Porsche Managing Supply Chain Issues With New 911 GT3 R

Photo: SRO

Porsche is focusing its customer support around existing Type-992 Porsche 911 GT3 R models, having temporarily paused new car sales as it works to sort out supply chain-related issues specific to this model.

The new-for-2023 GT3 contender, which has been competing in numerous championships worldwide with customer teams, has faced supply challenges in recent months according to Head of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach, who confirmed the current situation to Sportscar365.

“We have to see concerning supply chain what we can provide and what we can’t,” Laudenbach said. “It’s great that we have a lot of cars out there already.

“We have to find the right balance there. It’s not that we’ve stopped generally the 992 GT3 R. It’s just we need to handle availability of parts in the best possible way.”

It’s understood there are currently around 50 Type-992 models already in existence since its initial customer rollout in January, with further demand for the car according to Laudenbach.

“One thing is for sure: the demand is a lot higher than what we can provide so far,” he said.

“But the philosophy is clear, it’s not like we want to put all the cars we can sell into the market and then we are not able to service them.

“We always want to make sure we can provide the service that our customers are used to, which has been difficult this year, to be very fair, due to various reasons.

“So we have a high interest in coming back to the standard that customers are used to from Porsche Motorsport.

“That’s very important to us because that’s one of our really strong points, that customers can rely on our support throughout the season after they’ve bought a car.

“This is clearly our goal.”

Laudenbach stressed that the current focus is on being able to provide its already wide customer base with the necessary spare parts and support needed for the car.

“Supply chain is not the easiest nowadays, so we have to find the right balance between building new cars and servicing customer demands who already have a car,” he explained.

“The worst thing that can happen is that a customer would not be able to race because of lack of parts and this is what we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

When asked when Porsche expects to resume new car sales, Laudenbach indicated there will be additional 911 GT3 Rs sold in time for next year.

“We try to provide as much as we think is feasible,” he said. “As a motorsport company, we’re happy to sell as many as we can but only when we can make sure that they can run properly in the field.

“That’s clearly the baseline.

“I think [our sales organization] is finding a good balance and hopefully we can provide more cars next year.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John