2016 Geneva Motor Show: Porsche revives 911 R

TWO seats, plastic windows, no radio or air-conditioning – meet the Porsche 911 for purists.

And it’s not cheap.

Priced from $404,700 the Porsche 911 R – the first to wear the nameplate since 1967 - is the second most expensive 911 version on sale; only the 911 Turbo S is more pricey, at up to $478,000 for the Cabriolet.

The 911 R costs even more than the 911 GT3 RS with which it shares its high-revving atmo engine.

The 4.0-litre naturally aspirated horizontally-opposed six-cylinder produces 368kW at 8250rpm and 460Nm at 6250rpm.

However, unlike the auto-only GT3 and GT3 RS, the 911 R exclusively uses a six-speed manual gearbox – all with the aim of getting back to basics and letting the driver enjoy the experience.

Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration is 3.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 323km/h.

The 911 R rides on 20-inch alloy wheels and gets carbon ceramic brakes.

Porsche has also taken the lightweight knife to the 911 R, to the point where its 1370kg kerb weight undercuts the track-focused GT3 models by 50kg.

Key to the weight savings are a lack of rear seats, and plastic side and rear windows.

The wings and bonnet are made of carbon fibre, while the roof is magnesium rather than aluminium.

Porsche has also ditched some of the sound deadening and made the air-conditioning and sound system optional.

It will produce just 991 of the 911 R globally – the 991 being the model code of the current-generation 911 – with about 25 coming to Australia.

That’s about half what the Australian dealers say they can sell – but double what Porsche Australia initially thought it would get - suggesting some buyers will miss out on what is shaping up to be one of Porsche’s most sought-after limited edition models.