Porsche 
didn’t do horrible in 2015 with its FIA GTE Pro racing program, but it decided to take the 2016 season off anyway. Now that we’re almost half way through 2016, Porsche’s 2017 GTE race car has completed its first testing run on the test track in Weissach.
The interesting thing behind the initial rollout is that most of the Porsche works drivers were able to get behind the wheel of the new 2017 911 RSR. Marco Ujhasi – the project manager for GT Works Motorsport – said, “It is definitely unusual to put several drivers behind the wheel at a rollout, but since all of our works drivers are involved in the development of the new car, the ones who could fit it into their schedules came to Weissach and turned a couple of laps.
Now that the new 911 RSR has been put through the initial paces, it will continue testing on selected racetracks across the globe before its first official outing at the 24-hour race in Daytona in January of 2017. That leaves just a little over six short months to get the car tuned and perfected, but Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser – Head of Porsche Motorsport – feels that the car will be ready to go, saying “The race debut of a completely new vehicle at a 24-hour race is a big challenge. But we are right on schedule.”
So, if everything goes well, there’s no reason why we won’t be seeing the new RSR in action soon. As of the time of this writing, details are scant, but Porsche has released a few images to give us a first look at the car. It doesn’t have its official livery, and there may be some minor changes made throughout the testing phase, but let’s take a quick look at the new RSR and see what we can make out.
Continue reading to learn more about the Porsche 911 RSR.
Exterior
The pictures provided to us up to this point reveal next to nothing about the car. The only shots we have are of the front end, so we can’t make out anything on the sides or the rear. What we can tell though is the 911 RSR is slowly evolving farther away from the road-going 911 it is based on and closer to the iconic GT1. Furthermore, the car looks a little more aggressive than before, and it may even be a bit wider.
Furthermore, the car looks a little more aggressive than before, and it may even be a bit wider.
Normally we would go into detail on the body here, but with only being able to see about one-third of the car, there isn’t a whole lot to talk about at this point. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that the headlights aren’t recessed as much and appear to be more rounded than the oval-shaped lights used on the previous model. The headlight covers aren’t in place in these images, but from an aerodynamic standpoint, I’m sure they will be in place by the time the car makes its first run at Daytona.
The other major thing we can spot in the images are the changes to the front fascia. If you look back at the previous model, there were a set of lights in each corner and the air dam was a bit wider. On the new model, it looks like the air dam is a bit shorter and not quite as wide. As far as the corner lights, it’s entirely possible that they will be in place later on, but it looks like they may be left off for 2017. In addition, the front spoiler is split in the middle under the air dam with a vertical support on each side split. At a glance, the hood looks the same, but upon closer inspection we can see that the front vent in the hood has moved forward and is more triangular. The wings for each vent also look to be more refined than before.
For now, that is about all we can make out from the images available, but stay tuned for future updates.
Interior
As you probably guess, we have absolutely nothing to go by for the interior at this point. Naturally, you’ll see things like a fire extinguisher, roll cage, racing seat with a racing harness, an advanced driver information center, and system shut-off switch. As far as the arrangement of all the equipment goes, or the overall design of the cabin, your guess is as good as ours at this point.
Drivetrain
The drivetrain department is also a complete mystery for now. The previous 911 RSR used the Metzger flat-six from the previous 997-generation 911. At this point, we don’t know if Porsche will carry over that engine for the 2017 GTE racer, or if it will go with a tuned version of the flat-six used in the latest 991-generation 911. Obviously, the engine used in the previous model worked quite well, so Porsche may stick with the same engine. At this point, however, we’ll just have to wait for further details to emerge.
Competition
Ferrari 488 GTE
The Ferrari 488 GTE was based on the 488 GTB and replaced the 458 for the 2016 season. In a sense, the 488 GTE was essentially the same as the road-worthy 488, but featured an extreme aerodynamic package, and an FIA approved interior. By that I mean that the dash and door trim was carried over from the road version, but outside of that, the car had a single seat, a roll cage, and various other required components for racing. As of the time of this writing, we still don’t know much about the drivetrain of the 488 GTE, but it’s sure to pose some stiff competition for Porsche’s new 911 RSR.
Read our full review on the Ferrari 488 GTE here.
Conclusion
At this point, we have next to nothing to go on about the new 911 RSR, but there is still half a year before the car makes its official track appearance. That said, there should be more information surfacing in the coming months. For now, it looks like Porsche has been hard at work building an RSR that is a bit wider and more aggressive than even. Unfortunately, we don’t get any shots of the side or the rear, but based on the look of the front end, we’re in for a few more surprises when we finally get to see the full car in all its glory. With that said, we’ll be keeping our eye out for more information and photos. Stay tuned for future updates on the new Porsche 911 RSR.
Press Release
The most successful GT race car of the 2015 season will be replaced by a completely new race car in 2017. The successor to the 911 RSR has already completed a successful rollout on the test track in Weissach. Now begins the test phase on selected racetracks around the world.
At its first test runs at Weissach, the majority of the Porsche works drivers were able to get a first impression of the new 2017 GTE race car. “It is definitely unusual to put several drivers behind the wheel at a rollout,” says Marco Ujhasi, Overall Project Manager GT Works Motorsport. “But since all of our works drivers are involved in the development of the new car, the ones who could fit it into their schedules came to Weissach and turned a couple of laps.”
The first outing of the RSR successor is planned for January 2017 at the 24-hour race at Daytona. “The race debut of a completely new vehicle at a 24-hour race is a big challenge. But we are right on schedule,” explains the Head of Porsche Motorsport, Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser.