Porsche 911 GT3 R Race Car

Porsche 911 GT3 R Race Car - With pretty much the entirety of Porsche’s 911 GT3 production-car model lineup revealed, it was only a matter of time before we saw the new race-car version destined for—you guessed it—FIA GT3 racing. (The GT3 Cup, also based on today’s 911, competes solely in the Mobil 1 Supercup.) While this latest GT3 racer, dubbed GT3 R and based on the current 991-generation 911 sports car, deviates very little from the previous-generation model, it’s still supersweet.

Just like its predecessor, the GT3 R is again powered by a 4.0-liter flat-six engine shared with a production model. In this case, the engine donor is the epic 911 GT3 RS, meaning the GT3 R gets direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication, and at least 500 horsepower. That muscle is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission and a mechanical limited-slip differential, and racing-specific anti-lock braking and traction-control systems help keep things in check.

This being a race car, there’s a full welded-in, FIA-compliant roll cage, a removable escape hatch in the roof, built-in air jacks, and a fuel cell that’s been enlarged to hold 120 liters of go-juice. The doors, decklid, fender flares, and front and rear fascias are rendered from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, as is the 6.5-foot-wide rear wing, while all the windows are clear polycarbonate. The GT3 R also uses electrically assisted power steering—no car is safe from technology’s relentless march, it seems.

Customers can begin ordering GT3 Rs for €429,000 ($490,188 at current exchange rates) before any taxes are accounted for, with deliveries beginning in December. As awesome as the 919 Hybrid–inspired livery shown on the 911 GT3 R pictured here is, the racing car will come plain as rain, ready for racers’ own stylings and sponsors.