The Future of racing cars

  • Jul 29, 2011
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The Porsche 24 hour race at Nurburgring brought with it a whole new way of looking at race cars. With a further upgraded version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid that finished a decent 28 th position at the race, could this really be the future of racing cars?

Hybrids have been considered as the most economical when it comes to efficiency. However, no one thought that this technology could ever be used in racing cars. Fuel guzzlers that are not only harmful for the environment have had a changeover over the years. And now with the Porsche 911 GT3 Hybrid, things are shaping up for a new breed of racing cars all together.

The layout of the hybrid motor was taken from its predecessor. A portal axle with two electric motors driving the front wheels and supplementing the four liter motor at the front, not to mention the six liter boxer mill at the rear with 470 horsepower on tap. The output of each electric motor has increased from 80 horsepower to 100 horsepower. So, for a few seconds, what the drivers could get at the race was an insane 200 horsepower on tap. Overtaking in this baby was not at all a task and as for nitrous (if it was there), it could not have delivered such a performance figure. No wonder they are referred to as pilots.

The electric flywheel accumulator with its rotor now comes in carbon fibre safety cell next to the driver. On the outside, the 911 GT3 hybrid is clearly different from the 2010 model. Due to the hybrid’s high voltage system, the vents on the rear fenders were no longer required as the earlier motor, housed in the rear needed this. This has reduced the air drag and increased the fuel consumption to significant figures. The car now weighs 50 kilos lesser than the earlier version.

The cockpit has also been re-vamped with most of the controls on the steering wheel and the rest in a backlit centre console. Priority was placed on the ergonomics of the ‘pilots’ and a clear layout of the instrument panel for easy reach, even during night driving. (Should we refer as flying?)

A perfect blend of the Porsche Intelligent Performance philosophy of more power with less fuel and more efficiency whether on the race track or on the road, this could really be a start of better things to come.

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