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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 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.
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.
