{"id":69709,"date":"2025-09-09T20:18:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T00:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/rml-p39-gt-hypercar-unleashed-907bhp-track-monster-aims-to-outpace-the-911-gt3-rs-at-the-nurburgring\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T20:18:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T00:18:06","slug":"rml-p39-gt-hypercar-unleashed-907bhp-track-monster-aims-to-outpace-the-911-gt3-rs-at-the-nurburgring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/rml-p39-gt-hypercar-unleashed-907bhp-track-monster-aims-to-outpace-the-911-gt3-rs-at-the-nurburgring\/","title":{"rendered":"RML P39 GT Hypercar Unleashed 907bhp Track Monster Aims to Outpace the 911 GT3 RS at the N\u00fcrburgring"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Makes the RML GT Hypercar Stand Out From Other Supercars?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever wondered what happens when motorsport know-how collides with the world of ultra-exclusive road cars, the RML GT Hypercar is your answer. This isn\u2019t just another high-powered Porsche 911 variant. It\u2019s a 907bhp monster that promises to lap the N\u00fcrburgring faster than a 911 GT3 RS, yet it\u2019s also designed to be genuinely usable on the road. That\u2019s a rare combination, and it\u2019s exactly what sets the RML GT Hypercar apart from the crowd.<\/p>\n

The car starts life as a Porsche 911 Turbo S, but after a four-week, half-a-million-pound transformation at RML\u2019s facility, it emerges as something altogether more extreme. The controls and ergonomics may feel familiar to Porsche fans, but the experience is anything but ordinary. Imagine sitting in a cockpit where the rear window has vanished, replaced by a steel half-cage and a five-foot-long intake tract that channels the roar of a 907bhp flat-six engine directly into your ears. It\u2019s not just fast\u2014it\u2019s immersive.<\/p>\n

How Does the RML GT Hypercar Balance Track Performance With Everyday Usability?<\/p>\n

One of the most impressive things about the RML GT Hypercar is its dual personality. Michael Mallock, who heads up RML\u2019s new Bespoke division, describes it as \u201cvery much a beast with two faces.\u201d On the one hand, it\u2019s engineered to blitz the Nordschleife in under 6 minutes 45 seconds\u2014a time that would put it among the fastest road-legal cars on the planet. On the other, it\u2019s designed to cover long distances in comfort, with suspension rates that are actually softer than the donor Turbo S in their most relaxed setting.<\/p>\n

This split personality is no accident. Chief engineer Adam Airey, a veteran of endurance racing, explains that the project began with the goal of setting a blistering N\u00fcrburgring lap time, but quickly expanded to include real-world usability. The result? A suspension system developed with R53 Suspension (the same folks involved with Gordon Murray\u2019s supercars) that offers a primary spring rate similar to the Turbo S, but stiffens up under load for track work. There\u2019s even hydraulically adjustable ride height\u2014a feature no factory 911 currently offers\u2014allowing the car to drop 15mm at the touch of a button for maximum downforce or raise up to clear speed bumps.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Under the Skin: Engineering Innovations and Attention to Detail<\/p>\n

Dig a little deeper, and the RML GT Hypercar\u2019s engineering gets even more fascinating. The carbon-fibre bodywork is a masterpiece in itself\u2014just 19kg for a piece that stretches from the A-pillars to the rear bumper, including the roof and massive intake scoop. It\u2019s bonded to the 911\u2019s monocoque using only 4kg of adhesive, a process that gives the car its seamless, prototype racer look.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just about looks. The rear haunch intakes, for example, aren\u2019t for cooling or feeding the engine as on a regular Turbo S. Instead, they\u2019re pure through-ducts designed to reduce drag by 3%. The wheelbase has been extended by 100mm, and the tracks are significantly wider, requiring custom-machined suspension links. Yet, the active anti-roll bars and rear-axle steering from the Turbo S are retained, preserving the donor car\u2019s sophisticated handling systems.<\/p>\n

The engine, meanwhile, is a heavily reworked version of Porsche\u2019s 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six, tuned by Litchfield to produce that headline 907bhp and 738lb ft of torque. The internals remain stock, but the power comes from upgraded turbochargers, improved cooling, and a new electronic calibration. The result? A 0-60mph time of just 2.4 seconds and a top speed of 205mph, all while maintaining reliability.<\/p>\n

