Yahoo Autos Porsche Says its New RSR Racer Is the Most Spectacular 911 Ever
Porsche has been very coy about its next-generation 911 RSR race car, which is rumored to be mid-engined. When Porsche first revealed pictures of the car, it didn't show the rear at all, and we thought it might not even be called a 911. Porsche has now revealed that it is called a 911, and showed us a tantalizing clip of the car in action.
Coming soon: the most spectacular #Porsche 911 ever! Stay tuned for more! pic.twitter.com/0PWyUKs2Ho
- Porsche Newsroom (@PorscheNewsroom) November 11, 2016
Porsche tweeted out a teaser video promising it would be the "most spectacular 911 ever." Given the 911's long and checkered history, such a bold claim seems to indicate Porsche has something quite special up its sleeve.
Video shot of the new RSR testing at Sebring last month all but confirms this car will be mid-engined. The most obvious giveaways are a big air intake/heat extractor in place of the rear window, and a much larger rear diffuser that is within the bodywork. The latter wouldn't be possible with a rear-engine setup, so one has to assume Porsche has moved the engine further forward in the chassis.
Porsche has engineered rear-engine 911 street and race cars to near perfection, but ultimately there's no arguing with physics. Building a mid-engine 911 race car would shift weight balance further towards the center of the car, and allow for better-integrated aerodynamics. Breaking with a long tradition of rear-engined 911s seems sacrilegious, but it's an obvious move forward.
The new RSR will make its racing debut at the Daytona 24 Hours in January, but we have a feeling we might see it sooner. If it's as "spectacular" as Porsche says it is, it should be a hell of a car.
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