The GT3 R is the latest iteration of Porsche's seminal racing car - the successor to the 911 GT3 Cup S. Powered by a 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, boxer engine developing 480bhp, the newcomer is designed to be less lairy than the outgoing car - or so we're told.
That's a relative thing - it's hardly a
Honda Jazz, is it? - but it does get anti-lock brakes, traction control and a gearbox management system that blips the throttle on downshifts like the
Nissan 370Z, making its driver look like a heel-and-toe legend. The 'box itself is a six-speed sequential unit, which Porsche claims is a better fit for the mentalist amateur racer (our words, not theirs) than the last car, which was for sideways masters only.
Weighing in at just 1,200kg, the GT3 R is decorated with a huge spoiler, massively flared arches and a set of LED light clusters. It's due to make its debut at the
Autosport International Show in Birmingham on 14th January 2010 - so ladies, if you've already bought that Lynx Africa gift pack for your fella this Christmas, you might want to think about asking Superdrug for a refund so you can get one of these. It costs €279,000 plus taxes, which is about £250,000 in proper money.
Mark Nichol - 20 Nov 2009