Porsche bring more efficient 911 GT3 R Hybrid to Nürburgring

Porsche have announced they will be bringing an improved version of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid to this year’s Nürburgring 24 hour race.

Based on last year’s model, the ‘2.0’ GT3 R Hybrid’s main developmental changes have been to its efficiency due to a focus on optimising hybrid components. It will now consume less fuel while achieving the same or faster lap times thanks to a weight reduction from 1,350 to 1300 kilograms.

Speaking of the improvements, head of Porsche motorsport Hartmut Kristen said “We’ve collected a great deal of information from our races on the Nürburgring, at the ALMS race at Road Atlanta in the USA, as well as from the ILMC race on China’s Zhuhai circuit, which was an invaluable help for the further development of our racing laboratory. The emphasis of our work was on improving efficiency. That means we want to keep the lap times consis-tent with 2010 but use less energy, hence less fuel. In this way, we support future developments of road-going, sporting hybrid vehicles.”

The 911 GT3 R Hybrid uses a 4.0 litre six-cylinder boxer engine which outputs 470 hp to drive the rear wheels. The front wheels are driven by two electric motors which now produce 75 kW each, increased from the previous cars 60 kW. An extra 200 hp will also be available to drivers for a few seconds through automatic activation when the throttle pedal is pushed past a certain point, or by manual activation when needed, such as attempting to overtake.

The appearance of the GT3 R Hybrid has also undergone noticeable changes from the 2010 model. Optimising the hybrid system’s high voltage components has meant that the louvres in front of the rear fenders could be removed, reducing drag. In the cockpit most of the controls have been moved to the steering wheel, with the remaining controls operated via backlit buttons on the centre console for ease of use in darkness.   

The Nürburgring 24 hour race will take place on June 25.