911 Carrera

Make
Porsche
Segment
Coupe

About a year ago Porsche revealed something of an anomaly: a mid-engined 911. However, the 911 RSR is a GTE race car intended to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. And now, according to sportscar365.com, all six examples are sold out. Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser confirmed the news, adding that demand for the 911 RSR was "unbelievable. We've never seen something like that."

With a price tag of 991,000 Euros a piece, all six cars for 2018 went to existing customers as well as new Porsche racing teams. Based on the demand, more 911 RSRs could come for 2019. But why did Porsche opt for a mid-engined 911 track-only car? For obvious reasons, of course. For starters, shifting the engine in front of the rear axle contributes to improved weight balance while at the same time providing extra weight at the rear that pushes the drive wheels to the pavement. To further reduce weight, Porsche did some trick techniques such as bolting the driver's seat to the chassis, making it so that only the steering wheels and pedals are adjustable. There's also extensive use of carbon fiber throughout.

Porsche wisely designed these components so that they're easily removable for replacement; accidents happen on the race track. It's also technically well-equipped. For example, it features radar-based collision avoidance technology. The radar scans the road looking for accidents, something that'll be extremely beneficial during night time racing. With the knowledge Porsche is bound to gain from a mid-engine (of sorts) 911, could it one day be applied to a future road-going 911? Look, the flat-six mounted in front of the rear axle is still semi-butt-engined; it just matters how far it's moved away from the rear axle. Purists would go nuts, but it's not like it's the first time Porsche has made dramatic changes to its iconic sports car.