Did You Know That Porsche Will Sell You A Race Car?

It’s no shock to study that Porsche has been closely concerned in buyer racing since its earliest days, as the corporate’s title is virtually synonymous with racing. Nonetheless, trying again in time – to the period of the long-lasting 356 sports activities automobile – reveals Porsche house owners have been racing their vehicles and asking the German automaker for help for practically 70 years.

Acknowledging the demand and recognizing the enterprise potential, Porsche didn’t take lengthy to start its line of race “works” applications that have been quickly prolonged to clients. Once more, the success was practically quick – the celebrated “Porsche” nameplate captured rally, hill climb, and sports activities automobile racing victories within the Fifties and ‘60s. 

Porsche house owners raced in each native beginner venues and at skilled occasions. In keeping with the automaker, the primary look by a Porsche buyer racing automobile within the 12 Hours of Sebring (the primary main home sports activities automobile race for the model) got here in 1953 when Richard Toland entered his privately owned Porsche 356. This 12 months, 16 Porsche race vehicles entered within the two characteristic races of the 2022 Rolex 24 weekend – seven Porsche 911 GT3 R race vehicles in WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and 9 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in Michelin Pilot Problem – all run by “privateer” groups.

Right now’s clients might rework a showroom inventory street-legal Porsche right into a race automobile – a course of that’s each time-consuming and costly – or they’ll attain out on to Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) and purchase a turn-key race automobile straight from the automaker. PMNA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, was based in 1985. The corporate is headquartered in 15,000 sq. ft of the Porsche Expertise Middle in Los Angeles (PECLA). 

The checklist of race vehicles Porsche provides adjustments year-over-year. Nonetheless, its present lineup consists of the 911 RSR-19 (a single-seat, mid-engine, 911 construct for FIA/GTE – Le Mans and the opposite rounds of the World Endurance Championship), 911 GT3 R, 911 GT3 Cup, and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport fashions. As well as, the corporate may even promote its new LMDh prototype (a hybrid racer set to compete within the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023) starting subsequent 12 months.

Excessive-performance race vehicles aren’t cheap, but Porsche’s pricing seems very affordable when contemplating the premiums shoppers are paying for street-legal sports activities vehicles in showrooms at present. For instance, a 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport has a base value of $229,000, whereas the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992 chassis) begins at $269,000. A revered 2020 Porsche 911 GT3 R lists for $535,000. Needless to say these costs don’t embrace tax, duties, transport, shade schemes, or the non-obligatory “spares” bundle – that’s proper, bona fide racing groups should have further wheels and elements available to be aggressive. And don’t fear for those who don’t have the liquid property, as Porsche Monetary Providers (PFS) provides financing applications. 

Prospects who buy race vehicles from PMNA obtained help from Porsche in a few other ways. First, the corporate helps its clients by maintaining an entire elements division on the PECLA. Second, a stocked PMNA Elements Trailer travels to all main racing sequence that Porsche clients are prone to full (e.g., IMSA WeatherTech, IMSA Michelin Pilot Problem, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and SRO). Because of this, not solely are high-turnover elements (e.g., brake pads, oil filters, and many others.) available, however the firm retains a restricted variety of digital elements, engines, and physique panels on the prepared in case a buyer wants them – and so they have the aptitude to in a single day objects in a rush. 

Elements are solely a portion of Porsche’s help for its racing purchasers – the model’s general philosophy is to help all elements of buyer racing. Which means that PMNA staffs each main race sequence with a number of on-site engineers and professional product engineers to troubleshoot and supply technical recommendation for the varied platforms (e.g., 911 GT3 R, 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, 911 GT3 Cup). Servicing can be essential for a race group’s success. Therefore, PMNA provides upkeep and rebuild providers – at established costs – to make sure that clients have service help and might funds accordingly.

Whereas Porsche’s franchised vendor community usually has an array of street-legal autos on sale at any given second – prepared for quick buyer supply – issues are a bit totally different for these available in the market for a Porsche race automobile. In keeping with the automaker, lead occasions can run from six months as much as a 12 months, relying on the product cycle and demand for a product. Furthermore, mirroring the corporate’s highway vehicles, manufacturing of the race vehicles is proscribed – particularly for these vehicles that share platforms and componentry with its normal manufacturing line, such because the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and 911 GT3 Cup automobile (the GT3 avenue and race automobile share the identical high-revving 4.0-liter flat-6 engine). 

Porsche’s race automobile program has been very profitable, with the corporate promoting about 400 vehicles yearly to a world market (the quantity fluctuates primarily based on what platforms the automaker is producing). And keep in mind, the a whole bunch of race-ready PMNA autos complement the hundreds of road-legal Porsches transformed to trace obligation every year, which enhance the tens of hundreds of Porsche clients who observe their every day drivers – that’s loads of comfortable Porsche house owners.

In case you are dedicated to creating the leap and proudly owning your very personal factory-built and supported race automobile, you could find extra data at Porsche Motorsport North America.