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24H Nürburgring Porsche GT3 CUP vs Lexus LFA... (Lammertink Racing / Toyo Tires)

First lap of the 24H Nürburgring: Porsche 997 GT3 Cup with driver Tom Coronel

...check out the GT3's sequential gearbox, with paddle-shift! 

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid: "24 electrifying hours at the Ring..." (official Porsche video)

Only Porsche marketing can make failure to finish a race seem so glamorous. 

*** Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid - First Drive by Autocar ***

We tested the car for six laps - three with the hybrid system turned on...

(30 June 2010)

What is it?

Right now, the GT3 R Hybrid is still just a racing-cum-test development program, a toe in the water regards Porsche’s future road car development plans. But be in no doubt, it’s also a very loud, very clear, slightly scary example of the way in which Porsche is thinking right now when it comes to power-trains. Hybrids, if this monster of a machine is anything to go by, are quite clearly the future for companies like Porsche and Ferrari et al.

As the GT3 R Hybrid’s chief race engineer, Owen Hayes, puts it: “I regard the whole hybrid thing a bit like mobile phones from 20 years ago. Some people said they would never catch on but look where we are now. For endurance racing in particular, that’s exactly how I feel about hybrids.”

And for road car use?

“What’s not to like about hybrid power for high performance road cars in future, even if there is still some way to go right now. Ask me in five years time…” he beams, with a great big grin across his face.

So what sort of machine are we really talking about here, and how is it likely to influence Porsche’s future road car development? In simple terms the GT3 R Hybrid uses a conventional 473bhp flat six engine mounted at the back, powering its back wheels, while over the front axle it has a further pair of 60kw electric motor that power the front wheels, each developing 80bhp. Which means it has 633bhp in total.

The system works by generating power primarily via the car’s brakes, and it then stores this power in a whopping great flywheel that sits abut six inches to the right of your backside. And when you press the magic button, with the flywheel spinning at up to 40,000rpm, it then redeploys the stored power back to the front axle wheels and, presto, you get a monster great hit of acceleration for 6-8 seconds – perceptible in any gear, and at any speed.

The really clever bit, though, is that it generates its power almost exclusively via the brakes, not via the engine or a bank of batteries, as in the 2009 F1 systems. And this means it can regenerate full power almost as fast as you can burn it. One big stop from sixth to third gear and you can virtually recharge the system – and that makes it much more efficient than the KERS that was used in F1.

What’s it like?

Quite spooky, incredibly efficient but also just very, very exciting to use. When you press the magic button for the first time it actually feels a bit like a cheat, the rush of extra acceleration comes at you that fast. But when you get used to the way it works – the way it can alter not just your speed along a straight but also the handling balance mid corner even – the hybrid GT3 R is quite clearly a highly significant piece of kit; the beginning of a brand new era.

In practice, the system recharges so fast that it is constantly available, simply because unless you forget to press the brakes for some strange reason, you are always recharging the system. So it’s a win-win situation, except for two things.

One, weight; all up the system adds 150kg to the weight of a regular GT3 R (1200kg). Two, at the moment the only way to ensure that a proper recharge takes place is to brake very hard indeed. Use the brakes like you would on the road and, as it stands, the system wouldn’t recharge properly, which can cause all sorts of overheating issues.

Even so, it’s hard not to be impressed, no, to be blown away by the way this car performs. The ease with which the system generates and then gives back its power is genuinely incredible. Once Porsche works out ways to reduce the weight of the system – and that’s purely a matter of “time, money and engineering effort” according to Owen Hayes – there will be almost nothing not to like, and lots to get very excited indeed about hybrid power.

In the end they gave me six laps in the car, three with the hybrid system off, three with it on. On laps one, two and three I drove fairly hard and enjoyed the GT3 R for what it is; one of the most successful cars in modern GT racing. It was faster and more brutal than I was expecting in some ways, more delicate and touchy-feely than I had anticipated in others.

