Yesterday, Porsche pulled the curtains off the all-new track-slaying Porsche 911 GT3 RS: the awesomest of the awesome type-991 Porsche 911 range. We apologize for foregoing a proper introduction earlier on, but without further ado, here she is.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS possesses the most potent normally-aspirated flat-6 of any current production 911, making 500 hp from just 4.0 liters of displacement. For now, it comes exclusively with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, but Porsche is claiming that it was specially developed for this particular car. And, unlike Porsche’s more pedestrian PDKs, it features a “paddle neutral” feature, allowing the driver to fully cut power to the wheels as he or she sees fit.
But that’s (obviously) not the only track-friendly feature to be had in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS; it also features a “Pit Speed” button to limit the car’s speed during – you guessed it – pitting. And it has other racy things, like a bolt-in roll cage as standard, a six-point safety harness for the driver, a mounted fire extinguisher, and provisions for easily installing a battery master switch.
Despite all this, the manufacturer assures us that the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is legal for street use, and that one would be quite comfortable using it as a daily driver. It may only weigh about 20 pounds lighter than the “ordinary” GT3, but it fits in another 25 horses. And then there’s the roll cage.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS isn’t a radical departure from the 911 Turbo in terms of styling, but that’s a good thing – nay, a great thing. Forget what Mr. Clarkson may say about all 911s looking identical; beyond the classic teardrop shape, this one is immediately recognizable as something radically better. The huge front lip spoiler practically touches the pavement, the rear wing supports are black and industrial, and the broad fender arches on loan from the Turbo signify the car’s musculature.
To repeat a figure cited by Porsche CEO Matthias Müller earlier today, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS accomplished a blistering 7 minutes and 20 seconds on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. That’s nearly 9 seconds faster than the legendary Porsche Carrera GT hypercar from a decade ago, and far, far quicker than any car with its price tag has any right to be (we’re expecting it to come in under $200,000).
In short, there’s likely never been a better time to be a Porsche fan.
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