World’s Fastest, Sexiest Hybrid? Porsche 911 GT3 R

Despite Toyota’s current Prius woes, the hybrid movement that car sparked is still going strong. News yesterday that Porsche has just released glamour shots of its upcoming 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, in advance of the Geneva Motor Show in March. I’m not much of an auto racing fan, but I have to admit to serious salivation and a slightly elevated heart rate. This car looks beautiful, and is fast enough to satisfy the worst eco speed freaks (oxymoron?).

Porsche isn’t embracing hybrid simply for the eco-credits; they feel the hybrid technology will give them an edge on the track. Powered by not one but two electric motors, this all-wheel drive speedster replaces the conventional hybrid battery with an electrical flywheel power generator fitted in the interior next to the driver. Itself an electric motor spinning at up to 40,000 rpm (yikes!), the flywheel generator charges whenever the driver brakes, harnessing this formerly wasted energy. The driver can then call up that extra energy when accelerating out of a bend or when overtaking, supplying a 6-8 second burst of energy to the two electric motors at the front. Wow.

The hybrid drive technology also saves fuel, improving on-track performance by reducing fuel tank weight and making pitstops less frequent.

After its March debut, Porsche will test the 911 GT3 R Hybrid in long-distance races on Germany’s Nurburgring, climaxing with the 24 Hours on the Nordschleife of Nurburgring May 15-16. Not shooting for a win just yet, Porsche is more interested in testing the hybrid technology and “generating” more knowledge about its use in road-going sports cars.

More power to ‘em. So to speak.

Get the full scoop at porsche.com.