Earlier in the year we heard that Porsche was planning a 911 for purists, one equipped with a naturally aspirated engine and a conventional manual transmission. The car was said to be Porsche’s way of appeasing those buyers lamenting its decision to no longer offer a manual on 911 models like the GT3 and GT3 RS.
Previously thought to be called a 911 GT, Car and Driver reports that the new model for purists will in fact be called the 911 R and pack an engine related to the 3.8-liter flat-six found in the GT3, as opposed to the newly developed 4.0-liter unit in the latest GT3 RS. The GT3 is rated at 475 horsepower, though we’d expect the 911 R to have a lower figure than this.
Porsche die-hards will recall that the original 911 also had an R model. It was a stripped-out lightweight special and only around 20 examples were ever produced.
When might we see the new 911 R? Car and Driver reports that the debut will likely take place at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show next March. This particular arrival date would coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original's release.
Incredibly, Porsche already sells more than 20 separate 911 variants—22 to be exact—and that’s not including new versions of the GT2 and GT2 RS which are also thought to be in the works.
Pictured above is the updated '991.2' 911 Carrera, which packs a new turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six engine and made its debut at the recent 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show.
_______________________________________
