Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

The latest incarnation of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racecar, based on the 911 GT3 RS, will make its public debut next month at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show.

Compared with the 911 GT3 RS, the GT3 Cup is lighter and faster, with some serious hardware aimed directly at cup-trophy series competitors around the world. The out-of-the-box price, before taxes, will be just under $215,000 when deliveries start in late October.

Offered in only a single color, Carrara White, the 911 GT3 Cup shares its 444-horsepower 3.8-liter flat-6 engine with the GT3 RS, with the exhaust exiting through a racing system with fully controlled catalytic converter. The GT3 Cup gets a six-speed sequential gearbox, as well as larger wheels and tires, and weighs significantly less than the GT3 RS — only 2,646 pounds.

The bodywork of the racecar is similar to that of the GT3 RS — the front body panels are virtually identical — with subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences. The front lip spoiler on the GT3 Cup is 0.6 inch lower and the rear wing 9.4 inches wider; the net result is more downforce fore and aft.

(Inside Line's news)

Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Porsche is setting up a killer one-two punch for this year’s Frankfurt auto show. Alongside its range-topping 911 Turbo, the company will debut its most visceral offering, the snarling 2010 911 GT3 RS. Based on the already primal GT3, the RS gets another 15 hp from the 3.8-liter flat-six for a total of 450, or more than 118 hp per liter. A racing machine tamed for street use, the GT3 RS is hardly just about horsepower. It gets a wider track, it weighs less, and it produces more downforce than the GT3.

(Car and Driver's news)