If you’re a 911 cultist concerned that the iconic Porsche may be marginalized as the company seeks to broaden its market with SUVs and—gasp!—sedans, fear not: Stuttgart’s rear-engined rocket is far from finished.The proof of this assertion will be revealed at September’s Frankfurt motor show, when Porsche unveils the latest 911 GT2, a muscle-bound brute that makes the potent 911 Turbo seem demure by comparison.
Intercooled and force-fed by a pair of variable turbine turbochargers, the GT2’s twin-cam, 24-valve, 3.6-liter flat-six whomps up 530 horsepower at 6500 rpm—50 more than the 911 Turbo—and 502 pound-feet of torque across a plateau that ranges from 2200 to 4500 rpm.The keys to the power increase are bigger turbos, higher boost, and a new expansion-type intake manifold that uses oscillating air to help keep the fuel-air mix cooler than in the 911 Turbo.
The rear-drive GT2 will come only with a six-speed manual, and Porsche claims a 3175-pound curb weight—339 pounds lighter than the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo we tested in the Sports Car World Cup—so we expect blistering acceleration.
Porsche forecasts a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.7 seconds. Since our “World Cup” 911 Turbo sprinted to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, we look for the GT2 to be a touch quicker, although the Turbo’s all-wheel drive provides a definite traction advantage.More significant, Porsche predicts a top speed of 204 mph, 11 mph faster than the 911 Turbo, just 1 mph slower than the limited-production Carrera GT, and the first regular-production 911 capable of exceeding 200 mph.
Other nifty weight-saving touches: The muffler and the tailpipes are titanium, and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes are standard equipment.
Lightweight will not apply to the GT2’s pricing. When the car rolls into German showrooms in November, its pretax price will be €159,100, or $219,272. How much will a U.S. edition cost? We can only guess, but $1000 for each mph of top speed capability is probably a good starting point.
