BusDriver

The 911R is Oliver Blume’s favorite Porsche

Fast forward to 17:45

BTW, the entire video is worth watching for a perspective on what’s ahead for Porsche

Jonathan19

Suitcase

Thank you for the post. If you drive, and drive all the cars, it's not really a surprise but nice to hear.

catdog2

Another excellent review by TedWard!! Best part is those roads are right in my backyard... The worst part is that 911R he tested has the heavier dual-mass flywheel and yet he is gracious about it saying it helps it be easier to drive smoothly. Big Fan, keep it up!

As it stands A+ for the review (I think it must be Canadian model not European)
Had it been with single mass light flywheel then would have been A+++

unotaz

My sentiments exactly. If you own and drive all of the modern Porsches that's been released in the last 15 years, this is no surprise. The R and the 997 4.0 are in a league of their own.

time_4_porsche

What’s after them? Speedster and/or 997.2 RS 3.8?

BusDriver

Was at Le Mans last month, and asked a few top Porsche people about the 911R...

The 911R is not just Oliver Blume's favorite...when I asked Ferdi Porsche for his favorite Porsche... he answered 911R.
And Walliser said the 911R is worth keeping even with the 911 ST coming

So many Porsche insiders still love the car




BTW: Fun fact...Blume drove from Stuttgart to Le Mans in his 911 Turbo S instead of taking the corporate jet. Car was equipped with a roof tent for him to stay in - which he did. How cool is that!

raclaims

The R is freaking great...very modern yet old school feel (if you don't drive an old school 911 right before or after lol). To me it's the best modern 911...paired with the 997RS4.0 then the speedster after that (I mean you still have to take the wife out to dinner in something I guess)

Bruce911_

Just curious. What makes the driving experience so much better in an R as compared to a 991.2 GT3 manual or Touring. I get the lighter flywheel. I also understand the carbon fenders, hood and magnesium roof. Is there anything else that makes it so special? I’m not disputing the opinions just asking why they are different.

Porsche911GTS'16

That is a question that has been raised many times on this forum, and you'll get opinions from the R camp and opinions from the Touring camp. No doubt, the R will always be a highly sought-after car, given that there are only 991 of them and given the exclusive "bits and bobs" (as Chris Harris puts it) of the R. Like you, I would love to see what all of the fuss is about and I have offered, several times, on this forum to get together with an R owner in So Cal to compare the two cars. Let's just say that interest has been...zero.

When asked, AP said in an interview that if he had to pick a GT car, it would be the 991.2 Touring. He did not pick the R. Chris Harris prefers the Touring to the R as well. He likes the car so much that he purchased a second one after his first one was totaled in an accident. Many other famous car gurus say the 991 R is the best of the best. I get it. We are all free to our opinions which is just that, an opinion.

I have never seen an R on the road, anywhere. I have seen a handful of 991.2 and 992 Tourings. I have only seen an R at the two Rare Shades that I attended (Santa Cruz and LA). I have only spoken with one person who has driven both. He owned a 991.2 Touring and drove a friend's R. In so many words, he told me that the main difference he found between the two cars was that the R felt more like a Carrera in its handling. It was not as stiff a ride as the GT3. Otherwise, to him, the cars were very similar.

I am sure @stout has driven both and it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on the difference between the two cars. If there is anyone who knows his 911s and can speak about the subtleties between two cars without bias, it is Pete Stout. Off topic, but for those of you who do not subscribe to @000 , I highly suggest you do so, if you want the ultimate in Porsche journalism. Come to think of it, if you are reading this Pete, perhaps the 991 R versus 991.2 GT3 Touring debate can be discussed in a future volume? There is an interesting backstory on why the Touring was created in the first place (in short, to cool off the flipping and price gouging of the R aftermarket and to appease those who wanted a wingless 6-speed manual GT car with an NA engine, who could not get an R allocation). AP acknowledged in interviews that the GT department made slight tweaks to the Touring, in learning from the R. One of those subtle modifications being the Gurney flap. Per AP, the Gurney flap was added to improve the overall stability of the car at high speeds. The biggest change, of course, was the engine. But there were several other differences, between the 991.1 and 991.2 exterior and interior. Having one of each myself, to me, the 991.2 is the overall more refined of the two, stylistically.

Both are amazing cars and I would never say that one car is better than the other. They both have their advantages and whoever is lucky enough to have one or the other is very lucky indeed! I took this picture of my car today, in Manhattan Beach.

Marv

What's with all the barbed wire? Looks more like a penal colony than a beach.

Mrrdstr

Welcome to Southern California 😂

Bruce911_

Thanks for your reply. I understand the more limiting part etc. As far as the driving experience I don’t see much of a difference other than the lighter flywheel from what I have read. It’s nice to have a numbered car but then again it’s also nice to have one to drive without worrying about it as much . Not that I wouldn’t drive an R the same as my Touring if I had one😎

Maverick787

I’ve driven both and my view. MSRP to MSRP it’s a no brainer the R, and for the current values a collector is a no brainer at the right price. My buddy owns both and he’s owned every 911 produced and race cars. He said the 911 R is the one car he would never sell and he drives it a lot.

So my view the SMFW yes it’s spins up fast and the sound in my view is amazing, and the car if I can explain correctly it moves around a lot like an old school 911. It’s very loud and you hear every pebble grain and the feel of the road lines. The suspension tuning and steering along with the SMFW makes the feel alive vs the current GT cars stiff and plain at low speeds. Again my view on driving both cars, and asking question from the owner and his race car mechanic who says it’s the best 911 he’s driven from what I tried to explain. It’s one of the things you have to just drive, and car feel is different from driver to driver. Make both cars the same value I’d take the R for what I explained and I love the double roof and all the noise.

Bruce911_

If both cars were the same or close in value then I would at the very least try to drive an R and see the difference for myself. Unfortunately we don’t live in that world so I’ll have to keep driving my Touring. It’s not such a bad thing.