Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport First Look: Rules Don't Apply

By the time you read this the biggest Porsche gathering in the country, Rennsport Reunion 7, will be in full swing at Laguna Seca. To commemorate the occasion, Porsche just revealed what is arguably its most exclusive and expensive "collectible" yet, a limited edition seven-figure track day racer dubbed the 911 GT3 R rennsport. Imagine a full-blown GT3 race car but with the FIA's rulebook completely thrown out the window and the gloves taken off. Unless you're at Rennsport Reunion 7 chances are you'll probably never see this thing in person. Luckily for you—and us—we have a first look.

No Rules, All Party

The Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport was specifically created to exceed the performance of the GT3 race car and be a 911 in its "most primal form," according to Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. This car starts with a Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 generation race car as its base and is fleshed out from there with no mind paid to the GT3 regulations that the race car has to adhere to.

By ignoring FIA GT3 competition rules, no performance is artificially held back. It should therefore come as no surprise that not only is this car not street legal, there aren't many racing series where it could run legally either. However, we have a feeling most people who can afford to buy one of these won't care much about those limitations. It's a track car, albeit a super expensive, exclusive, and extreme one.

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Make it Wide And Flashy With Lots Of Downforce

While the 911 GT3 R rennsport is based on the GT3 R race car, only the hood and roof panel carry over from the racer. Everything else has been completely reworked by Grant Larson and Thorsten Klein from the Style Porsche team. Porsche says the "aerodynamically optimized geometry of the 911 GT3 R nose" has been "adopted" for the GT3 R rennsport including cooling ducts. The air intakes and outlet panels on the front wheel arches have been also been reworked. You might have already noticed that there are no side mirrors to be found on the GT3 R rennsport. Instead, a system of three cameras provide live views to monitors in the cockpit.

Though, easily one of the most eye-catching exterior modification comes in the form of a massive rear wing. Keen-eyed Porsche fanatics will notice that the rear wing's design is inspired by the Brumos Porsche 935/77. It generates so much downforce that it needs two additional supports to hold it up under load. Underneath the wing is an LED lightstrip tailight which now integrates the "Porsche" lettering across the back; because this car isn't flashy enough already, right? Jokes aside, it is a clever design element that should do a great job at drawing the eye when the driver gets on the brakes, which hide behind a set of 18-inch BBS centerlock competition wheels finished in Dark Silver Metallic.

While the GT3 R rennsport ignores FIA rules that limit performance, it doesn't ignore safety regulations. Inside the limited edition racer includes all safety features mandated by the FIA including a roll cage, which doesn't allow for the installation of a passenger seat. Single riders only here.

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Standard Porsche 911 GT3 R Engine Tuned For More Power

The engine bay is where the real bratwurst and potatoes lie. The Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport is fitted with the same screaming 9,400-rpm 4.2-liter flat-six engine found in the 911 GT3 R race car. However due to FIA "Balance of Competition" limitations, that engine's output is limited to 557 horsepower; so removed, max power here increases to 611 horsepower. The pistons and camshafts have been specifically designed for the GT3 R rennsport to run on E25 fuel. The engine can run on conventional fuel, too, but Porsche has yet to share any horsepower differences from running on conventional versus E25 fuel.

Drivers shift the same sequential six-speed constant-mesh gearbox found in the GT3 R race car with only "minor modifications," according to Porsche. Shifts are made with paddles that control an electric shift actuator so those hoping to row their own gears are out of luck here. The fourth, fifth, and sixth forward gear ratios are the same used by Porsche Racing when running at Daytona. Though the sixth gear ratio is stretched out beyond FIA regulation to allow a top speed that is 12 mph faster than the GT3 R racer.

There are two exhaust options available: unmuffled and muffled. The unmuffled system is a center fit exhaust with twin tailpipes. The quieter exhaust comes with mufflers and catalytic converters to be used when visiting race tracks with noise restrictions.

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GT3 R Suspension Carries Over Mostly Unchanged

Considering its on-track success, it's safe to say that the Porsche 911 GT3 R racer has a very effective suspension setup. Porsche didn't want to fix what isn't broke with the rennsport variant so virtually all of it carries over. The same front double wishbone and rear multi-link suspension set up lives in the rennsport. Five-way KW shocks are adjustible and have a blow-off function. Further adjustments can be made with shims.

Wrapped around those 18-inch BBS wheels are a set of Michelin tires with new construction and compound tread are made exclusively for the GT3 R rennsport variant. Porsche says the warm-up and driveability of these exclusive tires are improved over the Pilot Sport M S9 rubber from the homologated race car. Aluminum monoblock AP Racing brake calipers with titanium backing plates on the pads provide stopping power while shaving off 2.2 pounds. Final weight isn't disclosed yet but Porsche says its aiming for a 2,734 pound total curb weight for the GT3 R rennsport.

How much does the Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport cost?

If all of this lightweight racy goodness sounds good to you then you'll be thrilled to know that the Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport can be had for a paltry $1,046,000 plus taxes, transport, and other fees. Oh, by the way, they're only making 77 worldwide. If our math is correct there is a very small pool of people on the planet Earth who could be realistically in the market for this thing. Maybe one day we'll get another chance to see it in person again when it shows up at a future auction.