SSR Performance Project Leo Is A 911 GT3 That Thinks It’s A GT2

Is there a market for a Porsche that’s not quite a Porsche?

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The hardcore 911 GT2 RS has been absent from Porsche’s lineup since the 991.2 incarnation died in 2019. But one German motorsport and tuning outfit wants to step up and plug that gap by making its own GT2-style 911 monster out of a GT3.

We first saw spy shots of Project Leo from SSR Performance back in April, and now a new set of prototype snaps have filtered back from the Nürburgring. Some of the details of the build are still under wraps, but Leo appears to be based on the latest 992.2 GT3 RS, itself an accomplished track weapon.

But SSR is believed to have added twin turbochargers to the GT3’s 4.0L flat-6, radically changing both its character and its output. Reports from the Ring say power could jump from the GT3 RS’s 518 horsepower (525 PS) rating to more than 800 hp. If that’s true, you can expect the donor car’s 343 lb-ft (465 Nm) torque stat to get an equally muscular makeover. The only downside is a more muffled, bassier sound, an inevitable side effect of adding turbos to the GT3’s engine.

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SSR has developed its own chassis and aerodynamic mods for Project Leo, including new vents for the top of the front fenders and a huge front splitter. But many of the other visible changes at the rear are tied to funneling air in and out of the now-turbocharged flat-six.

The rear quarter panels get a new intake shroud, and the windows above them are no longer windows, but air intakes, as they were on the last GT2. The GT3 RS’s twin center-mounted exhaust tailpipes have also been swapped for a pair set much further apart, and there are extra cooling slots in the rear bumper.

Could the AMG-One’s record be in trouble?

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SSR claimed it was going to “break many, many records with Leo” in a teaser video released in the spring, and made clear that it considered Germany’s 12.9-mile (20.8 km) Nürburgring Nordschleife the ultimate test of a car.

The last 911 GT2 equipped with a Manthey performance kit recorded a 6:43.300 at the Nürburgring in 2021, and with that dead, the fastest official Porsche model at the Ring is a Manthey-equipped 911 GT3 RS. Pro driver Jörg Bergmeister lapped the track in 6:49.328 minutes in one of those in June of this year. We don’t doubt SSR can beat both times, but beating the outright production lap record holder is another matter. No one has yet come close to the 6:29.090 set by the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar in 2024.

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The weather is changing fast in the Eifel mountains, meaning opportunities to set lap records at the Ring are nearly over for the year. But it looks like SSR might try to race the clock before the 2026 window closes.

And Porsche will be watching with interest if it does. The Stuttgart automaker is rumored to be working on a new GT2 RS that will blend the aero smarts of the GT3 RS with an enhanced version of the 701 hp (711 PS) turbocharged and hybrid-assisted 3.6L engine in the new 911 Turbo S. And with Manthey now firmly part of the Porsche family, the AMG One’s record might finally be in trouble.

Source: www.carscoops.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.