Naturally-aspirated Porsche 911 R a 'puristic sports car'

With stringent emissions regulations in the pipeline, Porsche has made it clear that its short-term future lies in forced induction—turbocharging, to be more specific.

While the electrically-driven Mission E Concept may provide a glimpse at what's to come, announcements of the 911 Carrera and the newly-minted 718 Series adding snails to their engine bays surely left some traditionalists miffed.

And it is for those folks that Porsche has crafted this latest reward, the 911 R, a "puristic sports car" that leans on the 911 GT3 RS to pack a 500-horsepower, naturally-aspirated punch.

Limited to 991 units globally, a nod to the current car's series number, the limited edition 911 R is the lightest version of the 911 on the market, according to Porsche, tipping the scales at just 3,020 lbs.

Getting to that scant curb weight—the car weighs 110 lbs. less than the track-honed GT3 RS—meant some technical trickery, including a magnesium roof, carbon fibre hood and lightweight plastic rear- and rear side windows.

The car also goes without a stereo, while air conditioning is optional.

Motivating the 911 R is the high-revving, GT3 RS-sourced 4.0-litre flat six.

The engine is good for 500 horsepower and 338 lb.-ft. of torque, with a redline of 8,500 rpm.

And now for what is perhaps the best part of the 911 R: It's only available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

That doesn't mean drivers have to do all the work themselves, though, with the Porsche Stability Management System offering a unique, button-activated double de-clutch function for perfect downshifts.

The car runs from rest to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 323 km/h, according to Porsche.

Stopping won't take long, either, with standard carbon ceramic brakes that measure 410 millimetres up front and 390 millimetres out back.

Other standard features include rear-wheel steering, carbon fibre seats deck out in plaid cloth and fabric door-pull straps, while an optional push-button lift system raises the front end by 30 millimetres for clearing speed bumps.

The 911 R carries a Canadian sticker price of $211,000.