Friday 18th November 2016

Porsche 911 R at Silverstone: Time for Coffee?

Worried all the 911 Rs were in air-conditioned collections? This PHer proves otherwise!

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Is the Porsche 911 R the most discussed and debated car of 2016? Perhaps. But in the furore around availability and dodgy deals, it's largely been forgotten that it's rather good as 911s go...

So look away now if you don't like rear-engined Porsches, and the R in particular. But if you do like them and you want to see one being driven well by an enthusiast, see below. PHer 'footsoldier' got his R on track as soon as possible, enjoying his car on a great circuit as well like to do with a new performance car. The noise is sublime even through a GoPro, it looks really fast and props to this PHer for doing his own heel and toe as well.

With so many apparently being bought as investments, to see a 911 R being thrashed around a circuit is really heartening. That's what they were made for after all! Thanks footsoldier for sending it over, hopefully there's plenty more to come.

Watch the video here.

[TIGA84]

Good to see one being used.

[TP321]

Another over hyped car....took him ages to get past that R8.

[marc]

How lovely to see a modern supercar with a manual gearbox - it might be slower but it is a crucial interaction in a sports car - all in my humble opinion of course!

[RobM77]

TP321 said:

Another over hyped car....took him ages to get past that R8.

It's not hyped for its performance though, it's hyped for how nice it is to drive isn't it? Plus on a trackday you can get anyone there from a track virgin to a professional racing driver practising in his road car, so relative performance doesn't necessarily tell you anything about the cars.

[smilo996]

"Is the Porsche 911 R the most discussed and debated car of 2016" - only here.

Another week, another 911.

Good to see Porsche have finally admitted (again) the correct location for the engine is in front of the rear axle.

"By moving the engine forwards Porsche can finally utilise the space to generate more underbody downforce, while also improving the overall balance of the car"

Makes you wonder why they put the rear seats in instead, oh wait......

Decent paint and wheels though.

[krismccloy]

What a lovely car and looks like a fantastic drive on circuit, Even a little unintentional over steer on occasions too.

The R8 driver didn't look like he wanted to be over taken in common four ring fashion.

[Dave Hedgehog]

i want one even more now lol

[Dave Hedgehog]

krismccloy said:

The R8 driver didn't look like he wanted to be over taken in common four ring fashion.

mirrors and indicators are expensive options on audi's so most buyers don't tick them

[Digga]

krismccloy said:

The R8 driver didn't look like he wanted to be over taken in common four ring fashion.

It's a track day; people dicking about in cars. There's no race and he wasn't being deliberately obstructive, and the 911R driver was (rightly) not being overly aggressive - he could have pushed a pass in much earlier. God knows some of the Italian drivers on the last DN Nurburgring track day would have.

[SevenR]

TP321 said:

Another over hyped car....took him ages to get past that R8.

What a stupid comment.

[Adz The Rat]

SevenR said:

What a stupid comment.

I fully agree.

[Oddball RS]

TP321 said:

Another over hyped car....took him ages to get past that R8.

What a dorkish comment! I actually applaud the Porsche driver for deciding discretion is the best form of valour when it comes to passing someone who doesn't give you a good vibe.

[xFLYNNx]

Ive heard one has been written off also

[nckr55]

Top petrolhead, Mr Footsoldier.
Dailying the 911R at the moment. Sensible winter hack

[Mannginger]

nckr55 said:

Top petrolhead, Mr Footsoldier.
Dailying the 911R at the moment. Sensible winter hack

Wow - love this!

[DPSFleet]

After years of other sports cars I now just love 911's - I only got 2 at the moment! People are sometimes scared of them (esp in the wet) as they take some nerve to drive quickly but they are so rewarding. It's not all about ultimate speed either. Oh, and you can use it everyday if inclined. Looking forward to my next drive already!

[fatboy69]

What a great car.

And the best bit is the manual gearbox. What a change from flappy paddles & all that bks. This is the best way to drive a sports car.

More please.

[PunterCam]

This car has been over-hyped to the point of comedy - I'm sure it's very nice, but come off it. "Being used properly" - it's a 911, I'm sure most are being used properly - 3k miles or 30k miles - is it really going to matter when it's rare?

[nckr55]

fatboy69 said:

What a great car.

And the best bit is the manual gearbox. What a change from flappy paddles & all that bks. This is the best way to drive a sports car.

More please.

Reg on this one is NO** PDK

[Patrick Bateman]

TP321 said:

Another over hyped car....took him ages to get past that R8.

Sound reasoning, I exclusively go by numbers and track times when choosing a car, it's the only way to enjoy them...