It's been a while since we've heard anything from Panoz Auto Development. The American sportscar manufacturer came onto the scene in the late Nineties with their AIV Roadster, and later went onto create various road and race versions of the Mustang-based Esperante. Around the same time company founder Danny Panoz started building cars, his father Don Panoz also started the the American Le Mans Series, vaulting the family business from automaker and race team to race series organizer.
In the past few years, Panoz has crafted several Le Mans prototype racers and even some IndyChamp Car chassis. The company has achieved limited success with its front-engined LMP1 program, but the Esperante GT-LM racecar made history when it took GT2 class victories at both the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 2006. More recently, the company had been focusing its energies on a revolutionary new front-engine LMP1 design called Abruzzi to compete with the field of mid-engine rivals. Reports from the motorsport world, however, now indicate that Panoz has aborted the Abruzzi project in favor of a new GT2 program. But as we all know, GT racers are based on road cars, and that's exactly what Panoz appears to have in the works.
According to Autosport, Panoz decided against a purpose-built racing prototype in favor of a road car, and from that they plan make a racing version. Exactly what the car will be like is up to speculation at this point, but we're looking forward to finding out.
The American Le Mans Series is responding to economic conditions and the decline in the diversity of racing machinery on the grid by changing up the racing classes in its ranks for next season. Rather than imposing spending caps that would be tough to enforce, the series is adding new classes that are closer to production machinery.
Starting in 2010, the two-tier LMP1 and LMP2 categories will be merged into one LMP class, while a new LMP Challenge class will be added starting with the inclusion of Oreca's lower powered Formula Le Mans cars. However, the old system will remain in place for the Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans races so as to allow European teams to compete in the series' premier American races.
In the GT categories, GT2 class will be remade as GT in the wake of GT1's decline, with a new GT Challenge mirroring the LMP Challenge class for Porsche 911 GT3s. ALMS CEO Scott Atherton has left the door open to other GT3 competitors if they are interested, so hopefully we'll soon see the Audi R8 GT4 get the necessary mods to run in the GTC class.
The blokes at Pistonheads supposedly got word from an inside source at Porsche that the automaker is considering a track-day version of the GT2. The hypothetical Porsche 911 GT2 RS would improve on every aspect of the standard turbocharged rear-wheel-drive coupe, beginning with an additional 50 ponies, bringing output up to 580 hp. Center-locking wheels are rumored to be part of the package, along with Plexiglas rear windows and a range of body modifications that could drop some 440 pounds from the standard GT2's curb weight. The UK-centric site reports that ten right-hand-drive examples will be produced, although it doesn't say what total global output would be. If the GT2 RS does come to fruition, expect it to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year, with sales beginning the following spring.
Despite losing Audi for the 2009 season, the American Le Mans Series still has a lot to celebrate. For one, as we told you yesterday, Acura is on hand this week at the Winter Test event for the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with its new LMP1 racer. The good news is that midway through the second day of on-track testing, one of the two Acura racers has the fastest lap time so far of 1:44:814 (126.723 mph) around Sebring's 3.7-mile circuit. Despite the good first showing of these ARX-02a prototype LMP1 race cars, the ARX-01b cars that raced last year in the LMP2 class were still turning in lap times that were often just as fast as their bigger brothers.
Also of worthy of celebration during the first two days of winter testing is the emergence of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team and its M3 GT2 car. This is the first track outing for the M3 GT2 since it was announced less than a year ago at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The 12 Hours of Sebring, which also kicks off the 2009 ALMS season, will be its first contest against the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Viper, Aston Martin, Panoz and even a Ford GT in the GT2 class. The 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring takes place March 18-21 and, along with the above new competitors, will be the only time that Audi races on North American soil this year with its brand new R15 TDI.
Porsche has unveiled the latest iteration of its GT2-class racing car, the GT3 RSR. Visually, the biggest difference for '09 is up front, where a substantially louvered hood now resides. It's there because the car's radiator ductwork has been redesigned so as to accommodate the racer's optional A/C system. Other changes are hidden, but no less important. Aero tweaks include a rear wing angle that's more adjustable than on last year's car. The brakes and wiring harness contribute to lighter weight, and inside the pilot gets a new multifunction display. There's also a revised supply system that allows for an infinitely adjustable blink rate for the front lights. That makes for easy nighttime identification when the car pits. The oil filler has been relocated for easier access, and the GT3 RSR is equipped with a new air jack, as well. That's all well and good, but what about the power? Displacement for the rear-mounted six-cylinder jumps from 3.8 to 4.0 liters, and it now pumps out 450 horsepower at 7,800 rpm. (Last year it produced 465 hp @ 8,000 rpm) Torque is rated at 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) at 7,250 rpm – the same as last year. The rev limiter kicks in at 9K, and Porsche says that the new car's torque curve is better-optimized than the outgoing car's. The new RSR ought to become a common sight in the Le Mans series on both sides of the Atlantic, as Porsche resumes its annual battle with Ferrari in sports car racing. Want one? Give Porsche €380,000 – roughly $494,000 USD (plus the appropriate VAT) and you're good to go.
