Porsche 911R

[Wretched]

Purists have been grumbling about Porsche’s recent moves with the 911, but they will have it their way when the company launches what could be one of the coolest 911s of all time: the 911 R, powered by a naturally aspirated engine with around 500 horsepower—and fitted with a manual transmission.

Over the past few years, one model after another lost the manual transmission in favor of the fast-shifting but slightly heavier and (by nature) less-involving PDK dual-clutch automatic. Since the GT3 lost its manual gearbox, the only models left to offer it were the entry-level 911s. But from a traditionalist’s point of view, they are contaminated by the upcoming generation of turbocharged engines, which lack the linearity of a naturally aspirated engine.

The 911 R will correct both issues, with an ultra-strong, naturally aspirated engine, closely related to that of the GT3, and a manual gearbox, all wrapped in sheetmetal so clean and subdued that the car has been described to us as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

We expect the 911 R to bow at the Geneva auto show next March. While its numbers will be limited by a steep price and its hard-core positioning, we expect it to remain in production for a while. Sure to become a collector’s item, this 911 won’t be the fastest one, but it may perhaps be the coolest.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/porsche...mission-911-r/

[Sioso]

Pure unadulterated Porsche filth.
Thank God!!!
The manual NA flat six lives!
Now I just have to sell the house to buy one.

[Polyal]

Thats pretty cool. Have you seen that Ferrari released today?

And here we are sometimes stating that cars are getting soft...LOL....they are brutal but perhaps a bit more expensive.

[carwant.com.au]

It will be interesting to see how many they sell and how long they take to sell....
Hopefully the answer is 'a lot' and 'quick'; this way, other car manufactures will see the demand and also follow suit.

[XR Martin]

Cayman GT4 which is of similar ilk bascially sold out before they were released.

[mik]

Good to see a proper drivers car .

[Sioso]

I would love to take one of these for a drive, NA 500hp flat 6, 8500rpm, 1370kg, 6 speed manual,
First drive:
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/06/22/2...r-first-drive/

Competition has forced the 911 GT3 RS to prioritize lap times over driving enjoyment. The 911 Carrera line has softened, now full of GT cars rather than the wild children of yore. Turbocharging is hitting the rear-engine Porsche en masse. All of this gave Porsche Motorsport a vacuum of emotion and purity to fill with just 991 examples of its glorious 911 R, a machine focused on putting unadulterated feel and enjoyment back into driving.

Even amongst the diehard Porsche fraternity, just going faster doesn't work for everybody. They don't all want the thrill that comes from a high-downforce car running out of grip inches from a concrete wall. Not everybody loves suspensions so tied down that the slightest bump threatens the front splitter's continued existence. And many don't love turbochargers or want a computer to shift gears for them. Fortunately, just such people live, breathe, and work at Porsche Motorsport.

This part of the company makes its living building Porsche's fastest machines, like the Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS. But in an era when the bulk of Porsche's profits come from SUVs, Porsche Motorsport also sees itself as the guardian of the parent company's soul. Motorsport has enough pull that when it tells Porsche's board it needs a car like the 911 R the board listens.



The quickest way to turn the 911 into a driver-connected car was to pull the weight out, and the easiest way to do that was to use the 911 GT3 RS as the basis. So it gets that car's magnesium roof, polycarbonate side and rear glass, carbon-fiber bonnet and front fenders, and lots of aluminum. The air conditioning got thrown out (you can pay to put it back in), as did the multimedia screen (ditto), the audio and navigation systems (ditto, ditto), the rear seats, and even the interior door handles. Cloth straps replace the latter so you can still get out of the car. At 3,020 pounds, the R is 110 lighter than the race-bred GT3 RS.

Eschewing turbocharging in the interest of car-lover must-haves like induction noise, butterfly chirps, intuitive throttle response, and purity of sound, the 911 R simply borrowed the GT3 RS's 4.0-liter flat-six. So there's 500 horsepower of engine playing for keeps, the car ripping to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds from a standing start, hitting 124 mph in 11.6 seconds, and continuing on to 201 mph thanks to the lack of a monster, drag-inducing rear wing.

