Where the line between track and street gets a bit blurry.
Porsche has always been known for their cars being superb driving machines. They’ve made their mark throughout motorsport history and that has translated to better cars on the road. But there’s a select few of their street-legal cars that blur the line between race track superstar and road-going supercar. The new 991-generaiton Porsche 911 GT3 RS does just that.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the closest thing to a true racecar from Porsche that you can drive on the street. Everything has a purpose and a goal of going around the track as fastest as possible. The newest version of the GT3 RS has seen a drop in weight, increase in power, a tailored chassis, and honed aerodynamics that make it even faster than the legendary Porsche Carrera GT on the Nürburgring North Loop.
Beneath the lightweight engine cover of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS sits a 4.0-liter, naturally-aspirated, flat-six cylinder engine. The large-displacement engine spits out a whopping 500 horsepower at 8,250 RPM and 339 lb-ft. of torque. All that power is sent through a new, GT3 RS-specific variant of Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch gearbox that offers functions such as a Pit Speed button and declutching by “paddle neutral” akin to pressing the clutch in a manual transmission. All that equates to more driver control and an impressive 0-62 mph time of 3.3 seconds while 124 mph is achieved in 10.9 ticks of the clock.
The body of the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS comes from its high-powered, all-wheel drive sibling, the 911 Turbo. Then things start to get fun. The entire roof is made from lightweight magnesium to cut weight and reduce the center of gravity. Carbon fiber makes up both the engine and luggage compartment lids, while other lightweight materials are used throughout. Overall, that results in a reduction of about 22 lbs. over the 911 GT3.
Adrenaline is then injected in the form honed aerodynamics at the front, rear, and both sides that generate massive amounts of downforce to help the Porsche 911 GT3 RS stick to the track. New front wheel arch air vents are also incorporated to extract hot air and generate downforce just like the racing versions. A 30 cm wide recess goes from the front hood to the roof to pay homage to the classic air-cooled 911s.
Under those lightweight body panels sit some goodies that are designed to carve up the track. The tuned and focused suspension draws from Porsche’s successful motorsport department and incorporates the widest tires of any 911 model as standard. The Porsche 911 GT3 RS also boasts a wider front and rear track along with rear-axle steering and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus with fully variable differential lock. With these armaments, the new supercar was able to do a lap around the Nürburgring North Loop in just 7:20 – a full nine seconds faster than the Porsche Carrera GT.
Inside, things begin to look more like a race car than a road-going supercar. The Porsche 911 GT3 RS wears a bolted-on roll cage behind the two front bucket seats based on the carbon units of the 918 Spyder. A preparation for battery master switch, fire extinguisher, and six-point safety harness for the driver further show off the car’s true motorsports DNA. As an option, the Sport Chrono Package adds integrated timers and the Porsche Track Precision app for smartphones. This app logs lap times via GPS as well as other vital information and stores it for the driver to use and share.
The new 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS will be launched in May of 2015 with a starting price of $175,900.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS Specifications
Engine:
Displacement: 4.0 liters
Number of Cylinders: Flat-six
Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
Maximum Horsepower: 500 at 8,250 RPM
Maximum Torque: 339 lb-ft. / 460 Nm
Transmission:
Type: Specially-developed seven-speed PDK
Drive: Rear wheel
Performance:
Acceleration 0-62 mph: 3.3 seconds
Acceleration 0-124 mph: 10.9 seconds
Porsche 911 GT3 RS Gallery
Source: Porsche
Is the 911 GT3 RS your new favorite model in the Porsche lineup?
