Porsche 911 R: The “Pure” 911
Porsche is borrowing a concept from the world of anime and manga by providing “fan service” in the form of their latest 911 model, the 911 R—a naturally-aspirated and stick-shift only deal—whose number one priority is providing the driver with maximal feel, feedback and interaction.
It’s Not All About Outright Pace
As Andrew Frankel, Senior contributing writer at Autocar UK so succinctly posited when speaking about the 911 R’s place in Porsche’s model portfolio: “Making a car as fast as possible and as enjoyable to drive as possible are objectives now sufficiently distant from each other for no one model to be able to effectively bridge the divide.” The decision makers from Stuttgart and Frankel seem to be on the same page; instead of engineering a vehicle limited by the need to constantly compromise, Porsche can now offer driving enthusiasts what might come to be known as the most desirable 911-model in the range in the R.
The 411 on the New 911
Rather than compromising between all-out performance and everyday driving comfort, the 911 R will most likely share the same narrow-body as the base-911 and eschew the downforce-producing aerodynamic bits which adorn the GT-spec models. Along with the narrower body, the 911 R is also rumored to be less about outright grip and more about balance. The 911 R, which some are calling the “pure” 911, will wear skinner tires and have a chassis setup to complement the decreased grip levels—all in pursuit of the purest driving experience possible.
PDK + Turbocharging = Fast, But Robotic?
Porsche fans have had much to gripe about as of late, first lamenting the decision of the 911 GT-model range to do away completely with a manual transmission option, and more recently the company’s move to implement turbocharged engines for all non-GT 911s by the end of this year.
911 R Engine Rumors
The 911 R will most likely be powered by the same, or slightly tweaked version of the 3.8-liter, 475-hp flat-six currently found in the 911 GT3 for sale.
Pricing and Availability
Sources at Road & Track report that the 911 R is scheduled for a 600 unit production run, all of which are rumored to already be spoken for. In the same article, Road & Track also mention that some Porsche dealers are not currently aware of the R’s existence, possibly because the 911 variant will only available to Porsche’s preferred program customers, VIP clients who own multiple vehicles or 918s.
Pricing has yet to be announced. The 911 R is expected to make its debut at the Geneva auto show next March.
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