The dry-sump engine revs and revs and feels like it wants to keep revving forever. It reaches peak horsepower at a soaring, wailing 8,250 rpm, though it will keep climbing to 8,500, shoving hot air through its titanium exhaust. The peak torque figure of 338 lb-ft doesn't look big in the turbo era and it also chimes in relatively late, at 6,250 rpm, but the rotational inertia of the oily bits is incredibly low and can be made even lower by choosing the optional single-mass flywheel. Porsche has kept the GT3 RS's dynamic engine mounts, which it uses to keep movement of the rear-mounted engine from upsetting the car's attitude mid-corner.

This car makes no apologies for its ugly fuel-economy number because, well, there are more economical 911s you can choose from. In European testing, it consumes 13.3 liters/100 km, which is equivalent to 18 mpg; EPA fuel economy figures aren't available yet. One of the big reasons for the thirst is the sheer power and revs the engine generates, but the other is the six-speed manual gearbox, which Getrag built especially for this car. Fifth gear is underdriven and sixth has a ratio of 0.88 to one, which is between fifth and sixth on the 911's seven-speed manual. There's no freeway-hauling ratio because, Porsche Motorsport insists, six speeds are better for fun and, besides, culling the extra-overdriven seventh gear saves a whole 2.2 pounds.



Porsche mates this custom-made gearbox to a mechanically locking differential with torque vectoring; the car also gets custom-tuned rear-wheel steering and unique electric power steering software code.
The look is more standard than that of the wild-tailed GT3 RS, until you start to examine it closely. The frunk badge has been thrown out in favor of a lighter sticker, the front splitter is deeper than usual, and there's a flat floor and an underbody diffuser the size of a commercial barbecue under the tail, which does its best to take over where the slightly stretched 911 Carrera spoiler runs out of push.

The whole thing is managed via three pedals and a bespoke 14-inch leather-bound steering wheel with no buttons whatsoever. The console has some switches to adjust the throttle response, stability control, and traction control, and to turn the exhaust note up or down. And that's it.

The result is something very special. It's like Porsche took all of its latest go-faster technology and tuned it backwards until it fell into a feedback sweet spot.

The engine cranks over with an angry gruffness and, dynamic mounts active or not, it can leave the 911 R sitting there with the body rocking left and right at idle. The almost non-existent sound deadening allows the 4.0-liter six to go well beyond delivering noise. Every single tremble from the motor instantly snaps at nerves in the fingers, toes, and anything else inside.

The final 2,500 rpm or so are unfettered, incandescent, screaming rage.

As you drive, you realize you're sitting in front of not one engine, but three of them lurking in one piece of alloy. First up is the commuting engine, which softly but strongly pushes the car around in traffic at up to 3,500 rpm, and it's surprisingly good at it.

Then the engine's valving hits the Man Cam at 3,500 rpm or so and it changes timbre and depth, becoming a Porsche flat-six of legend, full of metallic rasp and urgency, and governed by a stiff throttle spring. It's strong enough to live here most of the time, and it's nice enough to use the torque peak as a de facto power peak, because it's still going to be a pretty quick car like that. And you won't miss out on any of that honeyed creaminess of the engine's power delivery, its glorious induction noise, the chirping of its throttle bodies as they open to full throttle, or the timbre changes as the revs rise.

But then the thing rips past 6,000 rpm and it all changes. Civility and sophistication disappear. The final 2,500 rpm or so are unfettered, incandescent, screaming rage. This doesn't sound like a flat-six Porsche anymore, doesn't sound like a V8 or V12 either. It just sounds like a charging pre-gunpowder army, concentrated into one 4.0-liter ball of fury. Somehow this magnificent piece of mechanical theater doesn't overshadow the rest.

The gearbox almost does, with beautifully short throws that slot home positively and quickly. It's almost shamefully revealing to use it, a wonderful piece of sublime intimacy. You find yourself shifting again and again, just for the pure fun of it.

Where the GT3 RS is all glued-down precision on a race track, the 911 R's cleaner profile means that it moves around a lot more without feeling unstable – the 911 R has a way of making sure you expect everything it's about to do. The softer springing and damping allow you to discern the car's rear-engined layout more than in the racers, and there's enough vertical compliance in the suspension to bring back some of the classic 911 walking-around feel.


