Yet more power, yet more performance. The latest ‘ultimate’ 911 has the naturally aspirated 500HP 4.0-litre flat-six engine from the GT3 RSR racing car, to give you a power-to-weight ratio of 368HP per tonne and 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds.

Given the specs (four litres, a crankshaft lifted unchanged from the GT3 RSR racer, with forged pistons and titanium con-rods), this is less of a clichéd ‘racing car for the road’ and more of a racing car for track days. As with the 911 GT3 RS, the Clubsport package – half rollcage, seatbelt harnesses, fire extinguisher and battery cut-off switch – is a standard feature of the new 4.0.

No only is it the largest-capacity 911 engine ever, it’s also the most powerful naturally aspirated engine (125HP per litre), with maximum horses at a heady 8250rpm and max torque of 460Nm at 5750rpm. Unless you’re going to unleash this monster on the track, at least occasionally, there seems little point in owning one. It would look slightly silly on the weekly shopping run, particularly as its six-speed manual sports transmission has gear ratios ‘designed for the racing circuit’ – and will take you to 124mph in less than 12 seconds. Talking of track days, Porsche claims this limited-edition model will lap the Nordschleife in 7:27 minutes. Given the right driver.

Helping you to get the best out of that 500HP engine are the revised chassis settings, including the set-up of the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and serious weight reduction – thanks to lightweight components such as bucket seats, carbonfibre bonnet and wings, plastic rear windows and even ‘weight-optimised carpets’, the two-seater’s ready-for-the-road weight is just 1360kg.

The new limited-edition 911 comes in ‘Carrara’ (sic) White as standard, with race-bred styling cues that will shock and/or delight onlookers: the wide track, the low ride height, the large rear wing with adapted side plates and, for the cognoscenti to knowingly point out to their friends, the lateral front air deflection vanes, or so-called ‘flics’, that make their first appearance on a production Porsche. You could even tell your audience that the various aerodynamic add-ons exert an additional 190kg of downforce at top speed.

In the cabin, the bucket seats are covered in black leather/red Alcantara with ‘RS 4.0’ in red on the headrests. The steering wheel and gearlever are also trimmed in Alcantara with red stitching. Carbonfibre door entry guards with ‘RS 4.0’ logos are fitted to each sill and a dashboard trim strip in carbonfibre with a ‘RS 4.0’ logo runs across the inside of the car above the glovebox lid.

Limited to 600 vehicles worldwide, the new GT3 4.0 will go on sale in July at a price starting from £128,466.

Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Porsche