Porsche 911 CSR

DRIVEN: PORSCHE 911 CSR

Jonty hits the road in RPM Technik’s bespoke CSR Snakebite to find out if a Porsche could really slither its way onto his want list.

Written by: Jonty Wydell

It’s widely known I’m far from the number one Porsche fan around here, and usually opt for driving something Italian or British. Once in a blue moon, though, I’m ordered to drive one of Stuttgart’s finest, and this one is a little bit different. Totally reworked from a bare shell in Hertfordshire of all places, this is the RPM Technik CSR, known as ‘Snakebite’.

Starting life as a relatively bland and basic 355bhp Arctic Silver 997 Carrera S with high mileage, the RPM Technik magic then started like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Having eaten up so many miles, it was fully stripped, bodywork to bare shell, engine out and fully rebuilt, the same with the gearbox, and the seats were replaced along with an interior re-trim. To keep the exclusivity, only 50 cars will undergo the CSR transformation, following their ethos of ‘Bespoke, Analogue, Regenerated’. The ethos speaks for itself, but it’s interesting to see just what levels each of these concepts are taken to in the rebuild of a car. Typically, CSR cars are based on basic models reborn into fast road grand tourers which are also good for the occasional track day.

During the engine rebuild, not only was everything checked or replaced, but certain components were upgraded for more robustness and to improve the power delivery. Ok, so a hike from 355bhp to 370bhp doesn’t sound much, but headline power was not a target; mid-range torque is vastly improved making for a much better driving experience. The engine was so well refreshed for a car which had covered 112,000 miles prior to its CSR ‘regenerated’ transformation that it felt more spirited than when it first left the factory, and was worthy of a mileage reset, but the customer for this particular car felt that it should be proud of its previous miles and therefore ‘Snakebite’ now has 124,000 miles on the clock, not that you would know.

Now, let’s look at the ‘analogue’ part of this particular CSR. Focusing on the 996 and 997 era of Porsches, unlike other companies such as Singer or Rennsport who opt for older 911 models, I personally think they’re onto a winner by creating an all-round brilliant concept. I believe the 996 and 997 to be the perfect generation stop-gap between the old raw era and new state-of-the-art technical marvels which I can’t help but find a little soulless. Being the last of the non-DFI engined cars, this gave a very analogue platform to work with, yet with modern luxuries to be stripped back at the customers’ requirements, which brings us onto our final subject of ‘bespoke’. It’s pretty selfexplanatory really; no two CSRs will be the same because the list of options is virtually endless! This particular car now wears Brewster Green bodywork following the bare metal respray, and the interior, which was originally destined to be purple, instead has a very classical feel sporting black leather and Alcantara with houndstooth inserts on folding buckets, while the rear seats were removed completely. The rear of the car sports RPM Technik’s very own CSR carbon fibre ducktail complimenting that classic look, while the front and rear GT3 bumpers along with HRE Weiss Gold 19” wheels hint at this car's sporting credentials and suggest that Snakebite is a little more hardcore than you might think. A full CSR transformation is not exactly cheap, so is there actually any point to it? The 997 isn’t an old car, so why not get a respray done and whack a few performance parts on it, or just buy a GT3? Well, it's often said that if you’re going to do a job then you may as well do it properly, and while anyone can buy a GT3, they’re not necessarily tailored to the road and your requirements. The point is, after the transformation, you have a brand new, bespoke, analogue sports car regardless of its previous mileage. Having spent many miles behind the wheel of our 997 GT3, Greig at RPM Technik was keen for me to feedback on how they compare. As previously mentioned, I’m far from being a Porsche fanatic, but I did have a soft spot for our old GT3 due to its overall rawness, but can they really be compared? To begin with, as strange as it may seem, the CSR felt every bit as quick as our old GT3 despite figures suggesting a 12% power difference in favour of the GT3. But then they say there is no replacement for displacement and the 3.8-litre engine of the Carrera S, along with its new steel liners, ported and gas flowed heads, balanced con rods and motorsport pistons pushes the torque figure to 315lb ft, 15 more than you get from the 3.6-litre Mezger in the GT3. The CSR’s power band seems far better suited to road use, with power on tap from around 2,500rpm meaning there’s no need to be screaming up to redline in order to get a wriggle on. The sports exhaust amplifies the flat-six howl to just the right amount of decibels when planting your foot, but equally when releasing the pressure, the volume subsides with it. Onto handling which, as the bespoke ethos suggests, can be tuned to your needs. With fully poly-bushed and adjustable suspension (it even has an axle-lift system), the car will be set up with either a road or track bias in mind. Snakebite has been set up with a vision of it being more of a grand tourer which may occasionally find itself on track. It therefore has a slightly softer ride than a GT3, but as the geometry has been tweaked by touring car legend Tim Harvey, the excellent handling characteristics of the GT3 are still there. To aid with the bespoke handling characteristics, a CSR mechanical limited-slip differential is an option. It's actually the only aftermarket diff available for the 997 and is fully adjustable.

The whole feel of the CSR is very tight and driver-focused. The deep-dish Momo steering wheel with airbag delete compliments the pin-sharp steering, giving maximum feedback to the palm of your hands, unlike most modern cars. After many delightful hours driving on the nearby country roads, something strange took hold of me and I began falling for it like I’ve never fallen for a Porsche before. I started speccing my own CSR in my head, along the lines of this car but in Speed Yellow, with the rear seats replaced in matching houndstooth (for the kids) and the diff just that little bit tighter to ensure a sideways exit from any junction. Apologies for digressing here, but it really did get under my skin! So how does it compare with our old GT3? Personally and controversially, I’d take the CSR. It’s just more exclusive and that comprehensive rebuild and refresh gives you the confidence to want to spank it more than you generally would a 10-or-more-year-old car. The driver involvement, noise and capabilities are similar, yet unlike the two-seater GT3 with scaffolding in the back, a CSR doesn’t have to make the same sacrifices. The CSR Snakebite is the perfect compromise as the ultimate road-going Porsche for a driving enthusiast, with handling very much like the GT3 but with enhanced usability and all the character and excitement you could want of a car from of its era.

@rpmtechnik

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