While it's good, the electric power steering system isn't quite as old-school, especially at low speeds where it's accurate and light but lacks that meandering quality of early 911s. Instead, it seems like Porsche Motorsport focused on making sure the steering gave its best at the edges of its stupendous grip levels.

That grip comes from the Michelin tires, which measure 245/35ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear. The custom rubber is stuck in place by center-lock wheels, and it is brilliantly communicative, though not quite so effective in the wet. For tires that bite so hard, they also give a wonderful sense of progression and instill the confidence to easily bring the car back when grip runs out.

Being softer makes the 911 R a nicer proposition on a winding mountain pass. It's not the point-and-shoot exercise of the GT3 RS. Instead it flows, it oozes, and it flits its way from apex to apex, and you almost wish it would do it all slower just so you can enjoy how each corner feels for longer. Almost.
Nailing apexes at speed in the 911 R demands more of you than in the fastest 911s. It asks for more accuracy in the way you use the carbon-ceramic brakes, it demands more precision from your throttle inputs and insists on steering corrections all the way through the corner. Eventually, the 911 R will understeer before you realize that it's so precise a tool you can drive it on the nose or the tail, or both, and you can do it all in the same long corner if you want to.

You don't have to drive flat-out to get enjoyment form this car, either, because the 911 R immerses you in its every breathing moment, whether you're at 2,000 rpm or 8,000. It's happy to just be moving and you can't escape the glow of that glee.

If that all sounds a bit much, it's not. This car is intuitive. The 911 R delivers that special, rare feeling of the driver being utterly at one with every piece of the machine. You release the brake pedal like it's part of your foot, tweak the wheel like your hand is touching the surface of the road, accelerate away with a throttle pedal that knows the difference between 6,201 rpm and 6,202.

This is the Porsche that lives up to Porsche's hype. If you love driving (and you can find one), this is the 911 to own, cherish, and hold onto until the last drop of the world's gasoline is burned in its naturally aspirated flat-six.

[Sioso]

I didn't think any of these would make it to Australia.
$975K is a bit steep but if I had the money I can't think of anything I would rather spend it on.
https://www.carsales.com.au/private/...-4683675/?Cr=0

[XR6Runner]

Originally Posted by Sioso

I didn't think any of these would make it to Australia.
$975K is a bit steep but if I had the money I can't think of anything I would rather spend it on.
https://www.carsales.com.au/private/...-4683675/?Cr=0

My lord that price has been blown up like crazy! In the states you can pick one up for less than $200,000

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-r-models/

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by XR6Runner

My lord that price has been blown up like crazy! In the states you can pick one up for less than $200,000

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-r-models/

Only 25 allocated to OZ I believe with a retail of $400K.

No chance of getting one, so the value is now what ever the seller wants...and a buyer is willing to pay.

Instant classic.

[Polyal]

Yeah but in the mean time Porsche announced a return of the manual GT3.

Still, the above is a sexy car.

[stevanford]

Originally Posted by XR6Runner

My lord that price has been blown up like crazy! In the states you can pick one up for less than $200,000

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-r-models/

That's what they cost when they were brand new. They were selling on the used car market for almost $1,000,000 USD.

The 911R looked like it would be the last of the NA, manual 911s. Obviously, it's popularity showed Porsche that there is still a market for these cars.

[roddy1960]

G'day , Different circumstances to normal allowed me to see a lot of Targa Tasmania today...normally working.. Part of the 273 or so cars were a group of very very nice Porsches in the Touring section..Then a bloody lot of proper racing ones..There was a hell of a lot of 911 variants and I've got to say they do sound epic..Some of the crews gave us watchers in a non competition zone a bit of a show. A couple of Mustangs I spotted...a few older Falcons ,and I was speaking to a spectator with a stunning white FG F6 parked near my own FG XR6..Guess what we were talking about as the four million dollars (bloody ridiculous) LaFerrari went past...Got a few photos and vid of some nice machinery..
The 911 R certainly looks like something that would float a lot of boats for many who could get their hands on one..Porsche generally impress me more than most other exclusive Euro stuff...Cheers Rod....

[roddy1960]

G'day all...Not specifically about the 911 R but it's an insight into Porsche and Targa Tasmania , Jim Richards too...Very interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEG7obO5a4c Cheers Rod..

