STUTTGART, Germany — The latest incarnation of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racecar, based on the 911 GT3 RS, will make its public debut next month at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show alongside its road-going sibling.
Compared with the 911 GT3 RS, the GT3 Cup is lighter and faster, with some serious hardware aimed directly at cup-trophy series competitors around the world. The out-of-the-box price, before taxes, will be just under $215,000 when deliveries start in late October.
Offered in only a single color, Carrara White, the 911 GT3 Cup shares its 444-horsepower 3.8-liter flat-6 engine with the GT3 RS, with the exhaust exiting through a racing system with fully controlled catalytic converter. The GT3 Cup gets a six-speed sequential gearbox, as well as larger wheels and tires, and weighs significantly less than the GT3 RS — only 2,646 pounds.
The bodywork of the racecar is similar to that of the GT3 RS — the front body panels are virtually identical — with subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences. The front lip spoiler on the GT3 Cup is 0.6 inch lower and the rear wing 9.4 inches wider; the net result is more downforce fore and aft.
Wider wheel arches accommodate three-piece alloy rims — 18-by-9.5 inches in front and 18-by-12.0 inches in the rear — with Michelin racing rubber. Porsche says the car's sword-shaped stabilizer bars can be adjusted to seven different positions for finer track tuning.
Cockpit changes include an additional air vent, a fully adjustable steering column and more steering-wheel-mounted controls.
Inside Line says: The latest, greatest edition of what Porsche calls "the best-selling racing car of all time." — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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