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Porsche builds a fleet of special cars for its single-marque Porsche Carrera Cup racing series and the newest version, based on the 992 platform, has been unveiled. The car makes its debut with the launch of the 2021 season, which for the first time will include a racing series in North America.
The new 911 GT3 Cup car will compete in series in Germany, France, Asia, Benelux and North America in the new year. The new car is the first for the series with a wide, turbo-spec body.
The car will draw on around 510 horsepower from its naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-6 engine, which provides 25 more horsepower than the previous version, and can run on synthetic fuels, which Porsche says “significantly lowers CO2 emissions under racing conditions.”
Delivery to teams will begin in February 2021, Porsche says. The new 911 GT3 Cup is available at a price of €225,000 ($272,630).
“The 911 made history as the baseline model for the Carrera Cups and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – no other racing car has found as many satisfied customers since 1990 as the 911,” Michael Dreiser, sales director for Porsche Motorsport, is quoted in the company’s announcement.
“The new 911 GT3 Cup now starts a new chapter. Our goal is to pass the 5,000 mark in production over the coming years. Like its ancestral lineage, this model will also assist a whole new generation of talented racing drivers on their path to professional motorsport and shape the face of our customer sport commitment around the world.”
Porsche launched its 911 Cup car, based on the 964 generation of the 911, in 1990. To date, it has built 4,251 GT3 Cup vehicles.
The latest version was designed for improved performance, easier handling and enhanced durability with less time and cost for maintenance. The cars are built on the regular 911 production line in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
“We wanted to position the new 911 GT3 Cup even more as a professional racing car, while also making it more cost-effective for the teams to run,” said project manager Jan Feldmann. “We were particularly successful in achieving this thanks to its striking appearance, the improved suspension and intelligent solutions for electrical details.
“The handling of the new 911 GT3 Cup is noticeably more precise and even more fun. With its improved performance and the optimized cockpit, it’s the best Cup car that Porsche has ever built.”
With the new wide-body coachwork, the seventh-generation cars have front wheels that are 12 inches wide and rears that are 13 across. They also have larger rear spoilers (adjustable to 11 positions) and front aprons for greater downforce.
The previous generation coachwork was 70 percent steel and 30 percent aluminum, but those figures are reversed for the latest version, reducing weight by nearly 80 pounds.
The cars’ cockpits also have been updated after driver feedback with easier to use switchgear for everything from lighting and ventilation to adjusting brake bias and to the location of digital readouts such as water and oil temperatures.
Porsche says a subtle but sophisticated change is the relocation of the data logging equipment from the right-side footwell to the right-rear of the cockpit, easing the installation of a second seat for ride-along events.
Porsche said the cars should require engine checks only after 100 hours of track time and cars come with “a complete accessory kit” including tools and suspension spacers.
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