Is the Driving Experience as Wild as the Numbers Suggest?<\/p>\n

Short answer: yes, but with nuance. Slide into the driver\u2019s seat, and you\u2019re greeted by a mix of familiar Porsche controls and bespoke RML touches. Four rotary dials under the steering wheel let you adjust everything from suspension to aero settings. In its default mode, the engine is relatively tame, putting out around 740bhp. Switch to Sport or Sport Plus, and you unlock the full 907bhp\u2014good for 589bhp per tonne. Acceleration is savage, but thanks to Michelin Cup 2 tyres and Porsche\u2019s ceramic brakes, it\u2019s all surprisingly manageable on dry roads.<\/p>\n

On track, the car\u2019s stability and grip are immense. The adjustable suspension and active aerodynamics (including a DRS wing that increases slipperiness by 23%) mean the car can hunker down and generate close to a tonne of downforce at 180mph. Yet, there\u2019s still delicacy in the way it steers through medium-speed corners\u2014a testament to the careful tuning of both chassis and electronics.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s It Like to Live With a Car This Extreme?<\/p>\n

You might expect a car this focused to be a nightmare on the road, but RML has gone to great lengths to make sure that\u2019s not the case. The ride quality is both taut and surprisingly plush, and the cabin\u2014especially in the finished production cars\u2014feels every bit as special as you\u2019d hope for at this price point. The fit and finish are top-notch, with dramatic scoops and gullies that evoke the excesses of 1980s and 1990s supercars, but with a modern, high-end twist.<\/p>\n

Of course, this level of performance and exclusivity doesn\u2019t come cheap. The RML GT Hypercar starts at \u00a3594,000 (plus the cost of the donor car), and only 40 will be made\u2014making it twice as rare as the legendary 911 GT1 Strassenversion. But for those lucky enough to get one, it\u2019s a chance to own a car that\u2019s not just fast, but genuinely unique.<\/p>\n

How Does RML\u2019s Motorsport Heritage Shape the GT Hypercar?<\/p>\n

RML isn\u2019t a household name like Ferrari or Lamborghini, but in motorsport circles, it\u2019s a big deal. The company has a long history of engineering race cars and special projects for major manufacturers. Remember the Nio EP9 electric hypercar that set a N\u00fcrburgring lap record in 2017? That was RML\u2019s handiwork. The GT Hypercar draws directly on this motorsport expertise, from its rapid development cycle to its relentless focus on performance and reliability.<\/p>\n

Paul Dickinson, RML\u2019s new group CEO (formerly of Bentley\u2019s Mulliner division), sums it up best: \u201cYou race on Sunday and the car has to be perfect. You don\u2019t get a second chance.\u201d That ethos is evident in every aspect of the GT Hypercar, from its meticulous engineering to its ambitious performance targets.<\/p>\n

Key Specs at a Glance<\/p>\n

Price: \u00a3594,000 (plus donor car)
\nEngine: 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six, 907bhp, 738lb ft
\nTransmission: 8-speed dual-clutch, 4WD
\nKerb weight: 1540kg
\n0-60mph: 2.4 seconds
\nTop speed: 205mph
\nRivals: Lamborghini Revuelto, Ferrari SF90, Porsche 911 GT2 RS<\/p>\n

The Takeaway: Why the RML GT Hypercar Matters<\/p>\n

In a world where supercars are often defined by their badge or their price tag, the RML GT Hypercar is a breath of fresh air. It\u2019s the product of genuine engineering passion, motorsport pedigree, and a willingness to push boundaries. Whether it ultimately claims that sub-6:45 N\u00fcrburgring lap or not, it\u2019s already proven that there\u2019s still room for innovation and excitement in the world of ultra-high-performance cars. For those who crave something truly different\u2014and have the means to make it happen\u2014the RML GT Hypercar is a compelling new contender.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"RML<\/a><\/p>\n

907bhp GT Hypercar promises to lap the \u2019Ring faster than a 911 GT3 RS<\/p>\n

\n

Being at the wheel of RML\u2019s single P39 prototype, as it stalks the outside lane of Millbrook\u2019s high-speed bowl, is like filling up at a deserted forecourt at 3am. Familiar but faintly unreal.<\/p>\n

