The all new Porsche 911 a game changer

Porsche has been very coy about its next-generation 911 RSR race car, which is rumoured to be mid-engined. When Porsche first revealed pictures of the car, it didn’t show the rear at all, and there were rumours it might not even be called a 911. Porsche has now revealed that it is called a 911.

Porsche tweeted out a teaser video promising it would be the “most spectacular 911 ever.” Given the 911’s long and checkered history, such a bold claim seems to indicate Porsche has something quite special up its sleeve.

Video shot of the new RSR testing at Sebring last month all but confirms this car will be mid-engined. The most obvious giveaways are a big air intake/heat extractor in place of the rear window, and a much larger rear diffuser that is within the bodywork. The latter wouldn’t be possible with a rear-engine setup, so one has to assume Porsche has moved the engine further forward in the chassis.

Porsche has engineered rear-engine 911 street and race cars to near perfection, but ultimately there’s no arguing with physics. Building a mid-engine 911 race car would shift weight balance further towards the centre of the car, and allow for better-integrated aerodynamics. The new RSR will make its racing debut at the Daytona 24 Hours in January. If it’s as “spectacular” as Porsche says it is, it should be a hell of a car.