RPM Technik Reveals 996 CSR EVO RPM Technik has debuted the latest vehicle in its CSR range – the track-focused 996 CSR EVO…
Independent Porsche specialist RPM Technik has revealed the latest vehicle in its CSR range of bespoke modular machines. The new 350hp 996 CSR EVO follows in the footsteps of various reworked Porsche vehicles to bear the firm’s trademark CSR moniker, this offering takes things a stage further with a major focus on track work. The EVO is chassis number 22 of 28 cars either built or currently in build by the dedicated CSR division of RPM Technik, this particular car’s setup has been honed in partnership with former BTCC and Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion, Tim Harvey.
Using as its basis a 2002 second-generation 996 Carrera 2, the new 911 CSR EVO has received a host of engine tweaks to its 3.6-litre M96 power unit both to ensure durability and to increase performance. Where previous CSR cars were aimed at the occasional track day attendee, this latest vehicle has been designed for drivers who visit the track regularly.
Thanks to a plethora of unique touches, and a full respray in VWG Purple, it looks pretty special too. “It still is a road car but it has the potential to be a lot more hardcore than anything that has come before it, but it still needs to be a daily driver – that’s a box every CSR has to tick,” explained RPM Technik’s Darren Anderson. “You could still use it as your daily driver, but the suspension’s beefed-up, you can run Cup tyres on it – the envelope is bigger with a further range of adjustment on offer to be able to go that little bit harder and faster.”
The suspension of the 996 CSR EVO is a highlight. Underneath you’ll find KW Clubsport three-way adjustable coilovers set with an exclusive CSR ride height. The car is also fitted with an adjustable lightweight anti-roll bar, adjustable lower arms and poly bushes throughout. In each corner sit lightweight 18-inch OZ wheels on Michelin Cup 2 tyres, behind them flashes of orange signify four-piston brake callipers working with CSR floating discs and high-performance pads and brake fluid. The new 996 CSR EVO boasts a lightweight carbon bonnet, part of various weight-saving measures which shave 45kg off that of a stock Carrera. A unique CSR front bumper features a functional central vent directing air to a newly installed third radiator. Out back the usual CSR ducktail does its best to draw your eye away from what is arguably this car’s major party piece – a stunning bespoke centre-exit exhaust system sitting below a redesigned rear bumper section.
“The exhaust is a proper custom engineered centre-exit system, it’s part of our ‘power pack’ which has seen the engine have its cylinder heads rebuilt, machined and ported – we’ve done engine preservation modifications to this car but those things also help us with improved power and power delivery,” Darren said. “We are able to take the tailpipes off the system to fit silencers for track use.”
Those engine works include what RPM Technik officially calls a ‘CSR preservation pack and Stage 1 power kit’, this includes an IMS bearing upgrade, deep sump and the introduction of Evans Waterless coolant. Inside the new 996 CSR EVO is as purposeful as it is on the outside. Recaro Pole Position fixed bucket seats are the centrepiece of the car’s inners alongside a colourcoded rear rollcage and simplified and colour-coded centre console. Where the rear seats once were sits a harness bar developed by RPM Technik, but cleverly this can also be fitted to cars with rear seats, affording the option for running harnesses on track without loosing the practicality of retaining your 996’s original rear bench. A taller gear lever is combined with a short shift kit, in combination with the deep dished steering wheel the cabin modifications have been designed to be as intuitive as possible for track work.
All of these changes result in what appears to be a very characterful 996 with a unique mechanical personality – we have yet to drive the car but the engine sounds immense and very much unlike the din emitted from your typical 996. In addition, this is the first 996 CSR to run a mechanical slip differential, it too is fully adjustable allowing owners to customise the setup to suit their driving style with different plates or ramp angles on offer, that’s something you can’t do with rival differential solutions and it highlights the entire build ethos of this car – its adjustability and focus.
Though this car has been designed to showcase the complete 996 CSR EVO package, as we’ve already stated it is very much a modular affair, meaning owners can pick and choose its different elements to suit their needs and budget.
The full conversion is priced from £55,000 (plus the cost of the car), which it in a similar price bracket to that of a 996 GT3, however, its adjustability and focus would appear to offer a unique – potentially better – road track driving package. We will be putting it through its paces in a forthcoming issue, in the meantime visit the website for more information: www.rpmtechnik.co.uk
