Manual Gt2rs
Johna Bielefield
The Porsche 911 GT2 is a high-performance, track-focused sports car built by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1993 to 2009, and then since 2010 as the GT2 RS. It is based on the 911 Turbo, and uses a similar twin-turbocharged engine, but features numerous upgrades, including engine enhancements, larger brakes, and stiffer suspension calibration. The GT2 is significantly lighter than the Turbo due to its use of rear-wheel-drive instead of all-wheel-drive system and the reduction or removal of interior components. As a result, the GT2 (now GT2 RS) is the most expensive and fastest model among the 911 lineup.
The 993 GT2 was initially built in order to meet homologation requirements for GT2 class racing. Because the cars were built to meet the GT2 class regulations, the road cars were named accordingly (but badged as the 911 GT).[1] The 993 GT2 featured widened plastic fenders and a larger rear wing with air scoops in the struts for improved engine cooling. The 993 GT2's original 3.6 L (220 cu in) engine generated a maximum power output of 316 kW (430 PS; 424 hp); in 1998 it was upgraded to 331 kW (450 PS; 444 hp). 57 road cars were built (thirteen of which were right-hand drive).[2]
In 1999, the 993 was replaced with the new 996 model. The new GT2 took two years to develop and during that time, Porsche decided to abandon the GT2 for motorsports use, instead concentrating on competing in GT3 class racing with the new naturally aspirated 911 GT3.
The appearance of the 997 GT2 once again differed from its sister car, the 997 Turbo. It had a revised front lip, a newly designed rear wing with two small air inlets on either side, and a revised rear bumper featuring titanium exhaust pipes and shark fin outlets.
According to the then Porsche Motorsports manager Andreas Preuninger, the RS was conceived around 2007 as a skunk-works effort. The 727 code number selected for the project corresponds to one of the Nissan GT-R's lap times around the Nrburgring's Nordschleife. When the dust settled, Porsche claimed that test driver Timo Kluck had supposedly eclipsed that target by an impressive nine seconds.Porsche produced only 500 units of the 997 GT2 RS globally.[13]
The 991 GT2 RS was initially unveiled at the Xbox 2017 E3 briefing along with the announcement of the Forza Motorsport 7 video game where it was revealed as the cover car as well as being included as a playable vehicle.[14]
The car has a roof made of magnesium, front lid, front and rear wings and boot lid made of carbon-fibre, front and rear apron made of lightweight polyurethane, rear and side windows made of polycarbonate and an exhaust system made of titanium. Porsche claims that the car has a wet weight of 1,470 kg (3,241 lb).
A Weissach package option is available, which reduces weight by 30 kg (66 lb), courtesy of the additional use of carbon-fibre and titanium parts. This includes the roof, the anti-roll bars, and the coupling rods on both axles being made out of carbon-fibre, while the roll cage is made from titanium. The package also includes a set of magnesium wheels specially made by BBS. The car was available in the United States from early 2018.[15][16]
The production run of the GT2 RS was to end by February 2019 but four units were lost in transit to Brazil due to the sinking of the ship Grande America on which the cars were on board in March 2019. Porsche decided to restart production to reproduce the lost cars.[18]
In late September 2017, the 911 GT2 RS driven by Porsche test driver Lars Kern set a 6:47.3 minute lap time around the Nrburgring Nordschleife, averaging a speed of 184.11 km/h (114.40 mph). This made it the fastest production car lap time recorded on the track at the time.[19][20][21][22][23]
In 2018, Warren Luff at the wheel of the GT2 RS (without the Weissach package) set the fastest production lap record at The Bend Motorsport Park with a lap time of 3:24.079 minutes around the 7.77 km GT layout.[24][25]
In 2019 Porsche set further production lap records with the car at various North American circuits: 1:24.88 minutes at Road Atlanta, 2:15.17 minutes at Road America and 1:22.36 minutes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.[29][30][31][32][33]
Introduced at the 2018 LA Auto Show, the GT2 RS Clubsport is the track-only variant of the GT2 RS. New aerodynamic elements increase downforce of the car while removal of non essential components decrease weight further. Notable exterior changes include a larger motor sport oriented rear wing made from carbon fibre shared with the GT3 R, larger front air intakes with integrated LED day time running lights, carbon fibre roof with an integrated escape hatch in case of a crash, carbon fibre engine cover and bonnet along with a racing fuel cell and a new race exhaust system.
The interior is race oriented and notable changes include an FIA-approved roll cage, a single racing bucket seat and a race steering wheel made from carbon fibre with an integrated colour display shared with the GT3 R. The car weighs a total of 1,390 kg (3,064 lb) 80 kg (176 lb) less than the GT2 RS road car.
