meet performance targets and would use 8–12% less fuel than the current six-cylinder engines found in Porsche’s two entry level models. We won’t be seeing the thrifty engine in the short term future, but Euro markets could have a four-cylinder Porsche in their showrooms by the end of 2012.
The news has been confirmed by Wolfgang Durheimer, the current head of Porsche research and development, “We have a four-cylinder boxer (horizontally-opposed) engine under development. It can be applied to the Boxster and Cayman.
“I think four-cylinder boxer engine in a Porsche sports car is viable as long as the performance level does not suffer. If you are talking about performance you need a turbo.”
While Porsche has used four-cylinder engines in the past, it has, in modern times, forged an enviable reputation with its iconic flat six motors. Durheimer has given die-hard 911 fans reason to lose sleep by hinting the new four-cylinder could find its way into the company’s hero model, “It also could be applied if necessary to the 911. Our decision is, on the 911 side, we’ll stay with the 911 flat (six-cylinder engine), but there are opportunities for the future.”
[Source: Drive.com.au | Thanks to Wayne for the tip]
The Porsche 918 RSR has just been revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. Its body is based on the 918 Spyder, its power inspired by the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.
Here’s some headline stats for the 918 RSR. It has a petrol powered V8 engine, which produces 560hp at a massive 10,300rpm. This is joined by a pair of electric motors powering the front wheels. Each engine offers 102hp each. Those quick with their sums will have already worked out that’s a combined total of 767hp.
In addition to the beautiful shape and profile of this car, we can probably expect it to be earning its stripes at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in June this year. It will no doubt compete in other events, too, as more categories welcome hybrid powered entries. Perhaps, more excitingly, though, is the expectation that a road going 918 Coupé will be produced in the near future, as well.
The official press release is now available after the break, along with a selection of screen grabs captured during the live webcast. Also now available are 12 wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images and a couple of official promo clips.
Following the release of this teaser video it appears certain the world debut Porsche has planned for the Detroit Auto Show is a racing version of the 918 Spyder, which was first shown in hybrid form at Geneva last year.
It could well be that this 918 racecar employs hybrid technology, too, given the 911 Hybrid almost won the 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour race at its first attempt.
Check out the video teaser after the break.
[Thanks to Wayne for the tip.]
Here’s an interesting spy shot of what is probably a new Porsche 911 Turbo prototype. With its beautiful, albeit overpriced, 911 Sport Classic Porsche has shown it’s willing to draw on the company’s iconic styling cues. So, then, are we going to see a proper return of a “whale tail” with the new 991 Turbo?
It’s a bit hard to tell from the above pic, but that is clearly one serious bit of camouflage being used there. We’ve seen them before, but the side inlet stickers are quite cute, too.
[Source: Autosavant]
Here’s a wonderful YouTube discovery, an official documentary showcasing the production of the Porsche 356. Which, in the opinion of AUSmotive, is one of the most beautiful pieces of automotive designs ever produced.
According to the YouTube caption the doco was filmed at Zuffenhausen in the early 1960s. The Super 90 engine is discussed and putting all those things together suggests these are 356Bs that are being built.
The film has been split into five parts and runs for around 40 minutes. However it is well worth the investment in time to watch all the clips. If you do you will be rewarded with some fascinating footage of old skool production techniques.
Porsche employed a stringent quality control regime and seeing how laborious that was is a real eye opener. In today’s era of highly automated production manual checking like that would not be cost effective. The three-man transmission installation technique shown in Part 4 is also, thankfully, a technique now consigned to the history books.
French website L’Automobile brings us some new renderings of the upcoming 991 Porsche 911. The front view is pretty much the same as we saw last August. This time, though, you get a look at the backside of the new 991.
Most other details for the next-gen 911 remain as reported last year. So, we can expect the wheelbase to be increased by 75mm or so, allowing for improved engine mounting and rear seat room. A weight loss of some 50kg is anticipated, along with a better aero package and the use of efficient technologies such as stop-start and brake regeneration. The interior layout will draw heavily from the Panamera, as well.
The latest speculation suggests the 991 will debut later this year at the Frankfurt IAA in September.
[Source: L’Automobile | translated]
Season 16 of Top Gear is scheduled to premiere on BBC2 on Sunday 23 January. The Top Gear website has just published a preview of what we can expect to see in the upcoming series [click here to watch].
While the Pagani Zonda R, Ferrari 599 GTO and Ariel Atom 500 V8 will be great to see in action. It is a Volvo that AUSmotive is most looking forward to. It’s not just any old Volvo, either, but the 400hp all-wheel drive C30 Polestar Concept. That’s it above; looks fantastic, don’t you think.
The equally wicked Ford Focus RS500 also gets a thrashing around the Top Gear test track, and seeing that benchmarked against the C30 Polestar will be very interesting.
Also previewed in the teaser clip is a retro shootout featuring the awesome Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, which should warm the hearts of Generation Xers who would have grown up with posters of these cars on their bedroom walls.
Porsche has confirmed it will be bringing “an important show debut” to the NAIAS in Detroit later this month. What we don’t know for sure is what that model will be. Current speculation says it will be a 918 Coupé; a model sitting above the 911, but below the 918 Spyder, which debuted at Geneva last year.
AutoBild has published a couple of renderings showing what the 918 Coupé might look like. Obviously there is a strong link to the stunning Spyder on which it is based. Reports say the Coupé version could be powered by a twin-turbo V8 with 600hp+ on tap. Nice!
The 918 Coupé should be just the thing to get Porsche into a ringside battle with the Ferrari 458 Italia and imminent McLaren MP4-12C. Just a shame we probably won’t see a production version of the new Porsche until 2014.
We should have all the answers on Porsche’s new model once the NAIAS news breaks in a bit over a week from now. More after the break.
Porsche has come good with some great new pictures of its 2011 911 GT3 RSR. This is the Grand Poohbah of the 911 kingdom.
Since last year Porsche has unleashed an extra 5kW from the 4.0 litre flat six, making a total of 455hp (335kW). They’ve mucked about with the intake and exhaust and reckon the updated RSR is a breeze to drive, as well. Mods have also been made to the front lip and rear ironing board. The front wheels are wider now, up an inch to 12″, which should help reduce understeer.
Most importantly, the RSR now has LED rear tail lights. That should make all the difference.
All you need is a lazy €410K (approx AU$550K) and about the same again to race it for a year and you’re all set. What are you waiting for?! Hmm, like us, maybe you’d better make do with the pretty pictures after the break.