Porsche has long been the purveyor of the “purist’s sports car.” From the company’s inceptions decades ago, the Porsche crest meant you were buying a machine that chased perfection in speed, handling, and driver feel. Lately that company goal has seemed to be skewed more towards the speed department than driver feel and engagement, and that has caused a bit of a ruckus among the brand’s more vocal fans. The final straw that broke the camel’s back was the release of the 991-generation 911 GT3. What was supposed to be the most hardcore, lightweight and race-ready machine from the brand was no longer available with a manual transmission. It was PDK or the highway for anyone looking to step into the GT3, and that ruffled quite a lot of feathers.
Thankfully, Porsche has seen the error of its ways and our favorite brand from Stuttgart has created the ultimate purist’s machine with the new 911 R. Take the GT3, remove even more weight, subdue the styling, add a bit of power, and then add a clutch pedal. What you have is the most driver focused car to come from Porsche in more than ten years. It’s a naturally aspirated beast with 500 horsepower and the transmission features just six forward gears. Yes, Porsche dropped its fuel-economy gearing in the seven-speed manual for the classic six-speed unit.
If you were to ask me to create my ideal 911, it would look a lot like the 911 R; extra carbon fiber, no stereo, a naturally-aspirate 4.0-liter flat-six motor and a clutch pedal. The only problem I see with this incredible machine is that you can’t buy one in Guards Red.
The houndstooth seats are the real star of this package. Gorgeous.