And then they hung a sign out over the pitwall that read “hybrid, push.” So I did, and that’s when the magic started.

I could tell the system was fully primed because, during the previous three laps, a row of green Christmas tree lights had gradually started to illuminate on the left hand side of the dash. At the same time my passenger – that huge flywheel, the motor – had started to make louder and stranger noises; it sounded like some kind of crazed hoover that was spinning faster with every second.

The first time I pressed the button, half way along the main straight, it really did feel like an extra 400lb ft had been instantaneously released. The GT3 didn’t so much leap forwards as appear quite a lot nearer towards the end of the straight. There was no great audible change of timbre, except for the fact that the revs rose faster than previously. It felt literally like some enormous unseen hand had attached itself to the back of the car and given it a great big shove.

And the amazing thing is, it’ll give you that same intensity of boost, the same dramatic thrust towards the horizon along almost every straight, and out of every corner – so long as you hit the brakes hard enough in between.

Should I buy one?

You can’t for the time being because this is the one and only GT3 R Hybrid in existence. No matter, because hybrid power is not the future for companies like Porsche and cars like the 911, it is the present. Not so much the end of the road for high performance cars, but the beginning of a brand new chapter.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid

First drive data:

Price as tested: TBA
Max power: 633 bhp at 7250 rpm

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PORSCHE 911 GT3 R HYBRID...

It's the noise that gets you first. The 911 GT3 R is a pretty raucous monster as it is, what with its sequential dog 'box and zero sound proofing between you and its howling flat six engine. But throw a flywheel into the mix, one that sits roughly six inches to the right of your backside and rotates at an astonishing 40,000rpm, and the sound this car makes becomes altogether more terrifying. 

And the worst/best thing is, it gets louder and more frenetic the nearer the hybrid system gets to its boiling point. In order to prime the system, you need to drive the GT3 R hard for several laps on the trot to bring the electrical system up to operating speed. And as you do so, you can hear the massive flywheel spinning faster and faster, sounding increasingly like some kind of gigantic industrial Hoover that is about to go out of control.

Gradually, as the two electric motors mounted over the front axle generate more and more energy from the brakes, and then send that energy back to the flywheel, a row of bright green Christmas tree lights begins to illuminate on the left side of the dash. When each of these is lit - there are about 10 of them - that's when you know the system is ready. That's when you sit there and wonder for a second what it will feel like to unleash another 160bhp, on top of the 480bhp that the flat six already produces up near its 8200rpm cut out.

The first time you squeeze the paddle, which sits behind the steering wheel on the left and feels much like a regular paddle shift lever, the effect is both instant and disarmingly bizarre. It's not remotely like waiting for a turbocharger to do its thing; the response is far more dramatic than that.

It actually feels like you've hit some form of hyperspace button, because you don't so much as accelerate but appear at your destination a whole lot earlier than you thought possible. And it's a spooky sensation in the extreme, because the extra energy just seems to arrive out of nowhere. There's no impression of it being delivered in a crescendo; it's either there in full, or it's not, depending whether you've pulled the lever.

There are logical reasons why this should be so. Once the system is primed - ie it's at full power - and you pull on the lever, it doesn't delivery energy in a conventional way at all. Peak torque (of approximately 120lb ft) is already achieved once all the Christmas trees lights are glowing, so when you pull on the lever, you literally get 160bhp and 120lb ft delivered in an instant. That's where the "hyperspace" effect comes from - and it lasts for between 6-8seconds.

And on a track, of course, 6-8 seconds is a long time to be at full power. In effect it means you are almost always able to call up extra power. Which leads us neatly into the single most impressive aspect of the GT3 R's hybrid power-train - the speed with which it can generate and redeploy its energy. All it takes, in fact, is one big stop from sixth to third gear, and that's enough energy to virtually recharge the system in full. So in effect what you are talking about is an extra 160bhp/120lb ft that's available pretty much all of the time.

