Posts Tagged ‘right hand drive’

 

Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Funny how two letters of the alphabet can mean so much in the car world. Take ‘GT’ for instance. Literally meaning ‘Grand Tourer’, ‘Gran Tourismo’ or ‘Grand Tourisme’ depending on your mother tongue. That pair from the 26 letters of the alphabet have been around since the beginning of time and certainly back in the 50’s and 60’s a ‘GT’ attached to the boot-lid of your car meant you were driving something very special, indeed highly potent. The problem was that by the 70’s every marketing department in every car mass-producer had cottoned-on to the sales potential of the GT moniker to the detriment of what it actually stood for. Too many mundane hatchbacks were eventually labelled ‘GT’ and so the glamour had gone from the badge.

‘RS’ on the other hand has been treated with a little more respect over the years. For much of its existence as a symbol of power it would seem that Ford had hijacked the ‘Rally Sport’ badge for its high-performance models and all of them deserved to wear the badge with pride. But Ford were not the first to the podium with RS because in 1967 Chevrolet released the Camaro RS, so there. Other manufacturers have trodden carefully with the Rally Sport badge including mainstream makers such as Renault with their rather excellent Clio RS and Audi with the RS4 and RS6.

But RS also stands for ‘Renn Sport’ in Germany which literally translated means ‘racing sport’ and if there was one manufacturer who stands proud and tall in the use of the RS badge it is Porsche. Dating back to its first application for the public in 1973 with the Carrera 2.7 RS the company has reserved these two letters for those road cars which have reached the peak of their development.

A 911 GT3 is a very potent car indeed. But add the RS badge and you have the very best that Porsche can produce which means that it is arguably the best car in the so-called GT3 sector.

The 911 GT3 RS kicked-off in 2003 with the 996-based version and it was an unashamedly hard-core version of the ‘normal’ GT3. The focus was on track-day handling with stiffened suspension and so the interest in 911 RS variants began. Today they have become amongst the most highly desirable and collectable of all 911’s.

And so we come to the 911 (997) GT3 RS that we are advertising on behalf of the current owner.

This GT3 RS is a 997 Gen 1 which means that it is fitted with the legendary ‘Mezger’ 3.6 litre flat-six powerplant that has its origins in the successful 962 and GT1 racing engines.

The car is right hand drive, has so far recorded only 6000 miles from new and has also undergone a recent major service and thorough inspection by Porsche Tonbridge to give the car a clean bill of health.

Finished in sought-after limited edition Pure Orange this GT3 RS is in superb condition, has never been raced or tracked and comes with a comprehensive specification as follows:-

Full Black ‘RS’ Decals/Black Painted Alloys
‘RS’ Fire-resistant-material Carbon Bucket seats
Alcantara Steering Wheel, Gearstick and Handbrake
Floor Mats
Driver’s 4-Point Harness
Porsche Carbon Composite Brakes (PCCB)
Bi-Xenons with Headlamp Wash
Top Tinted Windscreen
PCM System with European SatNav Disc
Sport Chrono Package Plus
Door entry guards in Carbon
Carbon rear Console
Extended Interior Carbon Package
Roll Cage Painted in Pure Orange
Excellent Service History

Following the car’s inspection Porsche Tonbridge told us that it was one of the most original non-abused GT3 RS’s they had seen for a long time. High praise indeed and the car is unlikely to disappoint anybody looking for a particularly cared-for example.

Considering the very high premiums people are prepared to pay for a 991 GT3 RS these days this future collectable Porsche looks a very sound investment for the longer term.

Sorry – this car is now SOLD!

Please note that part exchanges may be considered.

Meanwhile, here is a short video of the car in action….

For pricing details or to arrange a viewing of this GT3 RS please contact The Car Spy on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net

Why not subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates directly from The Car Spy? Click here to sign-up

When the time came to replace the Ferrari F355 the new arrival faced some pretty high expectations. The F355 had established itself as one of the best driver’s cars to come out of Modena and the bar had been set very high indeed.

And when the very pretty 360 arrived it went and raised the bar even higher still.

Ferrari had partnered with Alcoa to produce an entirely new all aluminium space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than the F355 which had utilized steel. The design was 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions.

