“It’s a brand new approach, but Porsche has a lot of experience with many other cars. There is also Cayman, a mid-engine car, and we have some data from that. So, we didn’t start from a white page completely.” Those are Patrick Pilet’s words, not mine. I’m not trying to say the new 911 RSR is a Grand Cayman, but experience with the Cayman certainly helped Porsche to create their new racer. Pilet and Lietz offer numerous insights in to developing the RSR, Lietz in particular was on hand for nearly all of the tests.
While the new 911 RSR has been a topic of discussion among the Porsche-faithful since it was announced, there is no denying that the changes have allowed for several very beneficial improvements. According to Morgan Brady, the team manager for Porsche’s IMSA effort, the new 911 RSR brings not only improved aero, but improved ventilation, and even serviceability. As you know, time saved in the pits is every bit as valuable as time saved on track.
While the changes may all be to the 911’s ultimate benefit, it still seems incredibly alien to see the wrong end of a Porsche gearbox from this angle in the RSR. Unlike previous videos, this film gives a pretty good view of the RSR’s rear suspension. Relocating the engine in this way allowed Porsche to radically redesign the spoiler and diffuser compared to the car’s predecessor. The changes also make the 911 easier to drive in the longer endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The revisions allow for improved ventilation and driver comfort.
With Le Mans just two weeks out, we’re happy to hear that the engineers, mechanics and drivers are all very enthused about the new 911 RSR. Importantly, according to no less than Patrick Pilet, it “still has the DNA from Porsche inside.”