Shark Werks4.1 Liter Engine Upgrade for 997 / 997.2 GT3 / RS

Product type: Engine
Application:
  • 911 GT3 RS - 997.2
  • 911 GT3 RS - 997
  • 911 GT3 - 997.2
  • More
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Product Description

Originally it was top-secret and in development since late 2011, Shark Werks is pleased to announce the 4.1L engine upgrade. Along with many years of pioneering 3.9L engines and after 3 years of extensive R&D and testing, building, designing, improving and evaluating on our own 2011 GT3RS we have built a GT3 engine with exceedingly more torque and increased reliability, without sacrificing the same integrity and character that GT3 owners have come to enjoy from these cars.



When pushing the entire package as hard as we did we ran into physical limitations and ceilings for the OEM Porsche parts: many of these showed up months (or even years!) later in Technical Service Bulletins and Recalls for the 4.0RS, and have even become warranty concerns for heavily pushed and tracked RS models. Beyond just physical power and response improvements, the R&D has proved well worthwhile for customers that intend to track or keep their GT3s for years to come.

We apply these newly developed in-house set of upgrades to help lengthen the life of our engines, but we have been doing these same improvemtsn to stock and 3.9 engines for some time. Although the factory has far greater resources and budget, they also have many departments (aka, "bean counters") that keep the budget ceiling and limit the potential internal components of the street version GT3 Mezger, where it sat with the 3.8 and 4.0 capacity.

Porsche built thousands of these motors vs. the handfuls that that we intend to, and so we don’t need to meet that same limit in terms of performance:cost ratio. We build these for ourselves and our customers without worrying about mass-producing thousands of the same crankshafts etc., or saving money in required areas. Our "cost vs. reward" equation wouldn’t make sense in a large factory setting. We can and do use more exotic engine components and techniques that wouldn’t normally make sense a production level vehicle.

Over the last 15 years of GT1 engine building, Shark Werks' James Hendry has pulled a few techniques together to race-prep the stock engine case with an upgraded crankshaft, oil pump, connecting rods, pistons, liners, wrist-pins, improved camshaft adjusters (to fix the dreaded camshaft actuator failure on 3.8 GT3/RS cars from the factory), Sharkwerks Spec Camshafts, main bearings, improved oiling techniques and other trade secrets for performance and reliability. The case is assembled with the H-11 Engine Head Studs and "Hammer-head" Shark-spec headwork is performed along with race style valve guides for longevity. No stone is left unturned.

Power/Results:
The 4.1 engine conversion brings the horsepower from a factory 3.8's 450 to 543, and torque from 319 to approximately 400 lb-ft. Pick a spot on the power curve between 2900 RPM and 5300 RPM and you'll find anywhere from 65-80 lb-ft more torque than the factory 3.8 (bear in mind the 4.0 only has 22 lb-ft more than a 3.8 at peak). In a GT3, this is often regarded as somewhat of a dead-space zone, and usually one has to keep the revs up as much as possible. From 3500 RPM on, HP is consistently up and additional 70+ HP until it peaks by more than 90+ at 7950 RPM.


We have been lucky enough to interact with journalists and industry peers alike who have driven, sampled and/or reviewed our engine to varying degrees.

Below is a sample of the findings from industry peers & experts who have tested the car:

 

 Porsche Urban Outlaw Magnus Walker:

"I have never driven a car with this much power & torque- I was instantly very comfortable in the car after a few sprited 6th Street Bridge passes I was starting to push towards 8000rpm. The exhaust note is intoxicating! It was hard to stop driving the car and give it back to them...Quite possibly the most exciting car I have driven." 

Russ Tyler of Singer Vehicle Design:
"The single most impressive flat-six powerplant I have ever experienced - Turbo force, but razor-sharp."

Ian Kuah, Excellence Magazine (May 2014) / 9tro Online:
"...the Shark Werks 4.1 feels like a 4.0 juiced on the most advanced steroid recipe yet concocted... from the word go the 4.1 felt quite different from anything in the Porsche GT3 road-car world...the 4.1 offers a fundamental difference in the way it answers the throttle - with absolutely explosive energy...The RS 4.1 is so quick it literally compressed the straights between the bends...This is a GT3 RS that goes as hard as a Turbo but with throttle response only dreamed of by the forced-induction engine...Its big displacement motor simply makes everything more effortless and will pull away from 1200 rpm in forth at town speeds...The SharkWerks /EVOMS 4.1 is not just one of the best tuner cars I have ever driven in my 30 years in the industry, it also showcases the tremendous potential in that brilliant GT1 motor..."