The major controls and ergonomics are as per the 992.1 Porsche 911 Turbo S<\/a> donor, which RML would prefer arrived for the four-week, half-a-million-pound conversion process with fewer than 10,000 miles on the odo. As such, if you\u2019re confident driving even a sweet little Carrera, getting about in the GT Hypercar (P39 is the codename) should be a doddle. Or so you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n

Underslung off the steering boss are four serious-looking rotary dials, some of which are angrily backlit in red. My view out of the rear window is also more compromised than that of any mad Lambo, mainly because there is no rear window, just a dark nook in which lurks a steel half-cage. And beginning just above my head is the five-foot-long intake tract for a 907bhp flat six. This ensures that bouts of heavy throttle sound like God whispering directly into your ear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cVery much a beast with two faces\u201d is how Michael Mallock (above, right) describes the car, which was revealed in full production form at this year\u2019s Salon Priv\u00e9. The GT Hypercar is the first ware from RML\u2019s newly minted \u2018Bespoke\u2019 division. The department is overseen by Mallock and tasked with delivering rare-groove dream machines that delight clients and show major OEMs what the company can do, and do rapidly, by applying motorsport know-how to road car manufacture.<\/p>\n

Though the \u2018bespoke\u2019 wrapper is new, the know-how certainly isn\u2019t. P35 was the Ferrari<\/a> 550 Maranello-based RML Short Wheelbase we drove in 2022, with its picture-perfect handling and stunning cabin atmosphere. P36 was a world-class Bizzarrini Strada revival. P37 was Lotus\u2019s GT4 Emira. We can\u2019t talk about P38 because it\u2019s a secretive white-label project.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Paul Dickinson has also recently been brought in as group CEO, fresh from running Bentley\u2019s<\/a> Mulliner division, to make an operation with a distinct skunkworks flavour more corporate but \u201cnot too corporate\u201d, a glint-eyed Mallock assures us at Millbrook.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve joined RML for the day as the engineers fine-tune a machine that, somehow, was still only a top-down render being discreetly shown to would-be buyers at last year\u2019s Pebble Beach. One face of this beast, as Mallock puts it, will be in its ability to lap the Nordschleife in less than 6min 45sec. That will make the GT Hypercar among the fastest road-legal track cars on the planet.<\/p>\n

The other, more civilised face will be an ability to cover big mileages with ease. It\u2019s why the suspension rates in the so est setting are a touch more languid than that on the donor car.\u00a0Mallock is in a good place to judge his engineer\u2019s efforts in this respect: subsumed within this naked-carbon prototype is his faithful old daily.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

RML has previous when it comes to rapid \u2019Ring times, of course. It white-label-engineered the\u00a0Nio EP9 that in 2017 took the record for the fastest EV lap with a sensational time of\u2026 6min 45sec.<\/p>\n

So P39 is an ambitious car, as chief engineer, ex-Lola man and endurance racing fanatic Adam Airey explains once we\u2019re off the bowl and the car\u2019s body has been carefully fed back into a garage that feels narrower than went we set out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main driver to start with was the N\u00fcrburgring lap time<\/a> using a 992-generation Turbo S platform and giving it our body,\u201d he says matter-of-factly. \u201cBut then Michael said the car also had to drive like a Turbo S on the road.\u201d It\u2019s hard not to laugh when Airey explains that this was slightly problematic, given that by this stage his team had a full race car on their hands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ve had to come up with a Jekyll and Hyde strategy on damping and springing,\u201d he says. Forging a split personality involved working with R53 Suspension, these days a household name in our world thanks to its involvement with Gordon Murray\u2019s new-wave supercars.<\/p>\n

The approach is that the P39\u2019s spring has a primary rate nearly identical to that of the regular Turbo S, but that under load comes into a stiffer rate before you get to race car-style wire-gauze bump stops. These are there to keep the floor off the ground in extremis, when the body is slammed to the deck in its lowest ride setting and close to a tonne of downforce is made at 180mph. It means RML\u2019s car makes more downforce than even a 911 GT3 RS, although if kilos of aero adhesion are the new bragging rights in supercar circles, those owners can strike back by fitting the Manthey package, which just pips the P39.<\/p>\n

