The Porsche 911 RSR, the company's iconic race car for FIA endurance duty, was redesigned for 2019 and introduced at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Improved in all key areas, the new 911 RSR replaces the previous RSR that scored more than 20 class wins in the FIA World Endurance Championship and other long-distance series in North America and Europe.

The 2019 Porsche 911 RSR is still wide, more aerodynamic

ids=848875,848876

no_overlay=false

before_label=2019 Porsche 911 RSR

after_label=2019 Porsche 911>


The redesigned 911 RSR remains familiar, sporting the wide body that turns the regular 911 into an aggressive-looking race car. There are notably wider fenders front and rear, a prominent splitter up front, bigger side skirts onto the sides, and a huge wing, backed by a diffuser, in the rear.

Porsche also made significant changes to the old RSR recipe, starting with relocating the tailpipes to the sides, exiting in front of the rear wheels. This modification not only saves weight through shorter ducting, but it also helps with aerodynamics. The new tailpipes contribute to the optimization of the profile's aero specification but also leaves room for a more aerodynamic diffuser. The revised front fascia with new vents and carbon-fiber splitter also enhances aerodynamics. Overall, Porsche claims efficiency and stability "have increased significantly," thanks to the new design.

As before, the 911 RSR features a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body. The shell can be swapped out quickly, reducing pit times in the event of a crash.

The 2019 Porsche 911 RSR is now safer for drivers

The RSR's new interior looks largely the same. The cockpit has nothing in common with a race, featuring a carbon-fiber shell for a dashboard, Alcantara upholstery, a race-spec seat, a race-specific center stack, and a two-spoke steering wheel that looks like a game console controller and lights up like a Christmas tree. It also has a screen that displays vital information in the center.

Porsche made notable changes, but mostly in the safety department. It now comes with a revised collision warning system that detects faster cars approaching from behind and an optimized roll cage. Porsche also added the FIA-approved side-impact panels in the doors and additional protection for the legs. As before, it features a removable roof hatch and a six-point safety harness for the driver.

The 2019 Porsche 911 RSR features the company's largest flat-six engine

When the iconic 3.8-liter flat-six mill was enlarged to 4.0 liters for 991.2-generation 911s, the consensus was that the naturally aspirated unit had reached its maximum potential. Of course, it was believed that Porsche would drop it in favor of a twin-turbo engine. Well, it turns out that Porsche isn't yet ready to give up on the all-motor flat-six and enlarged the engine once again, this time around to 4.2 liters.

This is the largest ever boxer engine mounted in a 911. How much does it produce? Porsche says it cranks out 515 horsepower, but the final output will depend on the size of the restrictor specific to each racing series. That's five horses less than the 4.0-liter unit in the outgoing, road-legal 911 GT3 RS, but the comparison isn't very relevant since the RSR should be much lighter.

The engine mates to a new six-speed sequential gearbox that lighter and more rigid than the old unit. The transmission provides faster gear shifts and helps increase the drivetrain's efficiency.

2019 Porsche 911 RSR specifications

Engine

Water-cooled six cylinder boxer engine, positioned in front of the rear axle

Displacement

4,194cm³

Horsepower

515 HP

Transmission

Six-speed sequential dog-type transmission, weight optimized


The 2019 Porsche 911 RSR goes racing in September

Showcased at the 2019 Good Festival of Speed, the 911 will celebrate its first race outing in September, when it will take part in the season-opening round of the new FIA World Endurance Championship at Silverstone. The race is scheduled on September 1.

The Porsche GT Team will field two works cars at eight rounds of the 2019/2020 season with drivers Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France), and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria). In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the switch to the new 911 RSR will take place in the 2020 season. In North America, an additional two factory-run.

Customer teams will have access to the new Porsche 911 RSR for the 2020/2021 FIA WEC championship.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2017 Porsche 911 RSR.

Read our full review on the 2020 Porsche 911.

Read our full review on the 2020 Porsche 911 992 Cabriolet