Pete von Behrens, Panorama Magazine (Issue #685):

"...the 4.1 delivers a double helping of torque...The 4.1 has so much more low-rpm punch than either [3.8 or 4.0] of the factory GT3 RSs that it takes time to adapt...The effortless, monumental pace all this torque unlocks is apparent within a single, short straight. The 4.1's ability to close the gap on the 3.8 is stunning. You're shoved into the seatback by turbo-like punch -- without turbo lag. The 4.1 gobbles up chunks of distance without the need to reach redline in each gear...With 4.1 liters, the GT3 RS enters a different league...While most of the differences between the 4.0 and 4.1 are subtle, the difference in torque isn't. In truth, the 4.1 feels like an entirely different engine from the 4.0, never mind the 3.8...The 4.1's torque curve gives you massive flexibility, allowing rapid progress without rowing the gears. It's a party trick that the RS 4.0 simply cannot match: turbo torque with normally aspirated throttle response...Get greedy with the throttle and the 4.1 lays stripes in first gear. In second, you can feel it searching for traction as its rear tires squirm. This kind of torque unlocks new ways to steer the rear end of a GT3...the 4.1 has convincingly demonstrated torque that gives it another gear, literally, compared to even the mighty 4.0."

Pete Stout, Panorama Magazine (Issue #685):

"Perhaps nothing about the 4.1 amazes me as much as its character. It takes on unexpected attributes from unlikely sources: The way it revs is Carrera GT-ish; its low-down torque is 996-Turbo-ish, its sewing machine smoothless is 2.5-liter Boxster-ish. Gone is the graininess of other GT3 engines-- as though four or six cylinders have been added...The conditions during our test made deploying the 4.1's torque tough, but driving it on a different day revealed it for what it is: a beast...the irony is that a used RS 3.8 with a silly expensive 4.1 conversion and RS 4.0 suspension looks like a good value against eye-watering expensive RS 4.0s...Some might call it revenge for 3.8 owners..."

An in-depth discussion on the Car Chat Podcast regarding the Shark Werks 4.1 and Re-gearing

It's not for everyone but if you would like to know more please feel free to email us or call 510-651-0300. This engine is only available for 996, 997 and 997.2 GT3 and GT3RS models that initially come with the Mezger engine. For a detailed price quote please contact us.

You can see examples of these engine conversions installed on cars in our project gallery:

Press Coverage

"Find out how these Bay Area garagistas push their Porsches to the next level."

Jay Leno's Garage (April 2014):

"The 4.1 has so much more low-rpm punch than either of the factory GT3 RSs [3.8 and 4.0]" ... "You're shoved into the seatback by turbo-like punch -- without turbo lag"

Pete Von Behrens, Panoroma Magazine Issue #685:

"...the 4.1 offers a fundamental difference in the way it answers the throttle - with absolutely explosive energy." ... "one of the best tuner cars I have ever driven in my 30 years in the industry".

Ian Kuah, Excellence Cover Story (May 2014):

"The best car in the paddock, by far.

This week I had a chance to drive my 2010 GT3RS you transformed into a 4.1 liter version as the weather cooperated just enough to provide dry roads here in the Pacific Northwest.


This is, literally, a new car.  I hardly had the opportunity to open up the throttle as it rockets to speeds that are in the felon category very rapidly.  That engine is pure magic.  Thank you for talking me into the Sharkwerks exhaust, it breaths beautifully.  And, the engine still has that Porsche metallic ring I recall from the air-cooled models of prior vintages, but with much more power being generated.

 

Basically, this is the perfect car for weekend drives on the twisties in our area. It impresses the driver with its competence.  You have wrought the right combination of power, noise, and handling to render it perfectly balanced in what was a darn great car in stock form.  Consider me a convert.

 

I only wish I had sent it to you two years ago!


Know that you are doing good things with your lives as both artists AND mechanics.  The cars you build are heirlooms to be enjoyed for generations, not unlike Faberge eggs, but much more useful."

S.J., Washington (customer)