Porsche Unveils 991-Based GT3 Cup Racer

When you have a brand-new model in your showrooms, it doesn’t really make sense to have participants run your own one-make series with an older generation car. Even more so if you are Porsche and the car in question is the 911 that takes part in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.



Well, that’s stretching the truth a bit: the racers aren’t based on the base 911 Carrera or Carrera S but the hardcore GT3 – hence the GT3 Cup moniker for the model that the company claims is the most successful racing car ever, having sold 2,385 units since 1998.

With the seventh generation 911, code-named 991, been on the roads for more than a year now, it was about time the Stuttgart automaker rolled out its successor. That happened yesterday during the “Night of Champions” event at the brand's R&D center in Weissach.

The all-new 911 GT3 Cup is powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six with 453HP (460PS), 10HP more than the 997 GT3 RS-based model it replaces, delivered 1,000 rpm lower, at 7,500. Power is directed to the rear wheels via a six-speed dog-type gearbox developed by Porsche Motorsport that, for the first time in a Porsche Cup car, is operated by paddle shifters.

Camouflaged prototypes of the road-going GT3 have already been spotted with a PDK dual-clutch semi-auto so, pending further information from Porsche, it’s possible that the dog-clutch transmission has been exclusively developed for the Cup version.

The racer’s single-piece race wheels have a center mount and they are wrapped in Michelin slicks that measure 27 cm at the front and 31 cm at the rear, making them 20 and 10 mm wider respectively than the 997-based GT3.

The new GT3 Cup also features a new race braking system, with 380 mm slotted and inner-vented steel front rotors and six- and four-piston calipers front and rear respectively.

“The new 911 GT3 Cup is much easier to drive at the limit”, said works driver Timo Bernhard, who was significantly involved in the car’s development. “It is excellently balanced. The new axle geometry is enormously positive for the handling. Apart from that the new Cup 911 is great fun to drive.”

Safety is crucial in any racing series, so the 991 GT3 Cup is fitted with a new safety cage that offers better protection in the event of a collision, a new racing seat that wraps around the driver’s head and shoulders and can be adjusted with the help of padding. Last but not least, there's a rescue hatch in the roof to provide easy access to medical staff and make extracting the driver easier after an accident.

Like its predecessor, the GT3 Cup is assembled at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen plant in Stuttgart alongside the road-going models. It then gets its set-up for the circuit and a test drive by a professional race driver at the Motorsport Center in Weissach before being delivered to customers.

The latter will have to shell out €181,200 (US$234,250) excluding country-specific taxes and they can have it in any color they like, as long as it’s white.

You can watch a video of the new 911 GT3 Cup right after the jump.

 

By Andrew Tsaousis

 

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Porsche Reveals New GT3 Cup Racer

Every racing driver pilots a 911 GT3 Cup at some point in their career, and Porsche has just released the newest version.

The most prolific racecar on the circuit, the Porsche 911 has been soldiering on in competition spec based on the previous generation. But now Porsche has released the new 991-gen GT3 Cup. While the previous model produced 450 horsepower, the 3.8-liter flat six in the new Cup has been tuned to 460 hp, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. But there's more to the new race-spec 911 than its engine. A high-flow exhaust, adjustable anti-roll bars, 18" alloys with Michelin slicks and 15" brakes get the 911 ready for the track.

The interior has also been stripped out and fitted with a roll cage, racing controls, emergency escape hatch and bucket seat with competition harness. The new Cup racer will form the backbone of the numerous racing series around the world, but also gives us a preview of the road-going 911 GT3 expected to debut in March and the Geneva Motor Show.

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997 Turbo on D2Forged Wheels

The new-generation Porsche 911 Turbo is due out in 2013, in the meantime wheel-makers continue to showcase their wares on the 997 model.

As we wait patiently for the next-gen Porsche 911 Turbo to arrive, D2Forged has tried to fill the void by jazzing up the current 997 generation model with a new set of rollers. The US wheel-maker dressed the 500-horsepower 911 Turbo in a set of 20-inch CV2 Shallow Concave Wheels, which feature a brushed aluminum center, high-polished flange, chrome lip, and hand-painted red "D2" center cap logo. The result is as impressive as the Turbo's performance, making sure it looks the part as it sprints to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds.

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Porsche Orders Macan Redesign

In light of the sharp looks of the Range Rover Evoque, Porsche designers opted to make styling changes to the upcoming Macan.

It's no secret that Porsche has been at work for some time developing a smaller SUV built on the same platform as the Audi Q5. Meant to fill the model slot below the hot-selling Cayenne, Porsche knew it could have a major sales hit on its hands, but only if the packaging was right. The thing is, Porsche previously assumed that it could design the Macan to look like a shrunken Cayenne. That idea worked until Land Rover unveiled its sharply-styled Range Rover Evoque and Porsche realized that a redesign was needed even before the car debuted.

This news comes to us today from Automotive News Europe which quotes Porsche's design chief Michael Mauer, stating that "We thought there were some details we could be more daring with....When I saw the Evoque, I thought, interesting, I like it." The Evoque has been a solid success for Land Rover, and Porsche wants its own share of the pie in the hot-selling luxury compact crossover segment. But Mauer wants to be clear that the Macan will not be a copy of the Evoque, but instead will feature Porsche design elements that could even be taken from the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept that premiered at Paris in September.

Expect to see the Macan officially debut sometime in late 2013 as a '14 model. Engine options will likely include a version of the Q5's 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel with 300 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque as well as a few gasoline engine options.

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Lamborghini Diablo Roadster Replica was Once a Proud Porsche Boxster

There's no doubt that the Boxster series has been a wild sales success for Porsche, and being in the market for three generations and more than 16 years, means that you can find many used examples at affordable prices.

 

Up until recent years, replica car builders looked at the Pontiac Fiero when it came to cloning mid-engined models, but it's getting harder and harder to find worthwhile vehicles on the market, be that because the last ones were manufactured back in 1988, or because most of them have already been transformed into other models.

One car that appears to be picking up in popularity lately in the replica community (for all the reasons we explained previously) is the first generation Porsche Boxster, and it is this model that forms the base for the Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster we found on eBay. 

The builder replicated the Diablo's looks on the outside but left most parts of the Boxster's interior intact sans the floor, seats and for some inexplicable reason, the steering wheel, the upper part of which was removed. This may have worked for the Hoff in Knight Rider, but we can't see it being practical in any way on a regular car…

More photos and the seller's description can be found after the break.

Seller's Description"It is a 99 Porsche boxster that makes a 99 Lamborghini diablo vt roadster shift stick 5 speeds It has original Lamborghini Rims with brand new tires Original lights Original door handles and locks Original emblems etc

It has remote operated windows Power mirrors Airbags,GPS etc. all the Porsche specs and everything works Hydraulic front suspension as the original Functional top with all the hardware on the top as well in the rear bonnet where the top attaches when in use Mommo seats. Not the cheap ones.

$1000 each Red carpet on the interior from the same manufacturer that provides Lamborghini Pioneer sound system with 2 boofers and 4 speakers Ice cold a/c Hella fog lights Apple candy red original paint it is NOT made from different parts from different cars...it was a whole running car with no problems when it was built.... clean title...NEVER SALVAGED,REBUILT OR CRASHED..... it is a kit built on a porsche not a cheap fiero or custom made car.......

ALL the safety features are in working order as they were when it left the factory in germany.... safety is a very delicate issue that a lot builders oversee in this kind of cars i have too many cars...and it is imposible for me to keep them all in this economy , this car really looks good and you better don't be married."

 

 

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