However, hydraulically adjustable ride height is a feature no factory 911 can currently match. The system, which can drop the car 15mm in an instant, also runs the nose-lift\u00a0and a full-blown DRS wing with brilliantly theatrical Le Mans-style lights in the endplates.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Opening the DRS flap increases your slipperiness by 23%, which is a similar effect to what you get on F1 cars. It slams shut if throttle application goes below 98%. Meanwhile, the dampers are manually adjustable but run in one of three electronically controlled presets that the driver selects via one of the four steering wheel rotaries.<\/p>\n

Another of the three rotaries is for the aero setting: swivel to Track mode and a vast chin spoiler deploys from nowhere with a loud slap. Then you have the powertrain modes and, of course, ride height. The dials themselves appear lifted from the GT3 RS but are made by RML and feel OEM-grade.<\/p>\n

At this point, I commit the sin of asking about the bodykit concocted by ex-McLaren designer Darryl Scriven, which evokes the fabulous 911 GT1 Strassenversion of 1997. Only 20 of these homologation specials were made, so RML\u2019s GT Hypercar will be half as rare, with 40 planned.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a slip of the tongue, because I well know the gold-tinged carbon-fibre that enshrouds the underlying 911 monocoque is no mere \u2018kit\u2019. Still, it earns me a rebuke from Mallock that\u2019s justified when we visit RML\u2019s production facility later that day. In one bay, an upturned carbon clam the size of a skip is waiting to be flipped over and bonded onto the car\u2019s 911 core using only 4kg of adhesive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an epic piece. Just 19kg but extending from A-pillars to rear bumper, encompassing the roof and the almighty scoop that rams air into the intake. The glue gives four technicians a 40-minute window to get the job done. It\u2019s truly artisanal work, and along with another monumental front apron results in hardly any shutlines, for the full prototype racer aesthetic.<\/p>\n

On the subject of the body, those intakes in the rear haunches? They\u2019re no such thing. Unlike with the regular Turbo S, here their role is not split between feeding the engine and cooling the rear brakes. They do neither, being pure through-ducts that reduce drag by 3%. Find the right angle and you can peer right through them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The GT Hybrid had to look totally spectacular, too. Obviously. Getting rear arches positioned just so relative to the long-tail body meant extending the underlying 992 wheelbase by 100mm via the\u00a0suspension.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tracks are also wider. Quite a lot wider, in fact \u2013 more than a wheel offset. It has necessitated new, elongated suspension links, which are beautifully machined, with geometry designed to retain the functionality of the Turbo S\u2019s active anti-roll bars and rear-axle steering. Remapping these systems was not really an option, says Mallock.<\/p>\n

To illustrate the complexity of modern cars, he tells me that when they swapped the seat from a 911 into a Taycan for materials testing, the radar and left window stopped working. As such, in its former life as a standard Turbo S, this prototype often carried dataloggers so RML could understand the detail of the sub-systems, and ensure the GT Hybrid\u2019s suspension movements would be compatible.<\/p>\n

While the fundamental kinematics of the donor car are thus largely unchanged, including the roll centres, the new lower wishbones do have\u00a0camber shims for easy adjustment trackside.<\/p>\n

Against all this, the small matter of 907bhp feels like a footnote. Hell of a footnote. Litchfield has done the work on Porsche\u2019s<\/a> 3.7-litre twinturbo motor, and after RML has stripped the donor car,\u00a0the chassis heads\u00a0west to Gloucestershire to\u00a0<\/span>have its heart put on anabolic steroids. The stock engine is robust enough that the internals need not be changed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more a question of \u201ckeeping the engine happy\u201d, as Iain Litchfield puts it, with a surfeit of cooling, not least from uprated dual intercoolers. The uplift in power from the regular 641bhp of the Turbo S is also the result of a new electronic calibration and new turbochargers whose turbines are 6mm or so wider in diameter. This doesn\u2019t punt up the turbo lag because it\u2019s balanced out by the ram-air effect of the new intake and freer-flowing filters.<\/p>\n

