Porsche 911R: sneak preview ahead of Geneva

You can’t get a Porsche 911 GT3 with a manual gearbox. So here’s Porsche to giveth what we asked-eth for: a GT3 RS without the zany bodywork and a proper stick-shift. The 911 R will have the 4.0 liter flat-six from the GT3 RS, and it hasn’t been detuned in any way. And fancy stripes, seats and weight-saving materials, much like its stripped-out, race-ready 1960s namesake.

Porsche made a manual version of the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS after all, deciding to name it the 911 R. The company will officially unveil the new auto this week at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, but images of the new 911 version have leaked online ahead of the official presentation. But if my memory serves me correctly, didn’t AP say that the PDK was the option which made the most sense on the GT3 to deal with performance and the track focus of optimum lap times?

More on this thing as we get it. By the way, those who care about fuel consumption data in cars such as these should probably know that the R (13.3 l/100km) is less economical than both the GT3 (12.4 l/100km) and the GT3 RS (12.7 l/100km). The sports exhaust system is titanium.

There’s specially-tuned standard rear-axle steering, which guarantees direct turn-in at speed, and precise handling while maintaining high stability. Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) is standard, with 410 mm discs in front and 390 mm items on the rear.

Welcome to Porsche’s “Greatest Hits” 911, and just like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones or Elton John, it has quite a catalogue to choose from. The suspension tune is helped by rear-wheel steering and Porsche gave the 20-inch, center-lock rims a set of high-performance tires, with 245 millimeters of width up front and 305 at the rear. The rear windscreen and rear side windows are plastic items. There’s also reduced insulation in the cabin and the lack of a rear seat. A front-axle lift system can also be optionally equipped to maximize everyday practicality: it can increase the ground clearance of the front axle by approximately 1.2 inches at the touch of a button. Gearshifts can be carried out via a shortened, R-specific gear lever. Fabric pull straps are fitted to each door.

Prices for the limited edition model will start at £136,901 with the first United Kingdom deliveries scheduled for June.