Porsche reveals new 911 GT3 R Racecar with 500 horsepower heart, $500k price tag

By Miles Branman Published May 15, 2015

Porsche has a rich motorsports heritage, and its 911 GT3 race car has amassed a ridiculous amount of wins over the years. Now, Porsche has revealed the latest iteration of the GT3 R for racing in global GT3 events.

Enhancing the 2015 911 GT3 RS’s components for track duty, the GT3 R has a three-inch longer wheelbase, a lower center of gravity, and substantial hardware upgrades.

The longer body and lower center of gravity improves weight distribution for better handling. Porsche engineers have also managed to shed weight thanks to a mix of aluminum, steel, and composite materials used in its construction. Other components are manufactured from carbon fiber, including the roof, front cover and fairing, wheel arches, doors, side, and tail section. Finally, the windows and windshield are made from polycarbonate.

At the heart of the new 911 GT3 R is the 4.0-liter flat-six from the GT3 RS road car, developing at least 500 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. A sequential six-speed gearbox transfers the power to the rear wheels.

Braking has been improved as well. The GT3 R’s 380mm slotted front discs are clamped by six-piston aluminum calipers and the 372mm rear discs are paired with four-piston calipers. The combined results should enable the new GT3 R to perform well in endurance racing.

Rounding out the upgrades will be a new safety fuel cell with 120-liter capacity and new racing bucket seats that will better protect the driver in collisions.

Prices for the 2015 911 GT3 R start at $490,000 USD.

Former Contributor

Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…

Topics

Cars

Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Cars

Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon

The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR

Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Cars

A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain

Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.