On a typical lap of Brands Hatch, for example, the process would go something like this. You'd cross the start finish line at full boost - i.e. with 640bhp - and the system would drain itself towards the end of the straight. But the moment you hit the brakes into Paddock it would recharge, so you'd deploy the system again all the way up to the Druids hairpin - and then it would recharge partly when you braked for Druids.

On the downhill stretch you wouldn't use it, instead you'd allow it to fully recharge under brakes for Graham Hill so you could use it all the way along the bottom straight. Under brakes for Clearways you'd then get another recharge, meaning you could open it up out of Clearways and use it for most of the pit straight. There would be only one straight during the lap on which you couldn't use it, in other words, and that would be on a downhill section anyway.

The one and only downside to the GT3 R's hybrid system, of course, is its weight. Compared with a regular GT3 R (1200kg) the system adds 150kg, which means that on a single flying lap of most circuits the regular GT3 R is still quicker, just. At the Nurburgring 24h this year, however, where the GT3 R Hybrid made its debut, Porsche discovered that the hybrid could run for a lap longer than the normal GT3 Rs. It was more efficient generally and so its 4.0-litre flat six burned less fuel as a result, which meant they could go longer between stints.

Over a 24 hour race that advantage proved critical. The only reason the GT3 R Hybrid didn't win the event outright on its maiden outing, in fact, was because a valve spring let go during the last hour, at which point it was in the lead. The hybrid system itself was faultless, in other words.

Which means you have to assume that is it very much the way forwards - not merely for Porsche's endurance racing ambitions but for the development of its road cars as well. In many ways, driving the GT3 R Hybrid really does feel like you get something for nothing, and if (not when) they solve the weight issues, its advantages over conventionally powered cars will only get better with evolution.

As the GT3 R Hybrid's chief race engineer, Owen Hayes, said to me after I climbed out, looking somewhat dazed by the whole driving experience: "I regard the whole hybrid thing a bit like mobile phones from 20 years ago. Some people said they would never catch on, and look where they are now. For endurance racing in particular, that's exactly how I feel about hybrids."

And for road car use? "What's not to like about hybrid power for high performance road cars in future as well, even if there is still some way to go right now. Ask me in five years time..." he said, a great big grin beaming out across his face.

Hybrids have arrived, and how...

So how does the GT3 R Hybrid's hybrid system work?

The GT3 R Hybrid generates its power by taking the natural energy generated under brakes, putting this through two 60kw electric generators, storing this energy in a flywheel, and then redeploying it through the generators (which act as motors when in reverse). The electric flywheel can produce 160bhp of continuous power once it has reached its 40,000rpm operating speed; and that's what takes time and sounds so dramatic to spool up from inside the car.

Interestingly, the flywheel used by Porsche was developed by the Williams F1 team last year, but in the GT3 R Hybrid it only derives its power from the brakes and via a small amount of drag when not under full throttle. There are no batteries as such, and power from the conventional engine remains unaffected by the hybrid system. That's largely because the power and torque developed by the GT3's electrical power-train is developed and redeployed via the front wheels, which means the GT3 R Hybrid is effectively four wheel drive. An F1 car must, on the other hand, be rear, not four wheel drive according to the regulations.

Porsche reckons that, in future, it will be able to use the system not just to produce more power and torque at the front axle, but also as a handling aid by being able to effectively create an extra differential. By apportioning power either side at the front to wherever it is needed most, the hybrid system will, in practice, operate like an ultra-sophisticated electrical all wheel drive system, and that will make it even more efficient over a race. Or, indeed, on a wet road. The possibilities for development are almost endless.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid Specification:

