Monterey, California, set the stage for the seventh Rennsport Reunion. A mecca for all things Porsche, it is the world’s largest gathering of enthusiasts celebrating the brand’s extensive motorsport pedigree. Among the fleet of desirable cars from all vintages, Porsche debuted a new unicorn that throws caution, and the finger, when it comes to following the rules.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport is a limited-edition supercar that’s illegal on the street and illegal for competition. It’s a rebel track toy designed with one thing in mind – speed. Based on the competition 911 GT3 competes in Le Mans and the Daytona 24. Designers Grant Larson and Thorsten Klein from the Style Porsche team wanted to build a race car that didn’t need to meet FIA competition rules.
The 911 GT3 R rennsport is a truly bespoke car as it only shares a hood and roof from a standard GT3 R and different body panels compared to the homologated race cars. The air intakes are unique to the R rennsport. A three-camera system replaces traditional side mirrors. The massive rear wing is based on the 1978 24 Hours of Daytona-winning Brumos Porsche 935/77 and reportedly needed additional support to handle the brutal amounts of downforce generated.
Other standard features include custom Michelin tires wrapped around 18-inch BBS wheels, a lightweight fuel tank, and titanium backing plates behind the brake pads with aluminum monoblock AP brakes. The weight-saving measures bring the car’s curb weight down to 2,734 pounds. Don’t expect to take too many friends for a ride as the Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport cockpit consists of a roll cage and a single, ventilated seat with no air conditioning.
However, once you get this car on a track, you can play with its naturally-aspirated 4.2-liter flat-six engine producing 611 horsepower. This engine is tuned to run on E25 bio-ethanol, eFuel, and conventional gasoline. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a sequential six-speed transmission managed by paddle shifters. Porsche claims the 911 GT3 R rennsport has a higher top speed than the 184 mph 911 GT3 R by an estimated 12 mph. Only 77 examples of the Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport are available. Buyers have a choice of seven color options and three racing liveries.
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