Porsche 911

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More Than Just Skin Deep: Porsche Unveils Updated 911 GT3 RS

Porsche has unveiled the 2019 911 GT3 RS ahead of the 88th Geneva International Motor Show, which is taking place from 8th-18th March 2018.

Striking visual updates separate this GT3 RS from the model before it. The 2019 model sports a carbon fibre front hood, with NACA ducts like on the 2018 911 GT2 RS to help with brake cooling without adversely affecting the aerodynamic performance of the body.

The front spoiler lip is larger, helping to increase downforce when paired with the side skirts, which are also enlarged. That massive rear wing works in conjunction with an underbody diffuser, with the whole lot coming together to produce more than two times the downforce of the non-RS 911 GT3 according to Porsche.

Inside is as you’d expect, with full bucket seats featuring carbon fibre-reinforced backrests to hold the driver in place while the car does its best to throw them out using lateral G-Forces and oodles of grip. Further nods to the motorsport potential of the 2019 GT3 RS include lightened door panels, with loops in place of door handles and an Alcantara steering wheel with a motorsport-inspired yellow 12 o’clock marker.

Rear seats? There are none – done away with in the pursuit of keeping the GT3 RS’ weight as low as possible. Even with this, Porsche offer further weight savings, which it says are for ‘particularly spirited drivers.’ With extra carbon fibre for the steering wheel and shift paddles as well as on the sway bars, coupling rods and vehicle roof, and the optional forged magnesium wheels, the $18,000 Weissach package helps the 911 GT3 RS tip the scales at just 1431kg.

At no additional cost, Porsche will also fit the Clubsport package, which adds a roll bar, six-point seat harnesses and a fire extinguisher, for the especially track-focused enthusiast.

Power to match its racing pretensions

Beneath the rear bonnet and that huge spoiler sits Porsche’s 4-litre, naturally aspirated flat-six engine putting out 520 horsepower and 346 lb ft of torque – good for a 0-60 time of 3 seconds flat, 0.2 seconds faster than the GT3 with PDK and one tenth of a second quicker than the previous-gen GT3 RS. This GT3 RS tops out at 193mph, with Porsche’s main focus being to get it round a track as quickly as possible, not on straight-line top speed.

That power is delivered to the track (or road – don’t forget this thing is road legal) via 325/30 Ultra High Performance tyres, wider than those fitted to the 911 GT3, to help those horses do their stuff in the most effective way possible.

Keeping that power in check and helping the driver harness the car’s potential is the motorsport-derived chassis of the GT3 RS, which features Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), active engine mounts, rear-axle steering and an electronic locking rear diff with torque vectoring as standard.

The suspension is adjustable to suit the preference of the driver, with ride height, toe, camber, caster and sway bar settings all able to be altered.

Porsche is accepting orders now for the 2019 911 GT3 RS, with prices starting from $187,500 plus a delivery, processing and handling fee. Options include the aforementioned Weissach Package ($18,000) and magnesium wheels ($13,000).

Is the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS hardcore enough? Let us know on Twitter.

February 26, 2018 / Comments Off

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Matching Porsche 918 Spyder and 911 R going up for auction

The Porsche 911 R is one of the most revered and sought after cars to ever roll out of the factory doors in Stuttgart. The model was limited to just 991 units, an homage to this generation of 911’s internal code. It was an enthusiast special and an ode to driving pleasure and not just flat-out speed. Almost immediately after hitting public hands, 911 Rs began trading for upwards of $1 million. Now another one is going up for auction, and it’s being paired with a matching Porsche 918 Spyder. That’s one hell of a combination.

The 911 R was first offered up to owners of the 918 Spyder, which is how the current owner came into possession of both cars. Both cars wear serial number 290 and sport contrasting paint. It would be difficult to part with just one since the pair were so obviously meant to stay together.

The 2015 918 Spyder is apparently number 290 out of 294 total U.S.-spec vehicles. The hybrid supercar has just 2,300 miles on the odometer. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize the 2016 911 R has rolled just 37 miles in its life. As desirable as low-mileage cars may be, it’s a shame to know that these two have sat unused for most of their lives.