Price: n/a
0-60mph: 3.1sec (approx)
Top speed: 191mph
Economy: 8mpg (approx)
CO2 emissions: n/a
Kerb weight: 1350kg
Engine layout: Flat six, 3996cc, petrol + two 60kw electric motors
Installation: Flat six rear, longitudinal; electric front, transverse
Power: 640bhp
Torque: 440lb ft (approx)
Power to weight: 474bhp/tonne
Specific output: 160bhp/litre
Compression ratio: n/a
Gearbox 6-speed sequential dog
Length: 4463mm
Width: 1955mm
Height 1280mm
Wheelbase: 2368mm
Fuel tank: 100 litres
Range: 180miles (approx)
Front suspension: Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Multi-link, coil springs. anti-roll bar
Brakes: 380mm ventilated steel discs (front); 355mm ventilated steel discs (rear)
Wheels: 18in forged alloy
Tyres: 27/65-18 front, 31/71-18 rear

Porsche-911-GT3-R-Hybrid_PistonHeads-article

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid in North America...

Paul Ritchie, President of Porsche Motorsport North America, at the Porsche Parade (Pheasant Run in St. Charles, Illinois) with the GT3 R Hybrid and the recent Pikes Peak Porsche...

Thanks!

Interesting to note is that they don't use the button any more (as shown in the video), but rather a small paddle to release the boost.

2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid - First Drive by Inside Line...

“This Hybrid Does Speed”

(Inside Line, 1 July 2010) 

It's all about the little paddle. The titanium trinket that nestles behind the steering wheel unleashes an extra 160 horsepower and spits the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid down the straightaway. It's like having a turbo, except that it deploys its boost instantly, exactly when you want it. This is a hybrid of the like we've never before experienced and it's absolutely sensational.

We come out of a tight 2nd-gear left-hander that leads up on to the banking of this American-style oval track. It's adverse camber and the car bogs a little as the rear tires struggle to hook up. Tweak that little titanium paddle and a wallop of torque ignites the front tires. There's a wiggle of protest through the steering wheel and then the car just picks up and flies. Six seconds of boost later and we're in 5th gear at 150 mph.

This is the Lausitzring, an extravagant oval track and infield road course 100 miles south of Berlin. Built for Indy-style cars, it's been seven years since the American open-wheelers last raced here, leaving the place to the Audis and Mercedes-Benzes of the DTM. Today, there are just two Porsche transporters and an orange-and-white racing car that is, of all things, a gas-electric hybrid.

The 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid led the legendary Nürburgring 24-hour race just this last May until the 22nd hour, when a valve spring threw a strop. This car is Porsche's test bed for hybrid technology, the only one of its kind in the world. Eventually it will no doubt take its place in Porsche's much-vaunted museum, unless something goes horribly wrong today. As we reach for our helmet, we're well aware that if we stick it in the wall, we'll be writing our own, infamous footnote in Porsche's history.

Science Experiment

What makes this particular Porsche 911 so special is not the bit at the back, because plonked behind the rear axle is the same 473-hp 4.0-liter flat-6 that you'll find in a standard GT3 R racecar. Instead the clever bit sits beside the driver. Nestled where the passenger seat ought to be is a cylindrical box that looks like it might have been pinched from a washing machine. This hides a flywheel capable of spinning to 40,000 rpm and storing energy as mechanical rotational energy.

The system was developed by the Williams Formula 1 team in 2008 in response to new regulations allowing the use of KERS (kinetic energy recovery systems). While other teams — notably Ferrari and McLaren — produced more traditional battery-based hybrid systems, Williams developed the flywheel concept, although it was never actually raced. With KERS banned in F1 for 2010 (it returns next year), Williams needed an outlet for its work, prompting an unlikely alliance with Porsche.

"Williams built the flywheel and inverter," says Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche motorsport, "but this is a custom-tailored solution for Porsche. We needed to engineer a higher duty cycle because in Formula 1 you can only use the boost once a lap, but in a sports car you use it as much as possible. We also wanted more power, 120 kilowatts instead of 60." The flywheel is used to power two electric motors in the nose that are connected to the front wheels. When it's fully charged, you can enjoy maximum boost for around 6-8 seconds.

