Next Porsche 911 GT2 RS to adopt hybrid race-car technology, due in 2026

Porsche is planning to use mild-hybrid drivetrain technology originally developed for its Le Mans-winning race cars in an advanced, new-generation Porsche 911 GT2 RS super coupe.

It is set to become the most powerful and fastest accelerating road-going variant of the famed 911 sports car yet when it is launched in 2026, according to insiders at Porsche's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.   

The new limited-volume coupe – which may cost close to $700,000 in Australia – is intended to act as a technological showcase for a new hybrid drivetrain, which features technology first adopted on the 919 Hybrid and recently-unveiled 963 LMDh race cars.

Its use in the GT2 RS is expected to precede its fitment to other less extreme 911 models by the end of the decade, as part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

Contrary to speculation suggesting plans to electrify the 911 centre around plug-in-hybrid technology – similar to the Cayenne and Panamera – upcoming hybrid 911s are in line for a mild-hybrid system with an electric motor providing so-called ‘boosting properties’ to a rear-mounted turbocharged 3.8-litre six-cylinder petrol engine.

The hybrid system being developed by Porsche for the new 911 GT2 RS is described by insiders as being “even more advanced” than used by the company’s Motorsport division in the new 963 LMDh race car, which made its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona race last month.

Details about the new 911 GT2 RS Hybrid – which is likely to become the last of the existing 992-generation models prior to the arrival of the next-generation 911, remain scarce more than three years ahead of its planned launch.

However, recently-spied 911 Turbo prototypes fitted with the new mild-hybrid drivetrain receive a gearbox-mounted electric motor and air-cooled lithium-ion battery of limited capacity mounted low down behind the front seats.

Like that used by the Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid race car, the battery of the new Porsche model has been developed to support rapid 'cycling', with unique cell technology allowing it to charge and discharge energy quickly for performance driving.

Porsche confirmed the 919 Hybrid's cell technology was being readied for future production models back in 2017, saying it “will be used in future series applications in the field of hybrid vehicles” in communication with the media.

Additionally, a 2021 patent detailed Porsche’s plans to cool the battery with air from an electric turbocharger, negating the need for an additional cooling circuit or fan.

However, it is yet to be confirmed whether this system will be adopted on production versions of the 911.

Without direct charging from an external power plug, the battery is said to rely purely on energy recuperation under braking for electricity storage.

Together with a multi-stage brake energy recuperation system, Porsche is said to be developing the upcoming 911 GT2 RS Hybrid with a variable geometry turbine within the exhaust tract to allow it to generate electric energy under acceleration.

This system has been developed by Porsche Motorsport, and is used by the 919 Hybrid racer.

Unlike the 800-volt electric drivetrain being developed for the upcoming electric Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman – due mid-decade – the new mild-hybrid drivetrain planned for the 911 operates at 400 volts in the interests of weight and compactness, say Drive sources.

Insiders have told Drive the new mild-hybrid drivetrain will deliver “significantly more power” than the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre horizontally-opposed six-cylinder petrol engine of the last 911 GT2 RS – the 991-based model launched in 2017 with 515kW.

While it is slated to allow electric-only propulsion for short distances, the focus of Porsche’s new mild-hybrid drivetrain is very much on “performance enhancement with an absolute minimum increase in weight,” according to Drive sources.

A target of “more than 520kW” is accompanied by a “significant increase in torque”, say insiders. This indicates a big step in the earlier 911 GT2 RS’s 750Nm torque rating.

However, it remains to be seen whether Porsche holds firm to a traditional manual gearbox or opts for a heavier dual-clutch automatic transmission (as per the previous 911 GT2 RS).

A final decision rests with the ability of the gearbox to handle the added torque delivered by the electric motor, which is claimed to total more than 250Nm.

To offset the weight brought by the electric motor and battery, Porsche is developing the new 911 GT2 RS Hybrid with a lightweight body with measures similar to the Weissach Package offered by the previous GT2 RS, and the new 992-generation 911 GT3 RS.

They include carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic for the bonnet, roof and mirror housings, as well as polycarbonate windows and magnesium wheels.

Other lightweight components could include a return of the carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic anti-roll bars and drop links used by the 2017 model.

The company is yet to confirm its plans publicly, but insiders have told Drive Porsche is said to be aiming for a weight gain of no more than 100kg – an ambitious target given the extent of the changes in the hybridisation of its drivetrain.

The packaging of the battery low in the rear of the car – just ahead of the rear axle – is aimed at preserving the previous GT2 RS model's 39:61 front-to-rear weight balance.

It is also said to provide the new model with an even lower centre of gravity than its predecessor, despite the gain in weight.

The benchmark performance figure for the new flagship 911 model is the 0-100km/h time and the top speed of its six-year-old predecessor, which stand at a claimed 2.8 seconds and 340km/h respectively.

Another important benchmark for the new Porsche model is the six-minute, 40.33-second Nürburgring lap time achieved by Porsche test driver Lars Kern in a 911 GT2 RS modified by Porsche-affiliated tuner Manthey Racing in 2018.

Porsche has a long history of using developments from its motorsport programs to further the performance of its road cars. The most recent was the decision to use the V8 petrol engine from its RS Spyder race car in the plug-in hybrid system powering 2013's 918 Spyder hypercar.

The new 911 GT2 RS Hybrid is said to be the culmination of a more than decade-long engineering program focused on the electrification of the 911’s drivetrain.

Initial developments centred around a flywheel-based, Formula One-style kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) developed by Williams Advanced Engineering – the spin-off of the Williams Formula One team – in the UK.

Featured in the latest 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, it used an electrically-powered front axle, with two electric motors developing 60kW each – supplementing a rear-mounted, naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine with 353kW, for a combined 473kW.

In place of a battery, it relied on an electrical flywheel to recapture kinetic energy under braking and deliver it to the electric motors.

Despite European Union legislation aimed at banning petrol and diesel-engined cars from 2035, Porsche has been experimenting with ways of extending the life of the 911 beyond that date with the introduction of new synthetic fuel-compatible versions of the sports car, which it says could be made available to buyers by the end of the decade.