Porsche has just announced that its new mid-engine Porsche 911 GT3 will share an engine with the racing-bred RSR, breaking the long tradition of the rear-engined 911 streetcar design. This is aimed to compete with Porsche's rivals long placed in the mid-engined category and giving them a run for their money.
The idea of a mid-engine layout came about as a result of making the balance of power-to-weight ratio for maximum performance. By transferring the Porsche 911 GT3's boxer engine midway in the chassis, a secondary benefit becomes possible by putting a more aggressive diffuser in the rear portion of where the engine used to be. The racing versions use sequential gearboxes but the Porsche 911 GT3 will have an optional manual transmission, according to R&T.
The engine has had its tried and tested mark on the 911 GT3 Racer which has endured the grueling 24-hour Daytona 24 without any problems. The technology transfer will give customers the feel of the naturally aspirated, 4.0-litre flat six racing version with 510 horsepower under its hood for the RSR, or 485 horsepower for the Cup version, depending on restrictor plate size. Visually, it looks similar to its predecessors but everything's been reworked. The suspension, body structure, aerodynamic concept, engine and transmission have all been designed from scratch, as reported by Jalopnik.
It hasn't always been easy. Porsche 911 purists slammed the idea of what had always been a tradition ever since Porsche made the original design back in 1963. The rear, air-cooled engine design had been reminiscent of the Volkswagen Beetle, the plebeian car everyone came to love and Ferdinand Porsche's greatest creation for the masses. Now, it's all about speed and power, something Porsche has made into a status symbol. One thing remains, however. The new 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR still truly looks like the 911 of old.
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