The RML P39: When a Porsche 911 Decides to Become a Le Mans Racer

If you typed “P39” into your search bar hoping to learn about a World War II fighter plane known as the Airacobra, you are in the wrong place. If you were looking for the Borrelia burgdorferi antigen P39 related to Lyme disease… well, you are definitely in the wrong place (though oddly, my sources tell me that antigen is 39-kilodaltons and specific to spirochetes, which is great conversation fodder for your next dinner party).

No, today we are talking about the RML P39 (specifically the 40th Special Edition or 40SE), which is essentially what happens when a British engineering firm looks at a Porsche 911 Turbo S and says, “That’s nice, but can we make it absolutely terrifying?”

Who on Earth is RML?

Before we get to the car, let’s talk about the mad scientists behind it. RML Group (Ray Mallock Ltd) is a British engineering powerhouse based in Wellingborough. Founded in 1984 by Ray Mallock, a man who clearly liked to go fast, the company is celebrating its 40th birthday this year.

If you haven’t heard of them, you’ve probably seen their work. These are the folks who:

• Dominated the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) with Vauxhall, Nissan, and Chevrolet.
• Built the Nissan Juke-R, which was a crossover SUV stuffed with a GT-R engine, proving that physics is merely a suggestion.
• Made a road-legal version of the Aston Martin Vulcan, because apparently, a track-only hypercar wasn’t practical enough for a grocery run.

They have four divisions now: Power, Engineering, Motorsport, and Bespoke. The P39 is the brainchild of their Bespoke division.

The P39: A 911 on Steroids

The P39 is technically based on a Porsche 992.1 Turbo S. However, calling it a “modified Porsche” is like calling Godzilla a “large lizard.” RML has taken the donor car and lengthened the wheelbase, widened the track, and replaced the bodywork with carbon fiber.

Here are the numbers that will make your insurance agent weep:

• Power: 900 hp (912 PS). That is a significant jump from the stock 640 hp.
• Speed: 0-60 mph in 2.4 seconds, with a top speed of 205 mph.
• Downforce: This is the party piece. It generates 6,500N of downforce at 150 mph. For context, that is more than 4.5 times what a standard Turbo S produces and even beats the track-focused 911 GT3 RS.

It features “active aero,” including a Drag Reduction System (DRS) operated by the driver. Yes, just like in Formula 1, you can press a button to flatten the wing and go faster on the straights.

Pros and Cons

The Pros:

• Speed: It is projected to lap the Nürburgring in 6 minutes 45 seconds. That is faster than the GT3 RS.
• Versatility: RML claims it is “serene on the road, savage on the circuit”. It has a “hydraulic lift system” so you won’t rip that expensive carbon fiber splitter off on a speed bump.
• Exclusivity: You will likely never see another one. RML is only building 10 of the “40SE” anniversary models.

The Cons:

• The Price Tag: The conversion costs £495,000 (roughly $640,000). Oh, and that excludes the donor car. So, you have to buy a Porsche Turbo S, then pay RML another half-million pounds to chop it up. Total cost? Somewhere in the neighborhood of £750,000 ($900,000+).
• Availability: With only 10 units of the 40SE being made, your chances of getting one are statistically lower than finding a needle in a haystack.
• Identity Crisis: It’s faster than a Porsche, but it doesn’t look quite like a Porsche anymore. You’ll spend half your life explaining to people at gas stations what it is.

Who is it For?

The RML P39 is for the person who drives a Porsche 911 Turbo S and thinks, “This is just too slow and reasonable.”

It is designed for the ultra-wealthy track enthusiast who wants to humiliate dedicated race cars on the circuit but still wants to drive home in relative comfort with the air conditioning on. If you have nearly a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket and you want a car that generates enough downforce to drive on the ceiling (citation needed, please don’t try this), the P39 is for you.

Summary

RML has taken their 40 years of winning races and distilled it into a car that defies logic. The P39 is a “Hypercar-influenced” beast that promises to be one of the fastest things on four wheels. Just don’t confuse it with the WWII plane—or the bacterial antigen. One flies, one infects, and this one just eats racetracks for breakfast.