The cars go across the Bonhams auction block in Scottsdale on January 18. Other notable cars include a 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder and a 1930 Bentley Speed Six. There’s no estimate available for the 918 and 911 R, but expect a final selling price well into the millions of dollars.

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December 12, 2017 / Comments Off

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Porsche 911 Carrera T is a lightweight touring distillation

Porsche has a whole slew of 911 variants, each catering to the many various whims of the discerning customer. The newest addition to the portfolio, the 2018 911 Carrera T, is a touring model inspired by the 1968 911T, and it just happens to be the lightest 911 Porsche offers.

It’s powered by a twin-turbo 3.0 flat-six, producing 370 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. It has a shorter rear axle ratio and a mechanical differential lock, helping the manual-equipped version do the 0-60 sprint in just 4.3 seconds, which Porsche notes is 0.1 second faster than the standard 911 Carrera. The Carrera T can be had with a PDK transmission, which includes launch control as standard. This shortens the 0-60 time to 4.0 seconds. The manual version has a top speed of 182 miles per hour, while the PDK-equipped car maxes out at 180 mph.

The Carrera T weighs in at just 3,142 pounds, giving it an improved power-to-weight ratio. It uses lightweight glass in the rear windows, and has less sound deadening insulation. It also features cloth loop door openers.

In terms of driving dynamics, the Carrera T offers a number of other improvements over the standard 911 Carrera in addition to those mentioned above. It features a PASM Sport Suspension, which lowers the ride height by 0.39 inches. On it nose, its front spoiler lip provides improved aerodynamics. The Carrera T has a shortened gear lever for the manual transmission. Rear-axle steering is available as an option.

On the outside, the Carrera T has 20-inch Carrera S wheels with a Titanium Grey finish. It has Agate Grey side mirrors. The “Carrera T” designation appears on the side stripes, and a “911 Carrera T” badge lives on the rear deck lid. It has a standard Sport Exhaust System with black exhaust tips. Paint color choices include Lava Orange, Black, Guards Red, Racing Yellow, White, Miami Blue, or the metallic colors Carrera White, Jet Black or GT Silver.

Inside, the Carrera T is equipped with Sport Seats Plus with Sport-Tex centers and a 911 logo embroidered on the headrest. It can be had with Full Bucket Seats, an option that also entirely deletes the rear seats (if you can call them that). The leather-rimmed GT Sport steering wheel has a drive mode selector mounted on it. Contrasting interior color options include Racing Yellow, Guards Red or GT Silver.

The 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T hits dealerships in March, with a starting price of $103,150 including delivery.

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October 23, 2017 / Comments Off

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RM Sotheby’s sells 911 RSR for over $2M, 918 for over $1.5M

In the lead-up to RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale, the auction house revealed it had some pretty amazing machines lined up. Among them was a 1993 Porsche 993 RSR 3.8 that was only ever driven 6 miles. Three of this generation’s most potent hypercars also were slated to go across the block: a Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach, a McLaren P1 GTR, and a Ferrari LaFerrari. Interestingly, only two of these four cars sold, but they went for hefty sums.

The almost-never-used 911 RSR went for a whopping $2,254,492. The Porsche 918 Spyder was sold for $1,628,244. The RSR fit right in with RM Sotheby’s estimate, while the 918 exceeded the estimate by about $100,000. Both Porsches also ranked among the 10 top selling cars at the Villa Erba auction, with the RSR selling for the third highest amount behind a pair of pre-war French cars, and the 918 was fifth highest.

These pricey Porsches also show why buying limited production models to flip for profit would be appealing, which is an issue that Porsche is currently trying to resolve. Fortunately for Porsche these cars likely weren’t bought for profit making. The RSR was owned for many years before being sold, and the owner of the 918 managed to put on an impressive 6,800 miles before selling.