The engine and transmission remain the same as the GT2 RS while new safety features include a PSM stability management system and an ABS system, both of which are manually controlled by rotary dials present on the centre console. The GT2 RS Clubsport comes with 18-inch centre lock forged alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin racing slicks and are shared with the GT3 R race car. Production of the Clubsport is limited to 200 units.[36][37][38]
The SRO Motorsports Group announced that a one make series featuring the GT2 RS Clubsport will be held in July 2019 at the 24 Hours of Spa Weekend. Previously, the Clubsport made its track debut at the Bathurst 12 Hour event held in January.[39]
The Porsche GT2 comes from a long line of 911 Porsche Turbo racing cars in international motorsports. Starting with the 1974 911 Carrera turbo for Group 5 racing, followed by the 934 (a racing version of the 930) for Group 4 racing, then the famous Porsche 935 which dominated Group 5 and IMSA racing through 1984. In 1986 a Porsche 961 (racing version of the 959) would be created with little racing success but a leap forward in technology and development such as AWD, 4 valves per cylinder and water-cooled heads (which first appeared in the 1978 Porsche 935 Moby-Dick, used in the Porsche 956/962 GroupC prototypes and then in the 959/961). In 1993, Porsche had experimented with the extensively modified turbo 964, named the Turbo S LM-GT. Seeing the car's potential to be fast and reliable, as well as customer demand for a car to replace the 964 Carrera RSRs, Porsche chose to develop the turbocharged 993 for customer use.
The 993 GT2 race car featured a stripped interior, integrated rollcage for safety, minor adjustments to the bodywork and wings in order to decrease weight as well as increase downforce, and wider fenders to handle racing slicks. The suspension was modified to improve racing performance, while the engine was slightly tweaked for endurance. Twin KKK turbochargers, fitted with required air restrictors, allowed for 335.7 kW (450 hp).[1]
The GT2 and GT2 Evo were initially campaigned in the BPR Global GT Series as well as several other smaller national series, and earned seven wins in their class out of eleven rounds during their first full BPR season in 1996, as well as a class victory in the 1996 and 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the new FIA GT Championship that year, although Porsche faced factory-backed competition from Chrysler, the 911 GT2s managed to win three races. By 1998, however, the capabilities of the GT2 were unable to combat the increased number of Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs in the series, earning only a single victory.
By 1999, the GT2s had been largely overpowered by the Vipers, as well as newcomers Lister. Despite this, a GT2 prepared by Roock Racing managed to win the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. An increase in engine displacement to 3.8 liters in 2000 was unable to help Porsche, and support for the project ended. Porsche chose instead to concentrate on the new N-GT category with the GT3-R that same year. GT2s continued to be used by private teams until 2004.
With the launch of the 996 generation GT2, several privateers attempted to continue on the motorsports history by building their own racing versions. Belgian PSI Motorsports' 996 Bi-Turbo and German A-Level Engineering's 996 GT2-R were used with moderate success in national series such as the Spanish GT Championship and Belcar.[41] A #53 996 GT2-R was able to achieve a third place podium at the 1000 km of Silverstone at the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series.[42][43] This would be the last generation of GT2s to be raced at a professional sprint and endurance series until the introduction of the 991 generation.
Porsche became the first manufacturer to commit to the new SRO GT2 category launched in 2018, with the Porsche 911 GT2 RS clubsport.[44] The car has since competed in GT Sports Club America in 2020 and in the GT2 European Series from 2021 onward. An Evo kit for the car was introduced in 2023.[45]
As usual, Porsche will be saving the best for last by crowning the 992-generation 911 with another GT2 RS. The peeps from Zuffenhausen have long confirmed a hybrid version and Autocar reports the flagship version will be electrified to create the most powerful version in the sports car's illustrious history. It'll allegedly arrive in 2026, a little over half a century since the original rear-engined machine debuted.
Based on the 911 Turbo with its flat-six 3.8-liter, twin-turbo engine, the GT2 RS is set to adopt a mild-hybrid powertrain with technology derived from the new 963 LMDh endurance race car. It'll trickle down the range closer to the end of the decade, with an electric motor supplementing the internal combustion engine.
Together, the two are said to make over 700 horsepower and a "significant increase in torque," according to insiders. For reference, today's Turbo S offers 800 Newton-meters (590 pound-feet) of torque. A manual gearbox hasn't been ruled out, but it depends on whether it can support the extra torque. Honestly, we wouldn't hold our breath for a third pedal.
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