All this kit can be stuffed into the engine bay because RML\u2019s long body takes the sting out of packaging constraints. The P39 has the largest catalytic converters on the market, as well as a full inconel exhaust smothered in F1-grade heat shielding. In RML\u2019s workshops, the huge intake tracts \u2013 two polished carbonfibre anacondas curling down to each side of the intercoolers \u2013 are on full display.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Slide over the carbon sills, distended to align with the girth of the body, and how does it all\u00a0feel? \u2018It\u2019 being twice the output of a BMW M2, suspension costing more than your average city car and a silhouette from La Sarthe \u201997.<\/span><\/p>\n

The engine\u2019s malevolent burble and the eerie sense of being deep in the belly of something frighteningly potent put me in mind of the old Impreza, crossbred with an Aventador SVJ. At the same time, ride quality both taut and plush, along with this prototype\u2019s hard-working vibe, is faintly McLaren 600LT gene-spliced with Caterham Seven Cup. All of which is to say finished RML GT Hypercars will feel unique.<\/p>\n

In the default mode the engine is demure and puts out 740bhp or so. Ramp it up into Sport or Sport Plus and 589bhp per tonne is suddenly a reality, and is your cue to mentally buckle up. When the boost hits, acceleration is frantic \u2013 not landmine-intense but somewhere between bungee rebound and Josh Lewsey-style T-boning.<\/p>\n

That said, even when 738lb ft\u00a0wraps itself around the chassis at 4500rpm, with our Michelin Cup 2 tyres traction is just fine on this dry day, and Porsche’s ceramic brakes feel supreme. It\u2019s all manageable, in short. In the wet, without traction control? Different story, I imagine. Pure Group B.<\/p>\n

On Millbrook\u2019s hill route in its hunkered Track setting, the car\u2019s stability is impressive. What the P39 longs for, though, is Pouhon or Stowe. Or Mutkurve. You sense its vast reserves of pace. Does it feel 6min-45sec-at-the-\u2019Ring quick? Wouldn\u2019t know; I’ve never been near that kind of madness. But the ceiling is clearly high \u2013 GT3 RS high, without the mechanical transparency.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say the P39 isn\u2019t fun. Through the medium-speed corners at Millbrook, taken in third gear, a neat rotational energy scythes through the heft<\/span>\u00a0of the steering. It\u2019s trusty but not without delicacy.<\/span>\u00a0Note, though, that RML has not tinkered with Porsche\u2019s ESP and traction control set-up. As a result, if you\u2019re pushing on in the P39, the midway PSM Sport setting, overwhelmed and flustered, locks things down early. To get a real picture of the handling, it all needs turning off.<\/p>\n

Despite its 30-page functional-safety booklet,\u00a0the hydraulic system isn\u2019t yet homologated, so there\u2019s no DRS en route from Millbrook to RML\u2019s base in Wellingborough. Mallock and I haul up into the car park 55 seconds later than intended.<\/p>\n

Inside, I finally get to behold a finished article \u2013 the purple car ready for Salon Priv\u00e9 \u2013 and the quality of the fit and finish is undeniable. The scoops and gullies and the drama mirror the driving experience, channelling the excesses of the 1980s and 1990s but keeping things civil and conspicuously haute-automotive.<\/p>\n

At \u00a3495,000 before tax and the optional Track Pack that brings the cage, the hydraulic ride height and the headline powertrain figures, it\u2019s just as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I ask Dickinson if being a relative unknown next to giants such as Ferrari puts unbearable pressure on RML to deliver flawlessly first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how RML works with our motorsport roots,\u201d he says. \u201cYou race on Sunday and the car has to be perfect. You don\u2019t get a second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the GT Hybrid is ready, in record time. The next task is to prove that wild \u2019Ring claim.<\/p>\n

RML GT Hypercar specifications<\/h2>\n

Price<\/strong> \u00a3594,000 (plus donor car) Engine 6 cyls horizontally opposed, 3745cc, twin-turbocharged, petrol Power<\/strong> 907bhp at 7300rpm Torque<\/strong> 738lb ft at 4500rpm Gearbox<\/strong> 8-spd dual-clutch automatic, 4WD Kerb weight<\/strong> 1540kg 0-60mph<\/strong> 2.4sec Top speed<\/strong> 205mph Rivals<\/strong> Lamborghini Revuelto, Ferrari SF90, Porsche 911 GT2 RS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,137],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-69709","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}