New 911 GT3 R Hybrid
"Porsche set to preview a new 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car in Geneva - Following on the announcement a few days ago of the 911 Turbo S, Porsche shocked many journalists and automotive sites with the unveiling of an all new 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car. Our sources at Porsche tell us that the balance of the car is now much more "mid engine like" than a traditional 911 and the mid-mounted flywheel (used instead of a battery and placed where a passenger seat would be) can spin up to 40,000 rpm adding additional gyroscopic benefits. In the hands of Porsche factory race drivers the car achieved better handling results, despite its weight penalty vs. the standard GT3. Another remarkable feature of the car is the "instant boost" capability. In those notoriously furious and fast movies boost was always supplied by Nitrous, in the new GT3 Hybrid the boost is supplied by two electric motors (60kw each) that propel the front wheels giving the car 4 wheel drive capabilities and an additional 160hp for approximately 6-8 seconds at a push of a button on the steering wheel. Need to overtake that Ferrari? Just push the button! (No word from Porsche if there is a limit to how often the button can be pushed or what the typical recharge time is on the flywheel).
Porsche plans to race the car in the 24 hours of Nurburgring on May 15th and campaign an updated version at LeMans as early as 2012. It is interesting to note that just last month Michael Macht had stated that Porsche has no plans for a hybrid 911, we assume he meant in a passenger car, although if the technology proves successful we may be seeing a derivative of this race car on the street sooner rather than later. When asked about the weight distribution, Porsche responded that overall the weight distribution of the GT3 has been much more "equalized" and is on par with a mid-engine car, although Porsche did not reveal exact numbers the representative did go on to say that the center of gravity is lower as well. It isn't like the flat 6 motor out back is any slouch (4.0L and 480HP!) and if Porsche has indeed overcome the weight penalty that the hybrid system adds via a lower center of gravity and improved mid-engine like handling coupled with on-demand all wheel drive, we expect this car to be very competitive if the components are up to the task of endurance racing. Porsche also noted improvements in fuel consumption, meaning fewer pit stops vs. the standard GT3.
Has Porsche killed its own 911 GT3 with dare I say a mid-engine equivalent based on Hybrid technology? It would appear that if racing moves towards hybrids that indeed it will do just that. Even if you don't like this hybrid, there was some additional good news buried in Porsche's discussion of the car, they expect to return to racing at LeMans with a factory backed effort by 2012."
Photos:
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Genji-Sama
