Brochure shots of the ultimate road-going 997-generation Porsche 911 have leaked onto the internet, and Autocar is pleased to be able to bring you the pictures and the juiciest details.The new Porsche 911 GT2 wasn’t supposed to see the light of day for another nine weeks, when it’ll be shown at Germany’s Frankfurt motor show. However, it looks like some enterprising Porsche employee had other ideas. These brochure scans appeared on an American website last night, and they betray almost every last technical detail about the new mega-Porsche, and show it from every conceivable angle. Check out our gallery for the full effect.
The headline figures
Just as its forebears did, Porsche’s new 997 GT2 will sit on the very highest rung of the current 911 model line-up; it’s faster and more powerful than the 911 Turbo, the 911 GT3 and the GT3 RS. The GT2 will be more expensive, more exclusive – the supreme 911 for performance fanatics.Powered by an overhauled version of the Turbo's twin-turbocharged 3.6-litre flat six, the GT2 packs 523bhp at 6500rpm (a whole 50bhp more than the Turbo) and 505lb ft of torque available from 2200rpm.Porsche quotes the GT2’s kerbweight at 1440kg; that would make it 145kg lighter than the 911 Turbo we weighed as part of our road test last year, and would give it a power-to-weight ratio of 363bhp per tonne; the Turbo musters just 299.Performance should be almost peerless. Again according to Porsche, the new GT2 should scramble to 60mph in just 3.6sec, on to 100mph in just 7.4sec, and will have a top speed of 204mph. That would make it as fast to 60mph as the Turbo despite having rear-wheel drive only, as well as a full 0.6sec faster to 100mph. And that’s only according to Porsche’s figures, which have always been conservative to say the least.
The most powerful 911 road car ever
At the heart of the new 911 GT2 is an even fiercer version of Porsche’s twin-turbo flat six engine, which has been given several mechanical upgrades for service in the car.It features the 911 Turbo’s variable-geometry turbos, which optimise gas flow through to the turbo and maximise power, torque and engine response. However, it’s also got something Porsche calls an expansion intake manifold. Conventional turbocharged engines feature intake manifolds that feed hot, compressed air into the cylinders; this one has an intake manifold designed to feed expanding, colder air into the engine. Porsche compensates for the lack of compression this brings about by increasing the engine’s turbo boost levels; the GT3 runs an extra 2.9psi of it compared with the standard Turbo. And the result is better ignition, more power, more torque, and even greater efficiency.At the other end of the new GT2’s engine you’ll find a new, all-titanium exhaust system which is lighter than the Turbo’s, creates less back pressure, and should give the car a unique exhaust note.
Other technical and mechanical highlights
The new 911 GT2 will be the first 911 road car ever to feature launch control. To operate it you simply press a button, dip the clutch, engage first gear, dial up 13psi of boost using the throttle, and sidestep the clutch. Sounds like a recipe for an expensive repair, we know, but the GT2 will automatically tune the fuel injection, turbo boost and traction control to optimise your takeoff.The car will come with 19in alloy wheels, an adaptable PASM chassis that you can tweak for ride height, camber, toe angle and anti-roll bar setting, two-stage switchable PSM stability and traction control, Porsche PCCB ceramic brakes, sports bucket seats, and a new upshift light on the rev counter, all as standard.The GT2 will be the fifteenth 911 997 variant to go on sale in the UK when it arrives later in 2007, counting coupes and convertibles separately. Expect it to be priced from around £115,000 – that’s a £17k premium over the 911 Turbo.
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