Call us skeptics, but we rarely trust Porsche when the company says it is surprised, so we giggled a little when we found out that the carmaker recently said the demand for a customer racer offer of the mid-engined 2017 911 RSR took it by surprise.
Speaking to Sportscar365, Porsche Motorsport boss Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser explained that the level of interest in the tradition-challenging racecar is higher than expected.
We'll remind you that, after the new RSR was introduced, the rumor mill went as far as talking about a street version of the mid-engined animal, but that seems like too much of a stretch. Instead, we're talking about customer teams being able to acquire the 2017 racecar for their WEC and IMSA WeatherTech SportscCar activities.
"We did not make a final decision on [customer cars], but we have a lot of people asking for them, a surprisingly high number,” Walliser told the aforementioned source. “I could definitely easier sell [911] RSRs than [911 GT3] Rs,"
Why are we having a hard time believing that Porsche didn't anticipate this? It's simple: the automaker switched the position of the flat-six and the gearbox, thus moving the 4.0-liter flat-six closer to the center of the car, in a bid to improve performance. So why wouldn't customers want a slice of the faster pie?
Not only does the new layout bring weight distribution assets, but it also means the space which used to be occupied by the boxer unit now houses a massive diffuser that improves the machine's aerodynamic profile.
The 2017 Porsche 911 RSR made its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where only a Ford GT managed to beat it. The Porscha didn't make it to the podium for the 12 Hours os Sebring, but, once the German specialist moves past the initial stages of the racing effort, we should see the Neunelfer bringing plenty of champagne bottles home.
At the moment, the Germans are engaged in their second favorite activity (after racing): playing with figures.
“We are preparing a business case at the moment and will, I hope in the next two or three months, make the final decisions. We should know following Le Mans,” Walliser added.
Until we get to enjoy a division of 2017 Porsche 911 RSRs hitting the tracks, we're inviting you to check out the brutal soundtrack of the racecar in the clip below, which comes from the Monza season prequel.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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