The Nissan GT-R set the 'Ring on fire back in April with a single lap of 7:29. That news didn't go over well in Germany, where team Porsche insinuated that Nissan cheated by using a non-standard GT-R to achieve the supersonic time. Porsche even took a bone-stock GT-R to the 'Ring and its chief test track driver could only manage a 7:54. Nissan defended its time as legit and has provided solid evidence to support its case, but Porsche established enough doubt for Drivers Republic to bring a GT2 and GT-R to the famed Nürburgring to see which vehicle was faster.
Drivers Republic put both cars in the hands of an accomplished Nürburgring veteran, Chris Harris, who is also the author of this excellent article. Both vehicles were stock, except the Japanese-spec GT-R had its limiter removed. The Nissan also had Bridgetone rubber at the corners, which are actually different than the stickier Dunlops that Tochio Suzuki utilized during his 7:29 run. Nissan claims the soon-to-be-standard Dunlops are five seconds faster, but that's when in the hands of Mr. Suzuki who is one this planet's preeminent 'Ring racers. The track was wet during the run, which you would think favors the AWD GT-R, though Harris claims the GT2 felt faster in a straight line.
Introduced in 1963, the Porsche 911 is one of the most successful competition cars ever built. Despite its unconventional rear-engine platform, the 911 Carrera holds recorded wins in nearly every type of automotive competition. Continuously upgraded and refined, Porsche has introduced a mid-cycle refresh for the 2009 model year. While the cosmetic changes are immediately apparent, the most significant improvements – two new engines and a new double-clutch transmission – are hidden under its sleek skin. We spent a long day putting the 2009 911 Carrera through its paces on a race track near Salt Lake City framed by the spectacular snow-capped surrounding mountains of Utah.
Sour grapes or legitimate complaint? That's the question we're left pondering after reading that Porsche believes Nissan must have cheated to record its 7:29:03 lap time of the famed Nürburgring race circuit. Porsche claims that it had been suspicious of the Nissan's lap times, so it acquired a U.S.-spec GT-R for testing back-to-back with its own 911 Turbo and GT2. The result? The mighty Godzilla was toppled by the Teutonic German duo, with the GT-R posting times a good 25-seconds slower than Nissan's claim. How can Porsche explain the discrepancy? "This wonder car with 7:29 could not have been a regular series production car. For us, it's not clear how this time is possible. What we can imagine with this Nissan is they used other tires," says August Achleitner, the man in charge of the 911 program. There is footage of the GT-R lapping the 'Ring at high speed, but it's taken from inside the car where the tires cannot be seen. Considering the fact that Nissan saw fit to issue a press release commemorating the car's fast-lap, we doubt this is something that will be taken lightly. There's a big can 'o worms here, and Porsche's in the corner holding the opener.
Porsche enthusiasts will undoubtedly count the 997-generation 911 GT2 as one of the most extreme supercars ever to roll out of Stuttgart – right up there with the 959 and the Carrera GT. But where there's speed, there's always room for more speed, and the Swiss aren't about to stay neutral on this matter. Switzerland-based Sportec has just released its latest offering: the SP750. The tuning firm is known for producing seriously fast Porsches – including the 997 Turbo-based SP580 and the record-chasing SPR1 and SP600M Cayenne – and has put some serious effort into carrying on this legacy with the new SP750. Modifications to the GT2 – already very blitzschnell in its own right – are available in four increments, starting with the 600-hp Stage 1 and topping out with the full-on 750-hp Stage 4 kit, which includes new turbos, a revised ECU, titanium con-rods, a free-flowing exhaust and new camshafts, air filter and clutch. To control all that extra power, Sportec is also offering an upgraded brake kit with six-pot calipers and 350-380mm discs, plus a retuned suspension complemented by a revised aero kit and 20-inch rims. We'd hope the huge Swiss flag on the roof, which has become a hallmark of Sportec's creations, is optional. While it may protect the car from aerial bombardment, the planes would actually have to catch the car in the first place.
Porsche's commitment to the KISS philosophy of exterior design won't extend to the engine of the facelifted 911 Turbo, GT2 and GT3 when they're released early next year. All three models will dispatch with the legendary M97 powerplant in favor of the new, direct-injected A91 flat-six that's equipped on the recently updated 911 Carrera.
The two turbocharged 911s will be packing 3.6-liters of displacement, with a 97 mm bore and an 81.5 mm stroke (the outgoing engine was sized 100 mm x 76.4 mm), along with revised turbochargers and intercoolers. Autocar's sources suggest that output on both models will rise by around 20 hp, with the Turbo producing 500 hp and the GT2 pushing out approximately 550 hp. Torque figures should also increase by around four percent.
The GT3 will remain naturally aspirated, with a 3.8-liter version of the A91 with a 102 mm bore and a 77.5 mm stroke. The same internal changes from the Carrera S will carry over to the GT3, including lightweight pistons, valves and springs. Output should increase from around 415 to 430 hp. And all of these changes will also increase fuel efficiency and decrease C02 output. 'Cause that's what really matters... right?