[Sioso]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

G'day , Different circumstances to normal allowed me to see a lot of Targa Tasmania today...normally working.. Part of the 273 or so cars were a group of very very nice Porsches in the Touring section..Then a bloody lot of proper racing ones..There was a hell of a lot of 911 variants and I've got to say they do sound epic..Some of the crews gave us watchers in a non competition zone a bit of a show. A couple of Mustangs I spotted...a few older Falcons ,and I was speaking to a spectator with a stunning white FG F6 parked near my own FG XR6..Guess what we were talking about as the four million dollars (bloody ridiculous) LaFerrari went past...Got a few photos and vid of some nice machinery..
The 911 R certainly looks like something that would float a lot of boats for many who could get their hands on one..Porsche generally impress me more than most other exclusive Euro stuff...Cheers Rod....

I spend hours watching and listening to the GT3 Rally cars on youtube.

[ESPJG32]

hi Roddy 1960

Having done 12 TT's and not being there this year, I have to say I am having some pangs, especially Sidling in the Wet - absolutely awesome bit of road wet or dry, but especially in the wet when you know no one is coming the other way and you are allowed to go as fast as you can - one year in the wet I past a Ferrari and an SLR 5000 in the stage - great day.

For those who haven't had that pleasure, if you ever get the chance go and drive Sideling and Cethana,-doesn't need to be during Targa, they are normal open roads all year- if you are not up to Targa Tas - just go and drive them.
Cethana has to be one of the great rally roads in the world - the hair on the back of my neck is standing just remembering those two

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Sioso

I spend hours watching and listening to the GT3 Rally cars on youtube.

Porsche probably make the best sounding 6 cylinder engines...only the old Alfas and other italians made one that sounded just as good.

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by ESPJG32

hi Roddy 1960

Having done 12 TT's and not being there this year, I have to say I am having some pangs, especially Sidling in the Wet - absolutely awesome bit of road wet or dry, but especially in the wet when you know no one is coming the other way and you are allowed to go as fast as you can - one year in the wet I past a Ferrari and an SLR 5000 in the stage - great day.

For those who haven't had that pleasure, if you ever get the chance go and drive Sideling and Cethana,-doesn't need to be during Targa, they are normal open roads all year- if you are not up to Targa Tas - just go and drive them.
Cethana has to be one of the great rally roads in the world - the hair on the back of my neck is standing just remembering those two

G'day.. That's awesome..I was talking to one of the Nissan GTR mechanics yesterday and his crew has the same feelings for The Sideling , Cethana , and plenty of the other 36 competitive stages..What do you think of the world's longest stage of any type of rally , Mt Arrowsmith..about 51 kms...Love to know..
In our immediate area is Mt Elephant and Rossarden ..and StMarys Pass for a fair time once..
Due to ANZAC Day it's only the Georgetown stage today..
The Porsche 911's in whatever guise are incredible but the R looks ''whew".. I reckon there were at least 40 Porsches of a decent variety doing the Touring stuff and that many again as competitors if not more..a few Caymens , 924's too..
How'd you fare over the 12 years ? I believe it's kind of addictive too but a tad expensive with the fees and fuel and transport etc.. The Nissan fella's were telling me that their two cars ,one is a R32 and the other a R35 will use about $2500 in 98 RON over the event , up to 6 tyres each and brake parts.
Sponsors I suppose are pretty important if you can get them...Day 1 highlights here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRFTlYWfxOc&t=10s
Cheers Rod..

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Porsche probably make the best sounding 6 cylinder engines...only the old Alfas and other italians made one that sounded just as good.

G'day ' Oh Yeah' Great clip...Cheers Rod..

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Porsche probably make the best sounding 6 cylinder engines...only the old Alfas and other italians made one that sounded just as good.

