Porsche 911 sticks with motorsport
Porsche has dismissed any notion of building a roadgoing version of its latest mid-engined 911-based race car.
With its newest 911 RSR – the top-flight endurance racer that competes in blue ribbon events such as the Le Mans and Daytona 24 hour – Porsche has flipped the engine and gearbox configuration around for better weight distribution and to improve aerodynamics by opening up more space to fit a larger rear diffuser.
It is the first time since the Le Mans-winning GT1 that Porsche has created a 911 with a midengined layout. But unlike when the GT1 was raced – between 1996 and 1998, under a set of rules that required a handful of roadregistered versions be made to qualify – Porsche has no immediate plans to produce a road-racer based on the RSR.
‘‘At Porsche we never say no, as we have done so many things over the last 20 years that nobody has expected, but at the moment we have no plans for something like this,’’ Porsche’s motorsport boss, Dr Frank-steffen Walliser, said.
‘‘The 911, as a road car, is all about the two-plus-two layout, the space you have in the car compared to the Boxster and Cayman for example. This [configuration] is purely for motorsport – and endurance racing in particular.’’
Walliser also revealed that Porsche’s presence in motor racing is protected from Volkswagen’s budget cuts. Despite VW scrapping its Le Manswinning Audi sportscar team and dominant World Rally Championship outfits in the past month, Walliser, says the German sportscar brand will maintain its place in the top-flight World Endurance Series, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hour, for the foreseeable future as well as continuing its customer-based racing programmes, including its Carrera Cup championships.
‘‘You never have a guarantee for something but we have a very strong position with no budget cuts on the motorsport side of things. There is a clear understanding at the Volkswagen group that we will not stop motorsport.’’