Ever since the company first opened its doors for business in 1948, Porsche sports cars have epitomised the sporting side of driving. Indeed, Porsche’s Le Mans debut in 1951 cemented the company’s future as a manufacturer of race orientated sports cars and ever since, motor racing has remained a driving force behind its vehicle development. Five and a half decades later, Porsche once again stood on the podium having racked up their 18th victory in the Le Mans 24-Hour race.
Porsche can claim more than 30,000 race victories in almost every motorsport series worldwide. While many of these successes have been achieved with powerful prototype race cars such as the 917 and 956, it is the iconic 911 sports coupe that has formed the bedrock on which the enviable racing reputation of the Stuttgart marque has been built.
It therefore seemed a fitting tribute to this success, to launch the new Porsche 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition in the newly built Porsche Experience Centre at Le Mans just prior to the 2016 race.
Designed and manufactured by Porsche Exclusive, also known as the ‘Special Wishes Department’, this department of the factory is dedicated to providing customers with special vehicles which fulfil their special wishes. The exterior livery is inspired by the Porsche Team race cars in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The result is a 911 street model in motorsports design and is available directly from the factory in three solid colours: Black, White and Guards Red. The 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition is a celebration of motorsport-inspired design and race track-oriented chassis dynamics combined with a high degree of personalisation, and is limited to just 235 units in Europe and North America.
The new model is further honed with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) fitted as standard, in combination with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) Sports chassis with a 20mm lowered ride height. The rear axle steering is shared with the GT3 and RS models. And the Sport Chrono package enables the driver to select chassis and engine settings according to preference. Standard equipment includes the Sport Chrono package and Sports exhaust system.
Under the engine cover of the Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition lies a 3.0-litre flat-six developing 420hp (309kW). The new generation Porsche engines are characterised by significant torque, with maximum pull of 500Nm delivered constantly from 1700rpm up to 5000rpm, with a maximum engine speed of 7500rpm. The 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition features a seven-speed manual transmission, with a PDK double-clutch gearbox offered as an option. With PDK in combination with the standard Sport Chrono Package, the 0-62mph benchmark is covered in just 3.9 seconds, and reach a potential top speed of 191mph.
Making its debut in June 2016, the 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition is available in the UK and Ireland priced from £107,216.
Edited by: Glen Smale
Images by: Porsche
Leave a Reply