Porsche 911 R

The vehicle in detail

The 991 R was the answer from Porsche many had been looking for. A GT3 RS engine mated to a manual gearbox, with the silhouette of an early, wingless 911. The heritage behind the car harks back to the original 1967 R variant, with driver involvement as the focus over out and out lap times. Launched at the 2016 Geneva motor show, the car featured a livery in homage to the original and inside the historical houndstooth interior trim.

Whilst oriented towards driver involvement, there have still been weight savings over a GT3 RS. The use of a manual gearbox saves 20kg over a PDK, new carbon fibre front wings, optional single mass flywheel and the removal of sound deadening bring the total loss to around 50kg. The car keeps the rear-wheel steer from the GT3 RS improving agility and handling, although the system has been recalibrated, along with the rear diffuser to ensure high-speed stability in the absence of the rear wing.

The 4.0 naturally aspirated flat-six will rev to 9,000rpm and produces 493bhp. Produced in very limited numbers, even with the more recent launch of the GT3 Touring, the R has proved itself to be the hugely desirable collectors preference 991.