When you brake, the two electric motors reverse their role and act as generators, recharging the flywheel, almost as if you were driving a 180-mph Prius. "A flywheel solution has a key advantage compared with a battery," says Kristen. "With a battery-based solution, you can't collect all the energy because to do so would overpower and destroy the batteries. You only collect a small amount of what's available. But with a flywheel solution, that problem ceases to exist."

While the system is inherently mechanical, computers still play a key role. For maximum attack, the electric motors can be used to supplement the gasoline engine, delivering an extra 160 hp. But for endurance racing, they can also be used to boost fuel economy. In the Nürburgring 24, the Porsche team effectively detuned the GT3 R's gasoline engine so that it ran lean, relying on the assistance of the electric motors to provide performance equivalent to a normal GT3 R. The net result proved to be a 25 percent improvement in cruising range and a commanding race on the track.

The Racing Connection

The cockpit of the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is pure racing car. Only the sweep of the dashboard suggests any connection to the GT3 road car, while a thicket of toggle switches on the center console hint at this car's complexity. The instrument display is all digital, the steering wheel incorporates buttons for the radio and stability control, and a giant lever for the sequential manual transmission is at your side.

And it's hot; very hot. It's about 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but we're in full helmet and fire suit and salty sweat is already seeping into our eyes. Little wonder that Porsche's pro drivers always look like they need a good steak. Speaking of which, Patrick Long, the American who drives for Porsche's factory sports car teams, has flown in to try the car. "Be positive with the gearbox," he explains. "You don't need to use the clutch or lift off to shift up, but dip the clutch to shift down." Pull back firmly for 1st, dial up a snarl of revs and exit the pits.

It takes time to charge the flywheel motor, so the out lap is gasoline-engine only. Now the hybrid makes like a standard GT3 R, except for weight distribution shifted more to the front and a higher center of gravity. The sporting regulations for the Nürburgring 24 and the extra hardware also mean the hybrid weighs 276 pounds more than the standard GT3 RS car. It feels it. You never need reminding that this is a sports car with an engine in its bum, not an ultra-agile open-wheeler.

Hybrid Power on Line

As we negotiate the Lausitzring's infield road course, it's clear this car needs caressing. Roll off the brakes and tease the throttle. Feel the car take a neutral set midcorner and then get all squirmy again on the exit. Be brutal and it'll hit back with a quick jab of oversteer. So immediate are the signals that it's actually not hard to catch, although the line between hero and zero is still measured in microns.

The brakes need a determined shove and at first we're much too cautious. The regenerative hybrid system acts as a secondary brake system, snaffling the energy away and complementing the familiar feel of the discs. An antilock system is standard, made necessary by the regenerative system. "Because the system switches itself on and off, it would be extremely difficult to manage their performance without the electronics," says Kristen. Patrick Long bluntly adds, "You just stand on it and let the ABS do the hard work."

Another gizmo automatically blips the throttle during downshifts so there's no need to heel-and-toe. To us this just feels like cheating. If racing cars are made easier to drive, then the world's finest drivers suddenly look a tad less heroic.

Jörg Bergmeister, the Porsche factory driver who's driven more laps in the hybrid than anyone else, admits, "It's probably the easiest Porsche racecar to drive." Bergmeister also offered a few tips about exploiting the extra performance: "It's not just for the straights. Because it powers the front wheels, you can really use it to pull you out of corners. In the wet in particular, that's a really big advantage."

The trick, apparently, is to pull the paddle that triggers the motors just as the car starts to oversteer. Pull it too early and you could end up with an unwanted dollop of understeer. This will take time to perfect, but even after a couple of laps, it starts to make sense. The hybrid system isn't just a glorified "push-to-pass" button; it's a tactical weapon to be used with skill and judgment.

The feeling is not dissimilar to driving a Mitsubishi Evo on the limit, when you sense the diffs start to distribute the power. Except that in the Porsche, the shift of emphasis is controlled by the middle finger of your left hand. Extend that digit and the computers go to work, measuring your throttle angle and steering input and then deciding how many of the 160 horses to set free. For a one-off test bed conceived in January 2009, this car is extraordinarily well developed.

