The 9ff GT9

I’ve recently stumbled upon heartbreaking news. I’ve grown quite fond of the mighty Veyron, but it seems that the SSC Ultimate Aero TT and the Koenigsegg CCXR Edition have surpassed it by small margins. Well, here’s another car that has done the same thing, only it’s been totally stripped of all things that can be considered luxury, and I like it. It’s price tag – a heavy 350,000 pounds. Introducing the 9ff GT9.

Let’s get straight to the facts. It’s built from a Porsche 911 GT3 design, but it’s neither owned by Porsche, nor does it have any of the GT3’s original parts. 9ff Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH is a tuning company in Germany that is dedicated to tuning Porsches. So technically, it can be considered as not being a production car. But still, the fact that it’s sold to the public makes it production as well. Quite expensive for a tuner car, huh?

But, there’s no use in debating. It is now one of, or perhaps, the fastest supercar on the planet. It has a 4.0 liter, 6-cylinder mid-engine that has 987 horses at 7,850 revs and a whopping 964 Nm of wrenching power at 5,970 revs. But here’s the catch – it has slow acceleration. Its top speed – over 400 km/h – is undoubtedly at par with the Veyron’s but it’ll eat Bugatti dust from the starting grid. It’s been dubbed as the Veyron Killer, but only in terms of top speed. The heavier Veyron will still outrun it in less than a second. Although 9ff claims it’s faster from 0 to 300 km/h.

The GT9 has many bare-bones qualities that befit a racecar – no electronic stability or traction control (at long last), no airbags, and no crumple zones. The GT9 wasn’t designed to be a safe car. It’s designed to race. It has a gem of an engine, which is made of aluminum and zirconium, and 24-carat gold cold air intake. Talk about exclusive.

Its body is ultra-lightweight – made of carbon fiber and Kevlar – similar to a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. I wonder if it lifts off the ground at top speed as well? Like the Ferrari F430, it’s gem slash engine is encased under glass, like a priceless jewel. It’s growls so much it’ll remind you of being inside the McLaren F1 LM.

One thing you’ll notice is that as you shift, you can make the wheels spin in all five gears. Now, that is impressive. Consider the amount of torque that can make that possible. But, in order to maintain this rocket, you’ll have to spend loads of money and shed a lot of tears. The GT9 wasn’t made for the rich kid who knows nothing about engines. It needs a driver that understands it, and will take care of it.

Rauh Welt, Japan

I don’t know. I’m quite at a loss as what I’ll do with the GT9 if someone bought it for me as a gift. It looks too sleek. I’d probably call up Nakai-san of Rauh Welt in Japan to give that old, German war-plane look. I love what Nakai-san has done to his customer’s Porsche’s. But I wonder if with the change in body design comes a decrease in speed? Probably, but I wouldn’t mind. I don’t want to race in something as shiny as the GT9’s current look. It’s just too vibrant. I want a more vintage, serious look.

There I go again daydreaming. I’ve always wanted to live in Japan. Anyway, the GT9 is hell of a supercar. I’d have to give it merits for having enormous torque that could rip asphalt off the road. But, with great power comes great responsibility. The GT9 is a masterful work of art. There are a lot of great tuners in the automotive world, but I really take my hat off to 9ff.

Sources:

http://www.9ff.de/gt9/?p=performance

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/new_car_reviews/article3334657.ece