Porsche 911 R

Launched in 2016 to universal acclaim, the 911R at one stage was trading a premium in excess of 3 times of its delivery cost.

Restricted to a production of 991 units the 911 R was a sell out success even before it’s formal launch at the 2016 Geneva Motorshow and the limited production led to a number of complaints from loyal Porsche customers who did not make “the cut”

The reason for the clamour for this model Porsche had listened to a vociferous customer group who craved a very high performance 911 with driving enjoyment on the road the main focus, not lap times on the Nurburgring. They wanted a manual gearbox and suspension and steering settings optimised for road use – not the race track. Porsche delivered and the basic ingredients involved taking all the good dynamic performance bits of the GT3 RS at the time, but doing away with the conspicuous rear wing and crucially substituting the 7 speed paddle shift with a 6 speed manual transmission.

The R took the GT3 bodyshell (not the GT3 RS’s extra wide Turbo body) without the the rear wing, but with the addition of the GT3 RS double-bubble magnesium roof, carbonfibre bonnet and a pair of bespoke carbonfibre front wings – without the track orientated vents of the GT3 RS. Polycarbonate rear and side windows further reduced weight and the colour schemes available paid homage to the original limted edition 911 R model from the 1960’s.

The interior was equipped with fixed-back, carbon-shelled bucket seats, no rear seats and no half rollcage. The result was the lightest 991 911, at 1370kg – a claimed 50kg lighter than GT3 RS, and 60kg lighter than GT3 of the time.

The engine fitted was the legendary  4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat six generating 493bhp at 8250rpm, resulting in a superior power-to-weight ratio against it’s stablemates. The 911 R’s 360bhp-per-tonne superior to the GT3 RS’s 347bhp-per-tonne. It’s also worth noting that Porsche’s Andreas Preuninger admitted Porsche was being typically conservative with power figures, and a typical 4.0 litre would produce 510-515bhp. This naturally aspirated masterpiece
results in a top speed of 200 mph and the 0 – 60 mph dash in 3.8 secoonds – a few tenths slower than the RS PDK – but with the exquisite highly coveted manual gearchange experience as more than an adequate compensation.