Warm up
A ‘street-legal racer’… that’s a claim often made for this or that quick automobile but in few instances is it one which is fully justified. For anyone who has piloted a true racing machine knows full well how far removed such a vehicle is from even the most respected sports cars or tuners’ projects, no matter how much power and speed they can deliver. But here we have a car which truly deserves the much bandied designation. This Porsche 911 GT2, tuned by the crew at A-Worxx, is fit for the race track and can legally be driven on the streets and highways of the republic. It had to be so, for in the Porsche Sports Cup series starters in one of the classes are required to be street-legal versions. And this particular car was not just a starter, it was often a winner, and so we can confidently predict that it will put all the other sports cars we have tested into the category of also-rans.
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- Twin-turbo power pack… the regulations do not permit any modification of the bi-turbo Boxer motor, not that this is any disadvantage when it come to performance.
Potency
In order to correspond with the regulations the A-Worxx GT2 had to race without any of the classic engine tuning measures being implemented. To this day the motor is stock, although there have been fitted a K&N sports air filter and an Akrapovic titanium ‘Slip On Race’ complete exhaust system. This does result in 40 additional horsepower and an extra 70 Nm of torque for revised totals of 570 horsepower and 750 Nm. When the RPMs are nicely between 3,00 and 7,000 RPM the slightest nudge of the accelerator propels the car to speeds which would commonly result in the driver’s licence being revoked. However the pilot must have nimble fingers on the gear shift in order to avoid red-lining the rev counter or dropping into the turbo gap. A time of 3.9 seconds for the rush to a hundred sounds spectacular and that’s how it feels, too. It seems hardly appropriate to describe the feeling when the speedo indicates a top speed of 335 kilometres an hour.
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- When it is a matter of an auto like the Porsche 911 GT2 Sports Cup after it has been in the hands of the A-Worxx crew the aim is not to set new records in terms of longitudinal dynamics. The target is to ensure that other participants in race action see the car mostly from the back, with its adjustable rear spoiler wing constantly in the rival’s view.
Stability
When it is a matter of an auto like the Porsche 911 GT2 Sports Cup after it has been in the hands of the A-Worxx crew the aim is not to set new records in terms of longitudinal dynamics. The target is to ensure that other participants in race action see the car mostly from the back, with its adjustable rear spoiler wing constantly in the rival’s view. We cannot claim to be astonished by the car’s performance. Delighted, maybe. This Porsche is a pure racing machine, built for the track and completely at home in this competitive environment. The only surprise, perhaps, is that after just a few corners the driver becomes confident about having complete control of the GT2, assured that it responds to his commands and that the tail will only break away when he wants it to do so. Steering, brakes and clutch call for resolute operation with each component group direct and precise in its workings and in combination adding up to a harmonious whole capable of delivering top lap times. The heart of the car is the A-Worxx set-up for the KW Competition suspension. It goes without saying that the tuner has concentrated on the details in order to get the track, the camber, the ground clearance, the wheel loading just right. The A-Worxx GT2 is softly enough sprung to allow for the occasional contact with the kerbs, but is at the same time robust and as sharp as a razor blade. The brakes have been fitted with steel flex braided hoses and given racing brake fluid to make it possible to come to a stop from a hundred kilometres an hour in 35.1 metres… not a record result but these brakes can also be used with subtlety and are extremely stable and reliable. The A-Worxx Porsche 911 GT2 has been given 19 inch ATS ‘Superlight’ rims on which the rubber mounted is from Michelin’s ‘Pilot Sport Cup’ range.
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- Under the hatch there is still the 3.6 litre Boxer at work. it comes as something of a surprise that the racing bucket seats are as comfortable as they are.
Everyday driving
There is, as always, another side to the coin… the inevitable downside. With the A-Worxx Porsche 911 GT2 the problem becomes apparent when the car is not lapping the track… not taking the corners on a sinuous country roads. Even if the stiffness of the suspension is more or less acceptable the noise level is such that after a while it becomes hard to bear. It would be too much to expect a radio or sound system in the A-Worxx GT2 and so the driver’s ears are assaulted by the creaking of the protective cage construction, the percussion of gravel or stones drumming in the wheel arches and on the underbody and the infernal racket made by the engine. While it is obvious that there has to be a roll-over cage in a track racer for safety reasons this is one of the hindrances in terms of everyday motoring. It makes getting into the car a torture, it limits the driver’s view of the world outside and… as mentioned… it is a source of noise. This is not an automobile to be taken through the car wash, not with that kind of giant spoiler wing on the motor compartment, a wing which A-Worxx have lengthened with aerodynamically optimized carbon tips. Given all these hardships it comes as something of a surprise that the racing bucket seats are as comfortable as they are.
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- Her first owner had to pay substantially more. The basic car cost him almost exactly 200 thousand Euros and he invested 27 thousand more for the racing modifications.
The price to pay
It could well be the case that a few readers are beginning to fall in love with this automobile… but she is a mistress who has her price. For 135 thousand Euros, dear reader, she is yours. Her first owner had to pay substantially more. The basic car cost him almost exactly 200 thousand Euros and he invested 27 thousand more for the exhaust system, the clutch, suspension, wheel set, aerodynamics kit and the brakes. A lot of money, indeed, but not outrageous for the transformation of a mere super sports car into a pedigree racing machine. There could be a good few owners of the GT2 model who would like nothing better than to take their car out on the track and who could envisage such a transformation. But not only these privileged individuals will be aware of how much it costs to simply maintain a high performance Porsche. However the A-Worxx GT2 is up for sale second-hand at around 100 thousand Euros less than when new and is thus an almost attainable dream for a driving dynamics junkie with a well filled wallet.
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- 530 horsepower drive the back wheels and the tail can do a bit of a dance from time to time, but only when the GT2 is provoked to misbehave.
Intrinsic values
The A-Worxx GT2 Sports Cup can only be given a top score in all respects… no other car so well defines a street-legal racer. It serves only a single purpose… to deliver record performance in every way. There is nothing here that is soft or gentle… the charming passenger next to the driver will find the flesh of her face contorted into a grimace when the GT2 accelerates and passers-by will cover their ears. Those in the know will, however, almost genuflect in their acknowledgement of the car’s paramount virtues while going green with envy and wishing themselves at the wheel. These are the reactions we simply love provoking!
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- After his test, a very satisfied Thomas Harloff
Our conclusion
At first there is awe, then assurance, then absolute joy and finally pure enthusiasm. This automobile shows exactly what it means to qualify as a ‘street-legal racing machine’… the right platform, lowest possible weight, the best suspension, brakes and aerodynamics components and a relentlessly powerful motor. But make no mistake, the A-Worxx GT2 Sports Cup belongs on the race circuit, not on the autobahn and certainly not on city streets. But anyone bearing this caveat in mind and in possession of the cash it calls for will become quickly addicted to this car… guaranteed!
