Automotive

Porsche’s 2010 purpose-built racetrack roadcar – the 911 GT3 R

Porsche’s 2010 purpose-built racetrack roadcar – the 911 GT3 R
It's not a road car - nothing you don't need
It's not a road car - nothing you don't need
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It's not a road car - nothing you don't need
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Porsche unveiled its 2010 911 GT3 R race car today at the Autosport International show at the Birmingham NEC in the UK. Porsche can claim more than 28,000 race victories in almost every motor sports series worldwide, and while many of these successes have been achieved with immensely powerful specialist race cars like the evocative 917 and 956, the iconic 911 sports coupe is the bedrock on which the racing reputation of the Stuttgart marque has been built. The new GT3 R is the purpose-built racetrack version of the 911 road car, weighs just 1,200 kg, develops 480 bhp, is technologically orgiastic, and costs EUR 279,000 (US$400,000).

Developed for racing series based on the international FIA GT3 regulations, the 911 GT3 R succeeds the 911 GT3 Cup S and is delivered to customers ready-to-race. The starting point in developing the GT3 R was the latest 3.8-litre Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which will compete in the 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup supporting selected Formula One races. However, the GT3 R - which weighs just 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) - has a larger 4.0-litre six-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine delivering 480 bhp and other technical developments designed to improve the performance of the car further still.

For example, an anti-lock braking system, traction control and an electronic throttle with ‘blip’ function on gearbox down-changes make it much easier for drivers to get used to the GT3 R race car than the prior Cup S model, with the consequence that the new car is also more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver rather than purely experienced professionals. The main focus with this new car was to deliver even better driveability and easier handling.

Additional flared wheel arches front and rear emphasise the purposeful, wide track of the GT3 R, and like all second generation versions of the 911, the new 911 GT3 R also comes with striking LED rear light clusters. For optimal aerodynamic performance, the underbody of the car is completely covered and features a rear diffuser and, compared to the prior Cup S model, the range of adjustment on the rear wing has been increased.

The highly-developed suspension can also be adjusted extensively; at the front are height-adjustable MacPherson struts with variable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs (main and auxiliary). At the rear, the GT3 R features a rigidly mounted sub-frame with a height-adjustable multi-arm axle together with adjustable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs.

“Since we announced our intention to launch the 911 GT3 R, demand has been huge,” said Uwe Brettel, Head of Motorsport Sales. “The number of GT3 R vehicles we had planned for 2010 is almost sold out.”
As the newest Porsche race car, the 911 GT3 R has an incredible provenance. In 2009, the ultimate racing Porsche 911 – the GT3 RSR - won the GT2 Drivers’ title in the FIA GT Championship, the GT2 title in the American Le Mans Series and also in the Le Mans Series of endurance races, and also triumphed in the gruelling 24 Hours of the Nurburgring race.

Like the 911 GT3 Cup and 911 GT3 RSR, the Porsche 911 GT3 R is designed and built by the Porsche Motorsport Department at the company’s Weissach Development Centre. First deliveries to customer teams around the world begin in the spring, and the base price of the Porsche 911 GT3 R is 279,000 Euros plus local sales tax/VAT.

The GT3 Cup Challenge is an established concept across the world, with race series in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, USA and for 2010, Japan, Scandanavia, Turkey and the Middle East.

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