The 3.6 litre V8 engine in the new car had been redesigned using a flat plane crankshaft, titanium connecting rods to generate 400 bhp. Despite what looks like on paper modest power gains the reality was that the power to weight ratio was significantly improved on over the F355 which was due to the combination of both a lighter car and more power. The 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) acceleration performance improved from 4.6 to 4.3 seconds.

However if you like a bit of Tabasco sauce on your chilli burgers then the CS (Challenge Stradale) is the car for you.

In essence the Challenge Stradale is a low production track day focused car based on the 360 Modena. It was inspired by the 360 MC (Modena Challenge) racing car so the focus was primarily on improving its track lapping performance by concentrating on handling, braking and weight reduction characteristics.

Ferrari engineers designed the car from the outset with a goal of 20% track day use in mind and 80% road use. With only a small 20 bhp improvement in engine power from the Modena (and boasting an improved power-to-weight ratio) the Challenge Stradale accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.0 seconds (three tenths faster than a Modena) but bald figures do not paint the full picture.

For the enthusiastic driver the differences are truly staggering – genuine systematic improvements were achieved to the setup and feel of the whole car. Throttle response from the digital throttle was ratcheted up and feedback through the steering wheel was enhanced. The responsiveness of the controls, the balance of the chassis, the braking performance and the driver feedback all contribute greatly to the overall driving experience and lead the Challenge Stradale to claim an impressive 3.5 seconds improvement per lap of its Fiorano circuit compared to the Modena (the target was 2.5 seconds).

So how was the weight-saving achieved?

Well the 360 Challenge Stradale is up to 110 kg lighter than the standard Modena if all the lightweight options are specified such as deleted radio, plexiglass door window and Alcantara fabric (instead of the leather option). As much as 94 kg was taken off on the car by lightening the bumpers, stripping the interior of its sound deadening and carbon mirrors and making the optional Modena carbon seats standard.

Resin Transfer Moulding was utilized for the bumpers and skirts, a carry over from the Challenge cars which resulted in lighter bumpers than on the Modena. The engine and transmission weight was slimmed down 11 kg through the use of a smaller, lighter weight sports stainless steel exhaust back box and valved exit pipes.

The Challenge Stradale also acquired Brembo carbon ceramic brakes as standard which shaved 16 kg off the curb weight and improved handling by reducing un-sprung weight and completely eliminating brake fade.

This is one of the best cars ever made by Ferrari. Enough said.

The 360 CS is also a very rare car. ‘Official’ Ferrari stats say that in total 1200 were built but only 115 right hand drive examples were ever made and we have been asked to find a buyer for one of them by one of our clients who is the current owner of this particular car:-

Finished in Rosso Scuderia plus Blu Scuro (very dark blue) leather seats with special red stitching this 2004 right hand drive 360 CS has recorded only 8600 miles from new which is reflected in the car’s exemplary condition. 

The specification includes the following:-

* F1 Gearbox
* Carbon Fibre Backed Racing Seats
* Carbon Mirrors
* Yellow Rev Counter
* Carbon Fibre Door Cards
* Ferrari Becker Radio System
* 6 CD Changer
* Blu Scuro Leather Headlining
* 4 Point Red Ferrari Harnesses
* Blu Scuro Road Legal Roll Bar
* Leather Steering Wheel with Red Centre Line
* Blu Scuro Leather Upper Dashboard
* Black Carpets
* Carbon Centre Console
* 19” Ferrari BBS Alloys
* Red Brake Calipers
* Tricolore Stripe (not painted)
* Battery Charger

The car also comes with the full compliment of Ferrari driver’s handbooks, car cover, toolkit, Ferrari service history file and a sheaf of receipts.

£Price on Application

If you would like to find out more about this very special 360 Challenge Stradale give The Car Spy a call on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net

Finished in Grigio Estoque with Nero Hide Interior this April 2012 registered, right hand drive LP700-4 has recorded 2000 miles with one owner and comes with the following options in addition to the standard specification:-

Unicolour Interior, Shiny black rims, Yellow brake callipers, Yellow rear suspension springs, Branding package, Multifunction steering wheel, Fully electric and heated seats, Lamborghini sound system, Park assist front and rear, Transparent engine cover, Cobra Navtrak. Original List Price £290,000.

This LP700-4 is available to purchase today at £POA

Please note this car is VAT qualifying.

For further details please give The Car Spy a call on ++44(0)1732 760699 or email sales@thecarspy.net.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.