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Set to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Porsche’s 2010 Pirelli-shod 911 GT3 is an eye-catching ride with an equally eye-popping price tag of $112,200. The car’s look and engineering innovations are already attracting attention from the automotive community, and the vehicle is certain to impress whether it’s viewed on a spinning expo platform in Switzerland or seen tooling down the honky-tonk Strip in Ohio’s Geneva-on-the-Lake.
Pirelli tire dealers, of course, are likely to benefit through this persistent buzz as consumers presumably take notice of the sleek rubber upon which the 911 GT3 rolls.
Equipped at the factory with P Zero Corsa tires, the line has been “designed in conjunction with the world’s top sports car manufacturers” to meet the specific demands of road-cars while also being suitable for use on the race track, according to Joe Severns, public relations manager for Pirelli Tire North America, which is based in Rome, Ga.
The ultra-high performance Corsa System incorporates two separate tread designs; a directional front pattern plus an asymmetric version for the rear, amounting to “the absolute benchmark in its category.”
The result is an “extreme road use tire developed for powerful supercars and enthusiasts who often take their car on the race track, allowing them to maximize their car’s performance,” he points out. The features in tread pattern design, compound and structure are able “to satisfy even the most demanding customers in terms of dry handling and braking without compromising on wet handling, noise performance and maximized contact-patch with the road surface.”
The special racing tread compound ensures exceptional grip, while the use of ultra-light and flexible belts provides a wide footprint area, says Severns.
In addition to the Porsche applications, the Corsas are also street-legal original equipment on marques such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and BMW.
Safer wet driving is accomplished through the directional tread design on the front that “prepares the road for the asymmetric tire, thanks to an effective lateral water expulsion.”
The directional design provides better handling characteristics as the absence of continuous grooves “eliminates the blocky structure of a conventional pattern.”
The asymmetrical aspect, which also does away with continuous grooves, generates “a high land/sea ratio” while presenting a large external shoulder structure.
Top-level traction and precise handling when braking or cornering are among the attributes of an advanced material package engineered to bring improved structural resistance and uniform treadwear when driving at the tire’s limits, as are the “synergies” encompassed between the belting and spirally-wound nylon, according to Severns, who notes that the Corsa is “derived from the experience of Pirelli in the racing world.”
Pirelli’s position as a purveyor of racing rubber goes back a long time.
Headquartered in Milan, Italy, the company was founded in 1872 to produce bicycle tires. In 1901, the Ercole tire was introduced to equip some of the earliest horseless carriages chugging along on the muddy and rutted roads of the day.
The company’s first victory in a car race came in 1907 with the Peking-Paris event, and Pirelli has kept at it ever since.
The firm’s role in producing both original equipment and aftermarket tires accounts for a 70 percent ratio of consumer offerings for cars, light trucks and motorcycles. The remaining 30 percent stems from buses, large trucks and agricultural and earth moving machinery, along with the manufacturing of industrial steel cord.
It has 24 factories in 12 countries.
The Pirelli Tire North America plant in Rome, Ga. features the company’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS), described as a state-of-the-art technology serving both the domestic and export tire markets.
The Corsa-equipped 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 to be unveiled in Geneva is being billed as the fastest, most powerful entry of the 911 series. It is a sight to behold.
Porsche reports that the 2010 edition “raises the performance bar thanks to an increase in engine size to 3.8 liters and VarioCam technology now on both the intake and exhaust.” The naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine develops 435 bhp, 20 bhp more than its predecessor.
This new, larger engine offers a significant increase in torque at medium engine speeds, which is particularly important for everyday driving, according to the company. Track performance is also improved; the GT3 accelerates to 60 mph in 4 seconds and reaches a top track speed of 194 mph.
Driving dynamics have also been enhanced. Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) has enabled the company’s engineers to make the springs and anti-roll bars stiffer, “thus ensuring even more precise handling in sport mode, while retaining a level of comfort suitable for everyday use in normal mode.”
For the first time, the 911 GT3 comes standard with Porsche Stability Management (PSM), providing suspension-mapping that mirrors that of the GT2. The driver can disengage both stability control and traction control in separate steps.
At high speeds, aerodynamic improvements have increased downforce at both the front and rear, more than doubling the effect of the previous GT3. At the same time, the new aerodynamics package, with larger vents in the front and rear bumpers, gives the GT3 a brand-new look, Porsche points out, accentuated by standard bi-xenon headlights, LED rear light clusters and modified air intakes and outlets.
The GT3 will be available with newly designed engine mounts. Utilizing magnetic fluid, they automatically stiffen to create a more solid coupling between the engine and chassis when the car is energetically driven. “This provides a sporting, rigid assembly on fast bends and winding racetracks yet allows for engine isolation and increased comfort while driving in everyday traffic. Traction is also improved when accelerating from a standstill.”
Its brake discs are larger, and they feature an aluminum hub to reduce weight. Increased brake ventilation ensures a high level of brake power over long periods, and the GT3 can also be equipped with PCCB ceramic brakes developed specifically for this model.
A new lift system for the front axle is also available. By utilizing an on-board air compressor, the front of the car can be raised for steep driveways or inclines. A touch of a button raises the front ride height by 1.18 inches and at speeds up to about 30 mph. New, lighter GT3-specific center lock wheels and the Pirelli ultra-high performance tires “round out the functional and visual enhancement of the GT3.”
The car is to be available to the public, or at least those with $112,200 to spend, in the fall of this year.
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com and www.porsche.com.
