R FOR RACING ... AND RARE
In this exclusive drive, we get to experience the car that Porsche purists were baying for
PULLING into the pits, the svelte lines of this modern-day 911 R catch the eye. It may have the more aggressive GT3 RS’ engine and GT3’S suspension, but gone are its sibling’s wide body and massive rear wing. The result is a car that’s more understated … and, actually, more 911. It carries a proud heritage, too, with the original 911 R now recognised as the car that started the lineage of out-and-out performance 911s.
Not that the lack of the GT3 RS’ extroverted aerodynamic appendages disadvantage this R in any way; a rear diffuser and a re-engineered underside provide all the downforce needed. The R also sports subtle, unique details: to aid cooling, there’s a mesh grille below the rear plexi-glass window, and another above the Porsche lettering; and 991 Gt3-sourced, yellow-callipered, carbon-ceramic brakes shine through the multi-spoke wheels.
As with its ancestor, this 911 R also favours functionality over luxury in order to make it as light as possible. Like the RS, its front fenders are made of carbon- bre, it has 4,5 kg less sound insulation than the 991 GT3 RS, and it does away with rear seats. The result is a car that is even lighter than the 991 GT3 RS, by about 50 kg.
Sitting inside the spartan interior, you quickly get comfortable in the snug, Porsche 918 Spydersourced houndstooth-andAlcantara-trimmed carbon- bre seats. Gone are any buttons on what’s a purposefully basic steering wheel, and on the left of the dashboard is a 911 R plaque that con rms its number as “308”, one of only four Rs that have been assigned to South Africa.
Gone, too, are the GT3 RS’ PDK paddle shifters. With many Porsche fans lamenting the absence of a manual gearbox in the current GT3 range, Stuttgart responded by equipping this 911 R with a six-speed manual ‘box. Developed under the company’s GT cars’ division leader, Andreas Preuninger, a man responsible for some of the most exciting
911s of the past decade, you’d be mistaken to think this is a plainer manual-equipped version of the GT3 RS.
A turn of the key instigates a distinctive rumble from behind as the naturally aspirated flat-six catches and I place my left hand on the stubby gearlever (which, incidentally, saves a sizeable 20 kg over the PDK transmission). A further mass saver is the optional single-mass flywheel that adds further to the free-revving nature of this engine.
Pulling out of the pits, I select the sport mode for the dampers and, even cruising through the first few corners, I’m surprised how composed and soft the R is. Sure, Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit does boast billiard-smooth tarmac, but this 911 R is notably softer than the hardcore GT3 RS. The gearlever slots into each ratio with little more than a twist of the wrist, and for the first few minutes, I purposefully change gears as often as possible to fully experience the slick-shifting ‘box coupled with this marvellous engine. Even for a naturally aspirated unit, there is enough torque in the first half of the rev range to make swift progress, although you can’t help but ask your right foot to send the needle racing all the way to the 8 800 r/min redline.
The engine note now hits a new, hollow and distinctly metallic note, and all too quickly you need to push the lever from second into third gear. There is negligible inertia from the engine and I revel in the direct connection between the throttle pedal and motive force. The brakes are very strong, but as this car is already sold, I’m being conservative in their application. The R turns in with conviction, although perhaps a little less sharply than an RS, and being relatively benign in its suspension setup, you get a strong sense of the weight at the rear. Porsche long ago perfected the 911’s dynamics and that means the car contains its weight perfectly.
Press the sport button and the 911 R automatically blips the throttle before you engage a lower gear. It is a great sensation, although those expert heel-andtoers who like to manually blip the throttle before a gear change will be happy to know that you can switch it off.
After another lap or two, the 911 R and I begin to establish a rapport and rhythm that allows me to exploit a little more of its abilities. I’m reminded of the great manual 997s that Porsche manufactured. This car is engaging, nimble and, if you want to move underneath the radar yet still have the horsepower to crack 320 km/h, this is surely one of the best cars around.
Yet, there’s a part of me that wishes Porsche had honed the R even further by shedding more mass and adding further racecarlike touches paying homage to the original R. But this viewpoint matters little.
Only 991 examples will be built and each has been spoken for, with one car already having been resold for more than double its original asking price of £137 000 (the price in SA was not disclosed). And I totally understand why. It is an absolute joy to pilot the R and you will spend many happy miles behind the wheel learning to drive it close to and over the limit. Porsche may not quite have gone the full monty with this car, but I guess that’s understandable with the new GT3 around the corner … a car which, we believe, will again be available with a manual gearbox.