Porsche will mark its return to this year’s edition of the Nürburgring 24 hour race on June 25 with a newer version of its 911 GT3 R Hybrid that is more powerful yet lighter and more fuel efficient than its predecessor.
The 2011 edition of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid carries the geeky ‘Version 2.0’ moniker, and keeps the general layout of the 2010 model. The racer’s hybrid powertrain comprises of a 470HP 4.0-liter six-cylinder boxer engine at the rear and two electric motors driving the front wheels.
In the Version 2.0, the output of both electric motors has increased from 60kW (80HP) to 75 kilowatts (100HP) each, meaning that seconds at a time, pilots will now have an additional 200HP at their disposal.
According to Porsche, the extra power is automatically activated through use of the throttle pedal and can be very useful when overtaking.
Porsche has also optimized the hybrid system with the electric flywheel accumulator that stores energy now housed with the other hybrid components in a carbon fibre safety cell on the passenger’s side.
In addition, thanks to the optimisation of the hybrid system’s high voltage components, the large louvres in front of the rear fenders were no longer necessary. The Germany company claims that these changes help reduce drag and lowers fuel consumption.
All in all, Porsche’s engineers managed to reduce the weight of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid from 1,350kg (2,976 lbs) to 1,300 kilograms (2,866 lbs).
“The emphasis of our work was on improving efficiency,” says Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche motorsport. “That means we want to keep the lap times consis-tent with 2010 but use less energy, hence less fuel. In this way, we support future developments of road-going, sporting hybrid vehicles.”
Other changes for the 2011 model include the thoroughly updated cockpit as most of the displays and controls have moved to the steering wheel. According to Porsche, drivers can operate the rest of the functions via backlit buttons now situated on the centre console.
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