Add the BMW M3 CSL to that list. Spine chilling noise

[ESPJG32]

hi Roddy,

By the time you take in to account service crew accom, meals, hire cars, tyres, fuel etc and the $7k entry fee it is a $20k event without car prep costs - our car runs Elf LMS fuel at $7.70/litre in Tas....
the last time I did arrowsmith it was 61 km...not a misprint 61km!! in the earlier events it was 48km

The event is like no other anywhere in the world, the guys from the Porsche museum in Germany used to bring one or two museum cars because there is nothing like TT anywhere.
We had many class and category wins over the years - best result ever was first outright in classic sprint - beat a 911 RSR that was second by 4 min sprayed the champers on the podium with Jim Richards etc....once in a lifetime

it is one of those events that you have to learn how to win and it takes a few years to get those skills - driving a race car in between helps to keep the eye in as well. Running the car light on fuel for each stage etc....an enormous management job for the navigator and the service crew...they do more Klms than the competitors...there was no tour event in the earlier days either

The service crews tell me the service crew rally down the west coast from Queenstown is interesting once the road opens. Hopefully you get a chance to experience that.
I prefer the wet actually and one year down the west coast we had black ice and snow....all that when the tyres are low on tread....interesting

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by ESPJG32

hi Roddy,

By the time you take in to account service crew accom, meals, hire cars, tyres, fuel etc and the $7k entry fee it is a $20k event without car prep costs - our car runs Elf LMS fuel at $7.70/litre in Tas....
the last time I did arrowsmith it was 61 km...not a misprint 61km!! in the earlier events it was 48km

The event is like no other anywhere in the world, the guys from the Porsche museum in Germany used to bring one or two museum cars because there is nothing like TT anywhere.
We had many class and category wins over the years - best result ever was first outright in classic sprint - beat a 911 RSR that was second by 4 min sprayed the champers on the podium with Jim Richards etc....once in a lifetime

it is one of those events that you have to learn how to win and it takes a few years to get those skills - driving a race car in between helps to keep the eye in as well. Running the car light on fuel for each stage etc....an enormous management job for the navigator and the service crew...they do more Klms than the competitors...there was no tour event in the earlier days either

The service crews tell me the service crew rally down the west coast from Queenstown is interesting once the road opens. Hopefully you get a chance to experience that.
I prefer the wet actually and one year down the west coast we had black ice and snow....all that when the tyres are low on tread....interesting

G'day...Two things . First is CONGRATS on the Classic win...That's something you should be immensely proud of , not to mention the other wins you've achieved..Second is the info you've shared being someone who's done it and knows what you're talking about..Really incredible.. I'm glad that the main architect and event founder of Targa Tasmania , John Large's
"Multi Million Dollar Motor Show on Wheels" as he called it has become so popular with competitors and the Tassie public alike... I think he achieved that before he passed on in 2006 well and truly..
I think Mt Arrowsmith is a rally in itself at that distance..Some don't go that far on their holidays..
No wonder Porsche does pretty well ..They come in numbers and they like the twisties...and Targa Tas has that in abundance..
Hope you do T.T. again some time , sounds like it's in your blood.
Cheers Rod..

[ESPJG32]

Hi Mate,

I just noticed where you live, a great part of Tassie, geez you can drive Elephant pass and sidling [ both the wrong way] but you could do it every day...I am jealous.

Yes john and Rhonda were great people with a vision and made it what it is today - there are so many stages that are great and you would struggle to find a community anywhere else that would put up with the road closures etc - all competitors past and present dip their hats to the Tassie community for that alone.

Not sure if you have driven Cethana but a few years ago my late teens daughter thought she could read the pace notes so I put her in the scary seat and drove it in a hire car....not too much over the limit and in about 5kms she was feeling too sick to continue....navigators job is the really hard one - I am just a driver but the navi is the one orchestrating the action in the car...bloody tough job and lots of them get sick...mine doesn't, thank goodness, otherwise I would probably spew as well from the smell in the car

I was fortunate enough to learn a lot from Jim Richards - didnt know him from a bar of soap but I sat down with him a few years ago at the event and he explained a few ways to tackle the event and the sort of stuff you have to do to win - legally - I am forever appreciative of what he taught me.

At the end of a Targa you go into a bit of depression for a week or two because the adrenalin has stopped flowing, I think everyone gets that.

Mate anyone who is a real car nut that has done it even once sits and watches from afar remembers those incredible roads......I was in a team of 4 cars and everyone of those people are now great mates of mine [ didnt know them before Targa, and we catch up whenever we can and everyone is having twinges with Targa running right now....yes I think there is probably one or two Targa's left in us but not for an outright result, you have to take too many risks to be at the pointy end and when you get a bit older you have a real preference to keep the skin on your body rather than on some road or tree somewhere in Tassie