Porsche to expand GT3 range

While the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month, Porsche is set to kick-start a radical transformation in its two-door model ranges. In line with this, new models will join the existing Boxster and Cayman line-ups, and the 911 will receive a big conceptual shake-up. There will also be a new 918 Spyder and a brand-new supercar.

First up is the new 911 GT3 RS. It is set to be unveiled on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show on March 2. The new car will be lighter than the GT3 version upon which it is based, but most of the interest will focus on its aerodynamics — which is said to provide a new level of downforce for a road-going 911 — and an all-new engine producing around 500bhp.

Spy photographs suggest that it will have air intakes in the rear wings and lift-reducing air outlets above the front wheels, and will join the 911 Turbo in using the widest of the three 911 bodies. Porsche’s simulations show the 911 GT3 RS to be comfortably capable of lapping in under 7min 20sec, raising the possibility of it at least matching the 7min 18sec lap recorded by the most powerful 911 to date, the 611bhp twin-turbo GT2 RS of 2011.

However, it is Porsche’s decision to design a new engine for the GT3 RS that is the most significant development. That’s because by the end of the year and in a rather different state of tune, this new engine will also be standard in all conventional 911s. What’s more, and unlike in the GT3 RS, all ‘normal’ 911s that use this engine will be turbocharged. The new engine is expected to deliver a modest power boost and substantially more torque.

A limited-edition GT2 RS is also on the cards. Just 500 examples of the previous one were made that were sold out in two months. However, the new GT2 RS is likely to be scheduled for the end of the current 911’s lifecycle, making it at least two years away.

In the meantime, Porsche is also working on a brand-new supercar to compete with the likes of the Ferrari 488 GTB and McLaren 675LT. Porsche’s boss of research and development, Wolfgang Hatz, has said it will be ready by the end of the decade “at the latest”. The car is believed to feature the brand-new V8 motor already in development for the new Panamera, its 928-replacing two-door variant and the next Cayenne. Mounted amidships behind the driver, the engine is likely to follow current thinking and derive its power as much from turbocharging as its displacement.

It is not yet known whether the car will feature any degree of hybridisation, but it is clear that this is not a replacement for the 918 Spyder hypercar but a standard, production model. Hatz has, however, also confirmed that a new 918 will eventually be built.

Porsche also revealed the Cayman GT4 earlier this month that will be available exclusively with a manual gearbox for now.