Engine: 4L Water Cooled Flat-6 + 2 electric motors | Power: 470 hp + 218 hp
This hybrid race car is no Prius. Porsche decided to work with the Williams F1 Team to develop hybrid tech that it could use to go racing. They essentially took the F1 kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) (but used kinetic energy stored in a flywheel rather than batteries) to create the epic GT3-R with its two electric motors assist.
The electric motors added 218 hp to the front wheels to supplement the 470 hp four-liter flat-six engine at the rear. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid was a game changer and that was clear when racing bodies at the time didn’t know how to classify the car.
Compared to its predecessor the second-generation hybrid is our pick. It was 20 percent lighter and more efficient. The GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 features a monocoque body of hot-galvanized steel with a welded roll cage. Body panels are carbon fiber and there are lightweight polycarbonate windows on all sides, including the front windshield. At each corner is a height-adjustable suspension with dual coil springs and Sachs gas-pressure fixed-position dampers. The steering rack is power-assisted, with an electro-hydraulic pressure feed.
With a curb weight of just 2,866 pounds and a total system power of 672 horsepower, the all-wheel-drive Porsche GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 will accelerate to 60 mph in about 2.5 seconds. Its top speed is gearing limited to about 175 mph but that doesn’t seem to be an issue when racing. In September 2011 it impressed everybody when it competed in an exhibition class during an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race at Laguna Seca. Starting last it outran the entire GT class.
