World debut for Porsche 911 RSR GTE race car at Goodwood

The RSR is unique among 911s, in that it’s mid-engined rather than the traditional rear-engine layout. For the 2019 car, Porsche has enlarged the engine capacity, from four to 4.2-litres. This six-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer engine is the largest ever fitted to a factory 911 and is capable of up to 515PS in unrestricted form.

That drives the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox which employs a three-disc carbon race clutch. Porsche has revised the exhaust layout so that now, instead of heading to the rear of the car, each bank’s exhaust exits ahead of the corresponding rear wheel.

As well as saving a little weight, the repositioned tailpipes allow for a more effective rear diffuser. This generates more downforce than in the previous model, and Porsche has reworked the overall aerodynamics of the RSR too.

While it might be hard to spot what’s changed, Porsche says that 95 per cent of the car is new, with only the headlights, brakes, clutch, driver’s seat and some suspension components making the transition from 991 to 991.2 generation.

In response to feedback from both its factory drivers and the customer teams, Porsche has adjusted the interior to improve the RSR’s driveability. There are also changes to the active and passive safety systems, with a side impact panel in the door and a revised collision warning system to alert drivers to the faster prototype cars.

Naturally it retains some aspects of its championship-winning predecessor. This includes an aluminium-steel composite body shell and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic panels, with quick release to allow for rapid swaps in the pits. All in, the racing RSR sits on the scales at 1,245kg.

The new RSR has come through around 4,000 miles of testing already, and earned its three-year homologation on July 1^st. It’ll replace the existing RSR for the 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship, starting with the Silverstone round on September 1^st. Porsche will make the car available to customer teams for the following 2020-2021 season.

Photography by Joe Harding.