Skip advert
Advertisement

RPM CSR Evo takes Porsche’s 911 996 Carrera to a track-focused extreme

Porsche specialist RPM Technik has built a faster, leaner, 996 Carrera, the most extreme model yet in its CSR series

Hertfordshire-based Porsche specialists RPM Technik has built 28 of its 996- and 997-based ‘CSR’ conversions over recent years, but this, the 996 CSR Evo, is its most extreme yet.

Based on the second generation 996 Carrera, complete with its larger 3.6-litre engine, the ‘Evo’ takes the themes of reducing weight, increasing power, and a track focus, a step further.

Advertisement - Article continues below

> New Porsche 911 - full review

The M96 engine is treated to the firm’s Preservation Pack, which aims to safeguard the flat six against the stresses of track work; these engines having nothing like the reputation for toughness enjoyed by the Mezger engine in GT3s of similar vintage. To that end there’s a deeper sump, a third radiator and also a modification for the notorious IMS bearing. However, for the first time there’s also a stage 1 power upgrade for the engine, including more aggressive camshafts, gas flowed and ported cylinder heads and an upgraded induction kit.

Coupled with an entirely new exhaust that exits in the middle of the car, the engine is supposedly good for around 350bhp - similar to a gen1 996 GT3, if not the gen2 car. There is also a lightweight flywheel and clutch assembly, plus for the first time on a CSR model, a mechanical limited slip differential as opposed to the torque-biasing type the firm usually fits. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

The suspension features KW CLub Sport three-way adjustable coilovers, with lighter and adjustable anti-roll bars, poly bushing and adjustable lower suspension arms for more camber. The unique geometry settings were fine-tuned by touring car legend Tim Harvey. Naturally, the braking system has been upgraded as well, with CSR-branded four-pot calipers and ‘floating’ discs, and there are lightweight OZ wheels of 18” diameter shod with Michelin Cup 2 tyres.

Advertisement - Article continues below

There’s a mix of the retro and GT3 to the exterior of the CSR Evo, with gen2 GT3 side skirts, but a modified GT3 front bumper with extra vents and a carbonfibre engine lid with ducktail spoiler (replacing the electrically-powered standard Carrera rear wing). The bonnet is also made from carbon fibre, while inside there’s a pair of recaro bucket seats, a half cage, a non-airbag deep dish steering wheel, and CSR harness bar with harnesses. The lower part of the dashboard has been deleted (like a GT3), while the modified centre console has lost its ashtray and switchgear. 

All in, there’s a 45kg weight saving over a regular Carrera 2 with a manual gearbox, taking the overall weight to something like 1,300kg, meaning the CSR Evo should feel very spritely indeed. There’s also the small matter of £55,000 to find, on top of a donor car, which for a Carrera of this period would be £15,000-£20,000. Now that’s 996 GT3 money, but RPM hope that the bespoke nature of the CSR, its completely renewed chassis (something worth considering against a higher mileage GT3) and its different approach to being entirely at home on a circuit (while still useable on the road) make that a viable comparison. We’ll drive it soon and let you know whether we think it is.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Porsche 956: the anatomy of an endurance racing icon
Porsche 956
Features

Porsche 956: the anatomy of an endurance racing icon

The 956 (along with its 962 successor) represents a pinnacle of endurance racing. We look under the skin of this iconic racer to discover what made it…
1 Dec 2024
Porsche patents cleaner, more powerful six-stroke engine design
Porsche 911
News

Porsche patents cleaner, more powerful six-stroke engine design

The design is as much a two-times-three-stroke as it is a six-stroke, and has the potential to massively increase power and reduce emissions
23 Sep 2024
Kalmar’s 9X9 is a modern-day Porsche 959 with 917bhp
Kalmar 9X9
News

Kalmar’s 9X9 is a modern-day Porsche 959 with 917bhp

Estonian engineering firm Kalmar Automotive has revealed its take on the iconic Porsche 959 of the ‘80s
16 Aug 2024
Tuthill’s new GT One is the Porsche 911 GT1 reincarnated
Tuthill GT One
News

Tuthill’s new GT One is the Porsche 911 GT1 reincarnated

Historic Porsche specialist Tuthill is getting in on the reimagined game, revealing the GT One at Monterey Car Week
16 Aug 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best Jaguars – big cats that defined the breed
The best Jaguars
Best cars

Best Jaguars – big cats that defined the breed

As Jaguar stares down the barrel of a polarising new era, it’d do well not to forget some of the brilliance from its past. We list Jag’s modern greats…
6 Dec 2024
2024’s best performance cars battle it out – car pictures of the week
evo Car of the Year 2024 lineup
Features

2024’s best performance cars battle it out – car pictures of the week

A little taste of eCoty 2024 to whet the pallet is the subject of this week’s car pictures
8 Dec 2024
From 2025 your new performance car might cost over £5k to tax
Car tax 2025
News

From 2025 your new performance car might cost over £5k to tax

Audi's RS6, Lamborghini Revuelto, Mercedes-AMG GT... any car producing more than 255g/km of C02 will be hit by a rise in vehicle excise duty from Apri…
11 Dec 2024