One of the first to reveal a race car for the new motorsport season was Porsche, which recently presented its new 2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup that will contest the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup one-make series.
The new race car is also the first to be based on Porsche’s latest generation of its iconic 911 sports car, the Type-991. Set to follow will be the 911 R, a new 911 R Hybrid and the fearsome 911 RSR, the latter of which has been confirmed for the GTE class in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship.
As for the new 911 GT3 Cup, it features a 3.8-liter flat six tuned to deliver 460 horsepower at 7,500 rpm, which is 10 horsepower more than in the previous car. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed dog-type gearbox which is operated via shift paddles at the steering wheel.
As the previous 997-series 911 GT3 Cup was already one of the most capable race cars on the planet, helping solidify its “most successful race car in the world” title, for its successor, developers focused more on improving its safety. In the area of safety, the new 911 GT3 Cup benefits from a redesigned roll cage, a special race seat designed to better protect the driver’s head and neck, and a hatch in the roof for easy access by rescue teams.
In case you’re interested in one, pricing is set at 181,200 euros (approximately $234,245) before taxes. Of course, if you don’t have time to make it out to the track, the race car’s road-going cousin, the 2013 Porsche 911 GT3, will be making its debut soon.
