The Porsche giveth, and the Porsche taketh away. In this case it’s reversed; the new 911 GT3 RS is a deeply amazing track-ready machine, but enthusiasts balked at its lack of a true manual gearbox. So here’s Porsche to giveth what we asked-eth for: a GT3 RS without the zany bodywork and a proper stick-shift.
That means it packs the GT3 RS’ 4.0-liter naturally aspirated (a true rarity these days!) flat-six engine good for 500 horsepower, all fed to the rear wheels through a gearbox you have to row yourself instead of PDK. And fancy stripes, seats and weight-saving materials, much like its stripped-out, race-ready 1960s namesake.
We don’t know all of the details yet because a few grainy-ish photos leaked ahead of the car’s official debut at the Geneva Motor Show this week, but we do know that supposedly all examples of the 911 R are already sold out.
Like I said, the Porsche giveth and the Porsche taketh away.
More on this thing as we get it.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.