slower and hotter

Mad! The spoiler is higher than the car on the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Quite common in racing is falling out of line on the road. But the sixth incarnation of the coveted sports car isn’t a 911 like the others.

The centerpiece remains the well-known six-cylinder boxer engine with a displacement of four liters and no turbo. Modified camshafts, a adapted throttle system and direct injection from motorsport provide a slight performance increase of five hp compared to the previous model. The GT3 RS has 525 hp (386 kW) and a maximum torque of 465 Nm. All for the rear wheels, where the adjustable rear wing helps transfer power to the road. In 3.2 seconds, the 1450 kilogram RS accelerates to 100 km/h and has a top speed of 296 km/h.

Faster on corners

Stop! A GT3 RS that doesn’t reach 300 km/h and is therefore slower than its predecessor? Yes. Cornering speeds and acceleration were more important to Porsche engineers. That’s why the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission has a shorter translation than the regular GT3, so the RS reaches slightly less top speed. Aerodynamics and chassis have also been tuned for higher cornering speeds. For example, parts of the double wishbone front axle have a teardrop profile that increases downforce.

Technical innovations were also designed for the racetrack. The tire pressure monitoring system has a motorsport function. It is taken into account that the tires on the racetrack are initially cold and the air pressure is lower. In addition to driving programs, the steering wheel has other functions for adjusting airflow, shock absorbers and traction control. The app also has analytics and lap time comparisons.

Shameless and impressive

So these are technical framework conditions. Now we want to know how he drove at Silverstone circuit (Great Britain). And the Porsche 911 GT3 RS makes it easier than you think. Driving behavior and especially traction are tremendous. An invisible hand seems to press the car to the ground, even at its limit, just as we pressed on our toy cars as children. In this way, the 911 GT3 RS finds grip where it shouldn’t for long periods of time, and it brings its power to the road in an impressive as well as shameless way.

The new RS may be a little slower at top speed than its predecessor, but it’s even more awesome to drive. Of course, Porsche can pay for it like royalty. The new 911 GT3 RS will be launched in February and will start at CHF 278,500. Still, it should be hugely popular with us and sell faster than the hot Weggli.