new Porsche supercar to rival Ferrari and McLaren’s finest is edging ever closer – but buyers had better start saving now, because it could carry a price tag of around £350,000.

Porsche CEO Matthias Müller has told a German newspaper there is room in the range for a mid-engined sports car to sit above the 911. He added such a model “in a price segment of 400,000 euros has a good chance of being built”.

That would make it a direct replacement for the Carrera GT supercar, which cost £320,000 in 2004. Our exclusive images show how the model – which would sit below the £678,000 limited-run 918 Spyder – could look. It’s set to be called 961, reviving a badge last used on a 959-based racer, designed to compete in Group B sportscar racing in the Eighties.

There are no details on its engine or chassis, but the 961 will have to boast about 600bhp, most likely from a turbocharged version of the high-revving 3.4-litre V8 in the RS Spyder racer. Making extensive use of carbon fibre and aluminium, the car should do 0-60mph in three seconds and go beyond 220mph.

However, it won’t have hybrid technology – that’s being reserved for the top-spec 918 Spyder. The 961 should arrive in around 2014.

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/271450/porsche_961_revealed.html#ixzz1WTr3UEHy