New Porsche 911 GT3 R racer unleashed

Porsche has unwrapped its all-new 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 R race car, which has been built for Porsche customer teams to battle it out in sports car racing around the world from 2023, including the American IMSA series and FIA World Endurance Championship.

Based on the latest Porsche 911 GT3 and created with strict balance-of-performance constraints in mind, Porsche motorsport engineers have been careful to widen the 992-based racer's breadth of performance rather than simply chase outright lap times.

The headline news is that as well as striving for more constant aerodynamic performance at all the tracks on which it will compete, the 911 GT3 R gets a larger 4.2-litre (4194cc) water-cooled flat-six engine that produces 416kW at 9250rpm – up 37kW and 250rpm on the standard street-legal 911 GT3.

Key to improving the new racer’s driveability, the new naturally-aspirated 4.2-litre boxer is said to feature an 'optimised' power and torque curve, making it easier to drive.

The non-turbo flat-six has also been tilted forwards by 5.5 degrees to make more space for a bigger underfloor diffuser, while the alternator and air-con compressor have been moved forwards by more than a metre and now sit lower in front of the engine and gearbox for enhanced weight distribution.

Similar changes introduced to improve balance and driveability for amateur or 'gentleman' drivers include a new double-wishbone front suspension and rear multi-link axle design, plus new dampers that feature five settings.

Also seen on the standard 992 GT3, the fresh front axle also frees up more space to add new underfloor air-bending tech that channels air to the rear diffuser.

The rear wheels have also been moved further back, stretching the wheelbase from 2459mm to 2507mm. This is said to reduce the load on the rear tyres, improving tyre life for endurance racing.

The 911 GT3 R's brakes have also been improved and now feature Porsche's fifth-generation ABS, which reduces both brake and tyre wear, plus updated traction control.

Saving weight, the front hood, rear bonnet, doors, side panels and rear wing and roof are all made from carbon-fibre, although the wheel-arches are made of Kevlar.

Other detail changes include a new swan-neck mount for the huge rear wing, which is said to clean up the airflow around it to produce less drag and more downforce.

Inside, the driver's seat moves closer to the centre of the car for better safety and there's now a faster-acting six-point harness for quicker driver changes.

Even the steering wheel has been revised over the model it replaces, and there's a new 10.3-inch display too.

Finally, up front the new 911 GT3 R bags a pair of special LED 'collimator' headlights, which were first introduced by the new LMDh 963 prototype and are claimed to be a significant improvement over its predecessor's.

The new Porsche 911 GT3 R is available now via special order through Porsche Motorsport, priced from €511,000 ($A750,000).

If you can't afford that, remember a road-going version of the track-honed flagship will be unveiled on August 17.

Packing an equally-imposing rear wing and 368kW from its 4.0-litre flat-six, the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is set to come with a slightly more palatable starting price of around $450,000.

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