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May 30, 2017 / Comments Off

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The new Porsche 911 Turbo is hiding underneath its older sibling

The new 992 generation of Porsche 911 is out in full force, with a fleet of prototypes hitting the streets. Until now, all we’ve seen are different flavors of the standard 911 Carrera, but now we have our first glimpse of the new 911 Turbo. Sort of. While we’re certain the car here is in fact a next-gen 911 prototype underneath, it’s still wearing the current car’s sheetmetal. When it comes to the 911, all the changes are under the skin anyway.

The 911 Turbo body has been modified with wider fenders both front and rear. The Turbo is already wider than the standard Carrera, so the new model may be the widest Porsche 911 ever. Expect wider tires both front and rear in addition to a revised suspension setup. As before, the Turbo will pack all-wheel drive and a turbo flat-six. The current Turbo S makes a healthy 580 horsepower, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the new model packs more than 600.

Other than the wider fenders, there isn’t much else to see. The wheels don’t fill out the wheel wells, so look for a new or updated design. As with the other models, don’t look for a production version anytime soon. The current 991.2 Porsche 911 launched recently and the German automaker won’t want to cannibalize any potential sales by showing the new car early.

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March 16, 2017 / Comments Off

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RUF is bringing something special to Geneva

RUF has something special coming for the Geneva Motor Show – something the company claims is different from every car it’s built before. As you probably know, RUF mainly builds cars from Porsche bodies-in-white, which are then modified extensively and given RUF serial numbers and model names. They’ve been doing that for years, as well as modifying customer cars.

Lately, RUF has been branching out a bit. The CTR3 of the mid-2000s, for example, used some Porsche structure up front but a rear subframe (which the company endearingly refers to as the “birdcage”) out back, allowing it to have a mid-engine layout despite not being based on the Cayman/Boxster twins. The bodywork, while looking somewhat like a mashup of 911 and Cayman styling cues, was bespoke and made out of a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber. There’s still a lot of Porsche in it, though.

At Geneva, RUF is hoping to reset a bit. The car it’s teasing (no image at this time, unfortunately) will have a totally unique structure, an in-house carbon fiber monocoque chassis to be specific. That’s a big departure for the company. The last time it tried something like that was in the early 2000s, with the semi-mythical R50 prototype. That didn’t go anywhere, for reasons we aren’t privy to. Apparently things have changed; perhaps manufacturing costs have come down (probably a factor), the market for low-volume supercars has gotten sweeter (definitely), and any engineering challenges that the R50 faced have been overcome (likely as well). Will it have a flat-six from its long-time friends in Stuttgart? No official word, but it’s likelier than not.

RUF also claims it’ll be a car inspired by the most famous RUF of all: the original CTR, better known as the Yellowbird. What that means remains to be seen, but the Yellowbird is pictured above. Back in 1987, it was turning the supercar world upside down and shaking the lunch money out of it. It, and the NSX that followed not too long after, rattled the traditional supercar players who subsequently upped both their performance and refinement games. It’s the most important part of RUF’s legacy, and so tying the new car so closely to the Yellowbird is a smart play.

We’ll find out more about this car in Geneva. Until then, enjoy this classic Yellowbird promotional film featuring a truly classic Nurburgring segment.

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March 3, 2017 / Comments Off

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VIDEO: Porsche 911 GT2 RS VS. Ducati

Chris Harris races the Porsche 911 GT2 RS against the Ducati 1199 Panigale.

The GT2 RS, weighing 3,170 pounds, is packing 611 horsepower. The Ducati on the other hand, weighs in at just 415 pounds curb weight, packing 192 horsepower and giving the Ducati a power-to-weight ratio of 2.16 lb/hp. or 3.82 fewer pounds per horsepower than the 911.

Who will win – the 911 with its grip and stability, or the power-to-weight Ducati? Watch and find out!

July 26, 2012 / Comments Off

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VIDEO: 1,100-hp Nissan GT-R vs. 950-hp Porsche 911

In ring 1 we have a Nissan GT-R boosted to 1,100 hp and weighing in at up to 400 lbs. more than Porsche, even in stock form! In ring 2 we have a Porsche 911 Turbo packing 950 hp!

Let the games begin!

July 20, 2012 / Comments Off

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