New Porsche 911 Cup and GT3 R unveiled for 2026

You don’t have to look very far in any kind of sports car racing series, be it classic or modern, to find a Porsche 911 of some description. They’ve always made great race cars; with this latest range of updates, Porsche will be hoping that success story continues for a long while yet. 

Both the 911 Cup (as used in the Porsche Supercup and Carrera Cup GB) as well as the GT3-spec GT3 R have been refreshed for the 2026 season. Both are highly significant race cars; more than 5,300 911s have been built by Porsche over the years for one-make racing, and 1,130 of those were the most recent generation. And the GT3 R has won at Le Mans, the Nurburgring, plus in IMSA competition across the pond. More than 100 have been delivered since 2023. While it can sometimes seem that Porsche is preoccupied with contrast stitching on air vents and electric SUVs, motorsport very much still matters. 

The Cup car sounds like a proper riot, as they often do, now resembling the 992.2 GT3 road car and boasting tweaks focused on ‘enhancing performance, maintaining reasonable operating costs, and simplifying handling for both drivers and teams.’ So there’s another 10hp thanks to ‘flow-optimised individual throttle valves’ and new cams, though without any change to the service life: the 4.0-litre flat six only needs an overhaul after 100 hours of track time. And that’s a lot of racing if a Carrera Cup race is 30 mins or so. 

Those races will start with more drama, too, thanks to a new clutch for the sequential; it means revs can be higher than the previous 6,500rpm for a getaway from the lights (though Porsche hasn’t said by exactly how much), ‘enhancing the acoustic theatrics at the beginning of a race.’ Three choices of exhaust mean things won’t ever be too rowdy for locals. And if things don’t quite go to plan when the lights go green, there’s a new auto engine restart that activates as soon as the clutch is dipped. 

Indeed, there’s more help than ever before to get the most from a 911 Cup, with Bosch ABS now fitted on bigger brakes, new steering stops to make the car more manoeuvrable on city streets (and catch skids more easily), plus new buttons on the wheel are said to be more readable. Every little helps.

Speaking of which, the new front spoiler of a Cup is now made up of three parts, meaning only the damaged part can be replaced should you nerf the car in front. It cuts down on both repair and transport costs. Similarly, there are no longer daytime running lights because they were prone to damaging rads in the event of contact. And rubbing is racing. Louvre vents on the front like a GT3 RS feature for the first time, while the swan-neck rear spoiler has been revised yet again. Recycled carbon features throughout. 

Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, said:  “Like its successful predecessors, the new 911 Cup pushes boundaries. It combines series components from our GT sports cars with pure racing technology to create a coherent and performance-based overall concept.”

Although the GT3 R isn’t much more powerful, with a maximum of 565hp from a 4.2 depending on Balance of Performance, it’s a much more serious motorsport prospect. Look at it: aero flics the size of surfboards, intakes that’d consume a small dog, a spoiler as wide as the M6. Now with a 4mm Gurney flap, in fact, for even more downforce. Porsche says the focus of this GT3 R update was suspension and aero, to balance out the handling further and make the car more approachable for non-pro drivers in all conditions. 

To that end, the front suspension has been tweaked along with the ducts on the arches to minimise dive under braking. Always a 911 quirk, with all the mass of the engine behind; now an R is said to offer ‘more precise and predictable braking behaviour, improving overall control’, aided by fifth-gen racing ABS. The squat at the rear is addressed by modified kinematics. 

Then we’re into the really nerdy stuff. There’s extra fluid cooling for the electrohydraulic steering, to keep temps and forces consistent on tracks like the Nordschleife; ceramic wheel bearings are also said to be tougher. The rear brake cooling system can now be adjusted more precisely, reckons Porsche, which will be handy at Daytona, they say. No track, no scenario has been overlooked, it seems. Even the bag of flesh inside has been considered, with new air vents for better circulation. 

In a very un-Porsche move, previously optional kit is now being thrown into the GT3 R offering. So the sensor package, endurance package, pit lane link package and camera package, which includes stuff like a track temperature sensor and a pair of brake master cylinder potentiometers, is now included. Options are mostly series-specific, including special drive shafts for LMGT3 and IMSA, plus a pre-silencer for cars competing in the Nurburgring Endurance Series. 

While Porsche hasn’t announced a price for the 2026 GT3 R just yet, it is proposing a batch of 60 upgrade kits, which will cost teams €41,500 plus taxes. They’re probably going to want it: a development car already secured second place at the Spa 12 Hours in April. “Our focus for this update was on optimisation. Small changes can make a big difference when built on a solid, proven foundation,” said Sebastian Golz, GT3 R Project Manager. “Driver feedback after the first race outing during the development phase in April confirmed our direction. We’re confident this evolution will allow our customer teams to continue competing successfully across the globe.” Those Porsche podiums aren’t going to stop anytime soon.