Porsche 911 R Review

The 911 R borrowed the name of a 1967 lightweight racing 911, of which Porsche built 20, and answered the complaint that the 991 GT3 and GT3 RS were sold only with the PDK gearbox. Porsche unveiled it at Geneva on 1 March 2016, built 991, and priced it at $184,900 in the US. Within weeks of the first deliveries, cars were being offered for far more than that.

Underneath it is a GT3 RS without the roll cage, the wing and the aero bodywork. The 4.0 liter flat-six makes 500 PS at 8,250 rpm and 460 Nm, driving through a six-speed manual with short throws, a button-activated throttle blip for downshifts and an optional single-mass flywheel. Carbon wings and bonnet, a magnesium roof and plastic rear windows bring the weight to 1,370 kg, 50 kg less than the GT3 RS and the lightest 911 on sale at the time.

Rear-axle steering, a mechanical rear differential lock and carbon ceramic brakes are standard. Porsche quoted 3.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, and with less drag than the RS it reaches 323 km/h. On the road it is the RS engine in a lighter, calmer body, and the manual turns its rev range into something to work for.

Mechanically it is among the safer modern GT cars: the finger-follower defect that led Porsche to extend the 991.1 GT3's engine warranty did not reach the R, which Porsche said was unaffected along with the GT3 RS. Running costs follow the specification, from carbon ceramic brakes to the thirst of a high-revving 4.0 liter engine.

The cabin is a 991's with carbon bucket seats in Pepita tartan, pull straps for door handles, no rear seats and the option to delete the air conditioning and audio. The market story is stranger. Asking prices passed $1 million in 2016 and 2017, then fell when Porsche launched the 991.2 GT3 Touring with the same wingless, manual recipe, and renndriver.com's guide put collector-grade cars at $550,000 to $700,000 in early 2026.

The 911 R proved that enough Porsche buyers wanted a manual, wingless GT car to change the product plan, and the GT3 Touring followed directly from it. As a car it is excellent and slightly redundant, since a GT3 Touring delivers most of the experience for less. As a moment in Porsche history it matters, and the engine alone justifies the reputation.