BERLIN: Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 RS team will focus more on weight reduction rather big jumps in power output for future editions.
Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche’s high performance division, told Car magazine that he’s “not a believer in this horsepower monster, up, up, up, more, more, more”.
In his opinion, “500bhp [373kW] is enough, because 700-800bhp (522-597kW) calls for bigger brakes, sturdier suspension, it gets heavier and heavier logically”.
For the record, the current 911 GT3 RS (above) has a 368kW/480Nm 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six, while the 911 GT3 (below) is equipped with a 3.8-litre six-cylinder with 350kW/440Nm.
That said, when the next GT3 and RS are revealed, don’t expect them to have less power. Preuninger says that the company couldn’t be seen to “go back”.
Instead he and his team will spend more of their time to “make the car lighter again [and hit] a specific horsepower per kilo”, rather than engineer a big power hike.
Although the regular 911 range will, in the near future, be an all turbo proposition, Preuninger believes that naturally aspirated engines are “more linear, [have] better driveability, [are] lighter, more emotional”.
In an effort to engage with buyers’ and enthusiasts’ emotions, the next 911 GT3 and GT3 RS will likely be offered with the option of a manual transmission.
As for the race between manufacturers to produce vehicles with record-breaking lap times around the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Preuninger states that “it would be relatively easy” to build a car that could do a 7 minute 15 second lap, but that “it’s important that everyone has fun with the car, can drive fast for his own capabilities, and get better with it”.