Coming to a Porsche Store Near You?

While hybrid technology has by and large been devoted to improving fuel economy, Porsche's flywheel system could be the right kind of technology for high-performance cars, perhaps even the forthcoming 998 version of the 911 that Porsche is expected to introduce next year. "A push-to-pass function would be brilliant," admits Kristen.

But there's a stumbling block and it lies in the way in which governments measure fuel consumption. The efficiency benefits of a hybrid like the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid would not be reflected in its fuel economy ratings. Indeed, because this hybrid is heavier than the conventional street-legal version, the figures would actually be worse. A hybrid car that is, on the face of it, less efficient than the standard alternative would be difficult to sell, both politically and commercially.

The other issue is cost. This concept is worth well over a million dollars, or around three times as much as a standard GT3 R. Porsche's army of gentleman racers are rich, but they're not that rich.

Science Is Fun

The 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is an intoxicating companion. We're having so much fun that we miss the pit board marked "In." Then we miss it again, prompting a handful of engineers to climb the guard fence and wave frantically in our direction. Feeling pretty sheepish, we pull back into the pits and park the prototype racer.

Driving any 911 on a racing circuit is always a treat, but this car brings with it an extra frisson of excitement. This comes not just from a natural interest in the nascent technology, but from what it offers you as a driver. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid takes the classic 911 formula and adds an extra layer of interest. Let's hope that the GT3 R Hybrid really is a pointer to the supercar of tomorrow, because if it is, that future will be brighter than any of us dared imagine.

Specification & Performance

Vehicle

Year Make Model: 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2dr Coupe (4.0L gas-electric hybrid)
Vehicle Type: RWD two-door, two-passenger coupe
Estimated MSRP: n/a
Assembly location: Stuttgart, Germany

Drivetrain

Configuration: Longitudinal, rear-engine combined with electric motor(s), rear-wheel drive
Engine type: Naturally aspirated, port-injected gasoline flat-6
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 3,996cc (244 cu-in)
Block/head material: Aluminum/aluminum
Valvetrain: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression ratio: 12.2
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 473 @ 7,250
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 352 (est.)
Fuel type: Premium unleaded (required)
Hybrid type: Parallel, with two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Electric motor rating (kW): 60 kW x 2; 80 Nm x 2
Combined horsepower (hp @ rpm): 633 hp @ 7,250rpm
Combined torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 470 lb-ft
Battery type: Electric flywheel
Battery capacity, usable (kW-hr): 0.2
Transmission type: Six-speed manual with console shifter
Transmission ratios (x:1): I=3.154; II=2.294; III=1.850; IV=1.552; VI=1.097
Final-drive ratio (x:1): 2.889
Differential(s): Limited-slip (37 percent)

Chassis

Suspension, front: Independent MacPherson struts with dual lower ball joints, coil springs, monotube dampers, stabilizer bar
Suspension, rear: Independent multilink, coil springs, monotube dampers, stabilizer bar
Steering type: Speed-proportional power steering
Tire make and model: Michelin
Tire type: Performance front - performance rear
Tire size, front: 27/65R18
Tire size, rear: 31/71R18
Wheel size, front: 18-by-11 inches
Wheel size, rear: 18-by-13 inches
Wheel material: Forged aluminum
Brakes, front: 15-inch ventilated steel discs with 6-piston fixed calipers
Brakes, rear: 14-inch ventilated steel discs with 4-piston fixed calipers

Fuel Consumption

Fuel tank capacity (US gal.): 26.4

Dimensions & Capacities

Curb weight, mfr. claim (lbs.): 2,921
Length (in.): 175.7
Width (in.): 77.0
Height (in.): 50.4
Wheelbase (in.): 93.2
Turning circle (ft.): 35.7
Seating capacity: 1

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