The 2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup has arrived.

Considered as the most successful race car in the world, the 2013 Porsche->ke1 911 GT3 Cup made its debut at Porsche’s "Night of Champions" celebration over the weekend, quickly establishing itself as the kind of Porsche race car that teams will undeniably jostle to get a hold of.

It’s a well-known fact that there’s a big market for the 911 GT3 Cup. This is even more evident with Porsche telling us that 2,395 units have been produced.

This particular model is special in its own right, because what you’re looking at now is the first race car to be based on the seventh generation of Porsche’s beyond-iconic 911->ke282. More importantly, the 2013 911 GT3 Cup is also considered as the motorsports version of the future 911 GT3, a telling reminder that the technology and design used in this race car could very well be translated into the future production model.

Find out more about the 2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup after the jump

2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
  • Engine/Motor: flat-6
  • Horsepower: 460
  • Transmission: Six-speed "dog type" transmission
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The design of the car in itself is impressive enough, so give Porsche credit for taking the time to build a racecar that company’s rich motorsports history can be proud of.

Aerodynamically speaking, you can’t get any more particular than what Porsche did to the new 911 GT3 Cup. The new front bumper is more than just a design addition because it features a front splitter and some carbon fiber canards, two critical components that allow the race car to perform better on track than a standard 911. The ultra-wide fenders also serve their own aerodynamic purpose while the additional air intakes are not just for aesthetic purposes, but also to allow for better engine cooling.

On the back, Porsche installed a massive rear wing onto the 911 GT3, an addition that will help the racecar to remain glued to the ground when its blazing trails around a track. A center-mounted dual-exhaust system was also installed, while a new set of single-piece racing wheels wrapped in wide Michelin racing tires was also used for some added grip. Porsche increased the width of the front tires by 2 cm (0.79 inches) to 27 mm (10.6 inches) – compared to 25 cm (9.8 inches) in 2012 -- while the rear width was increased by 10 mm (0.39 inches) at the rear axle, getting them up to 31 cm (12.2 inches) wide.

Interior

Inside, the 911 GT3 Cup is void of all the plush amenities you’d expect from a 911. As much as we like the luxurious look and feel of the road-going 911, the 911 GT3 Cups is a full-fledged racecar, which means that anything that isn’t needed to help it perform in tip-top shape is thrown out in favor of components a race driver needs to compete.

Instead of the posh interior we’ve come accustomed to on a 911, the 911 GT3 Cup features a driver-focused cockpit that comes with all sorts of racing equipment, including a flat-bottomed steering wheel, an angled center stack and a digital instrument cluster that allows the driver to know how the car is performing when it’s out there competing.

There’s also a newly developed racing seat that we imagine to have been designed with functionality and comfort in mind. A full-on roll cage was also added, one that protects the pilot in case of a roll or a collision, and finally, a rescue hatch on the roof that was installed for driver safety reasons.

Don’t mistake the interior of the 911 GT3 Cup to be a haven of comfort; this is all about racing, and as such, anything that doesn’t help it succeed out on track is only weighing it down - literally and figuratively.

Performance

As for power, the 911 GT3 Cup comes with a 3.8-liter flat-six engine that produces 460 horsepower, an improvement of 10 horsepower from its predecessor. This flat-6 powerplant mates to a six-speed "dog-type" transmission that the driver operates through shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel and transmits the power to the rear axle.

Considering that the 911 GT3 Cup will be competing in a racing series exclusive to its kind -- the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup -- those 460 ponies won’t likely give drivers any upper hand over the rest of the field. When it comes to racing series like this, more often than not, it’s the driver’s skill that makes the difference. However, we don’t expect the 911 GT3 Cup to roll like tumbleweeds on track, especially given its bump in output.

Porsche also paid careful attention to giving the 911 a powerful braking system. It did so by developing a 380 mm (14.96-inch) slotted and inner-vented steel brake rotors at the front axle, which are decelerated by six-piston aluminum fixed calipers. Meanwhile, the rear axle makes use of a four-piston version to accomplish the same momentum-halting objective.

Overall, the combination of power and braking provides tremendous balance for a race car that has high ambitions for itself.

“The new 911 GT3 Cup is much easier to drive at the limit,” says Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard, who was significantly involved in the development of the new vehicle. “The car is excellently balanced. The new axle geometry is enormously positive for the handling. Apart from that the new Cup 911 is great fun to drive.”

Performance specifications:

Engine

3.8-liter six-cylinder boxer

Engine Horsepower

460 horsepower

Transmission

Six-speed automated manual

Drive

Rear-wheel drive


Pricing

Any team willing to make an investment in this bad-boy and compete at the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup next year will have to shell out €181,200 excluding VAT, which is around $234,000 based on the current exchange rates.

There is that question of exclusivity, though, which makes the price tag a little more difficult to swallow. Porsche has said that the 911 GT3 Cup will run exclusively in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2013. Does that mean that you can’t use this race car in any other racing series out there?

Then again, racing is racing and some might even argue that putting it up against a grid made up of its own kind will not only push the car to the absolute limits on an even playing field, but will make it that much more competitive for teams and their drivers to put their best feet forward during a race.