Ronan

The eagerly anticipated Porsche 911 GT3 RS will get a brand-new, naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine according to company bosses, with the unit eventually working its way into other models within the wider Porsche range.

Details are scarce, but during an interview at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show, Porsche R&D boss Wolfgang Hatz confirmed a completely new engine for the upcoming GT3 RS. There had been rumours of turbocharging within the 911 range – but Hatz insisted that would be reserved for lesser models, and only when the 991 variant gets an overhaul later this year.

He also told us that the RS will be PDK-only to begin with, but that a manual hasn’t been ruled out in the long term. The dual-clutch automatic gearbox is the only option on Porsche’s standard GT3, but changes gear in a matter of milliseconds.

Defending this decision, he said: “I have customers who said, ‘now we understand.’ PDK proved a lot of people wrong.”

Hatz also commented on how he wanted to create more distinction for the 911 GT3 RS. He hinted that the GT3 RS will be a bigger step up than before, with more separation from the standard GT3 than we saw on the previous-generation 997 versions.

“Performance has to be the main objective. Customers love the current GT3. The RS has to be the peak. The 991 GT3 was very much a surprise for everybody because it’s a very useable car for every day. The GT3 RS will be more extreme,” he said.

There will be more changes to the body and more changes to the car’s aero in an attempt to shave even more time off the GT3’s already impressive 7 minute 25 second Nurburgring lap time. Hatz couldn’t go into what those changes might be, but we can expect a more sculpted exterior, with a lower ride height and an even bigger fixed wing.

In other news, Hatz confirmed a new Cayman variant – likely the track-focused GT4 – for release in the spring. As a result it’s safe to predict a Geneva Motor Show debut in March.

He said this too would be a step up from the previous flagship model, saying: “We’ve moved it a little bit up [from the Cayman R] – it’s a proper motorsport car.”

The objective for Porsche’s investment in the Cayman GT4 is to create a road car that would be compliant with current regulations in the highly competitive race series. The GT4 European Series currently includes models such as the Aston Martin GT4 Vantage, BMW M3 GT4 and Lotus Evora GT4. If all goes according to plan, we could see the Cayman GT4 appear as soon as next season.

jumper5836

Wow new engine, that is interesting. Also very interested in the Cayman GT4 final weight/hp specs, dry sump? and engine modifications to make it track/race reliable.

993GT

brand-new engine = Mezger with 991 part numbers?

thanks for sharing Ronan

Ronan

Not a Mezger from what I hear.

GreatWhiteNorth

lol +1

tcsracing1

will be a DFI 4.0L

TurboS

RS may come with a manual.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/2016-91...earbox-option/

jumper5836

If it does, it will be a rare beast. Probably worth a heck a lot more one day vs the auto.

TurboS

Video interview with sharkwerks owner and Magnus Walker
gets interesting at 39 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNsJum3ilWs#t=2375

Johnny DB

I found this interesting: "The RS will be getting an all-new flat-six engine, which sticks with natural aspiration. This engine will then become the basis for a range of turbocharged engines that will roll out through the rest of the 911 lineup later this year."

So the current DFI engine is crap and going to the dumpster?

jumper5836

I wouldn't say it's crap. It's pretty remarkable design to have such a huge range 250 hp all the way to 560. I think the new engine probably will be somewhat based of the 9A1 but address issues so it can be run in motorsport. Better cooling, oiling and replaceable cylinder liners for rebuilds and probably ways to make it easier to replace or fix common failure items they have been collecting since the 9A1 has been out.

Here's a very interesting post about the difference from the 9A1 engine to the 991 GT3 engine

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/...fferences.html

jumper5836

Pretty funny stuff