The Porsche 911 R has been officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2016. This is the car enthusiasts have been waiting for. It packs plenty of power, a manual gearbox and is limited to just 991 copies. In many respects, the Porsche 911 R is routed in Porsche tradition. It shares its name with a historic road-homologated racing car from 1967. It is sure to sell out, if it hasn’t already!
The Porsche 911 R gets a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six engine. Power is rated at 500 hp with 460 Nm of torque and is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Coupled with a low weight of 1,370 kg (50 kg less than the GT3 RS, the Porsche 911 R has that winning formula Porsche recently enjoyed with the Cayman GT4.
Despite the lack of aerodynamic parts, the Porsche 911 R sits firmly among the motorsport-inspired, track-bred models; the 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS. It manages a 60 mph sprint of just 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 201 mph (323 km/h). Yet, the 911 R still manages to return impressive fuel consumption of 21.2 mpg (13.3 l/100 km).
The Porsche 911 R gets a specially-tuned rear-axle steering with a mechanical rear limited slip differential. Porsche also fit Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), as standard measuring 410 mm in diameter at the front axle and 390 mm at the rear. The tyres measure 245 mm width at the front and 305 mm width at the rear shod on lightweight, forged aluminium wheels with centre-locking and matt-finish.
An adapted version of the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) has been developed for the 911 R. An optional single-mass flywheel for the engine is also available together with a front lift system which raises the front by 30 mm at the touch of a button.
The bonnet and front wheel-arches are made of carbon fibre and the roof is magnesium. The rear windscreen and rear side windows are lightweight plastic. Sound insulation has also been removed to save weight, as has the rear bench seat. The air conditioning system and the audio system are optional extras which helps save further weight.
Underneath, the fundamentals are those of the Porsche 911 GT3. However, it does not get the fixed rear wing instead, it uses a retractable rear spoiler shared with the Carrera models and a unique rear diffuser. The front bumper is GT3 with a re-designed spoiler lip. The sports exhaust system is titanium.
Inside, the Porsche 911 R gets a carbon-fibre bucket seat, trimmed with bespoke fabric centre panels in Pepita tartan design. Fabric pull straps are fitted to each door. The driver gets an R-specific 360 mm diameter GT sport steering wheel, and a short shift gear lever.
Prices for the limited edition model will start at £136,901 with the first UK deliveries scheduled for June.
