Porsche to unveil new 911 GT3 RS next month
Ultimate track special 992 to date due make its debut on August 17th
It’s been a busy time for Andreas Preuninger, Porsche's overseer of anything GT-badged. He’s seen through the new 911 GT3, with the 992 version’s massively increased aero package and its all-new, double-wishbone front end. That arrived last year, of course. This year we’ve seen the GT3 Touring added, followed by the Cayman GT4. We like that car very much. It feels like it’s Porsche having some engineering fun and finally giving up on the ‘don’t make the Cayman too good’ philosophy. Except that they’ve still got their 911 joker to play: it probably has ‘Sod you, Cayman,’ written on it, and, ‘You think you’re the daddy now? Well think again,’ because, yes, the GT3 RS is officially coming.
Here's the man himself with some words on what to expect. “The new 911 GT3 RS is even more optimised for track use than its predecessors. The spontaneously responsive, high-revving four-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine with approximately 500 PS has proven ideal for use at track days and club sport events,” he remarked. “That's why we focused primarily on aerodynamics and chassis questions in the development of the new 911 GT3 RS.”
So, the take-home from that is: don’t go expecting a lot more power. 500hp-odd is enough. And besides, where would they raise any more from? Obviously there are no turbos involved with the GT3 and the capacity is fixed, for now, at 4.0-litres. The only way to burn more fuel and make more power would be increased revs. But when your rev limit is already set to a banzai 9,000rpm, it’s hard to think how much more you can reasonably do before you need to discover new metals to let the internals deal reliably with the pain. It is a road car, after all. Maybe 530hp is possible? That would be 10hp more than the last GT3 RS and match the gain the current GT3 made over the 991.2 GT3. Whatever the output, expect no manual here. As an out-and-out performance offering, the GT3 RS will almost certainly be seven-speed PDK only.
Now, let’s just rewind a little to the ‘It is a road car, after all’ bit. That’s true. It is. But come on, look at it. It’s rather pushing the envelope of what’s possible to call a road car, don’t you think? Obviously, we must start with THE WING – it has to be capitalised because it’s so damn big. It’s a swan-neck rear wing, like the GT3’s, only this swan’s neck has been injected with growth hormones on an industrial scale – with a petrol-powered pump rather than a syringe. We don’t have any dimensions for it, but as you can see it from space it’s fair to say that it is somewhere between enormous and gargantuan.
From the spy shots we saw of the GT3 RS testing at the Nürburgring, it’s not the only change that makes this the most downforce-generating GT3 yet. While the rear diffuser looks similar to the GT3’s, the RS’s two central exhausts point downwards rather than straight out – presumably to help further energise the diffuser. At the front, the curved intake on the lower part of the bumper apes the GT3’s, but here the front splitter extends farther round the sides of the car to support a barge board ahead of the front wheels. There are similar barge boards behind the front and rear wheels, behind which the bodywork is sculpted dramatically inwards. So much so, that from a rear-three-quarter shot you can see a good amount of the tread pattern on the huge, Michelin Cup 2Rs. On which point, it’s been rumoured Pirelli are also working with Porsche to develop a stickier Trofeo RS tyre as an alternative to the Cup 2R.
On the upper surfaces there are vents on the top of the front wings to relive pressure within the wheel arches, a double-bubble roof, similar to the one fitted to the 992 Sport Classic, and at the sides of the roof small fins to direct the air cleanly towards THE WING. At the front there are also two massive nostrils cut into the centre of the bonnet. They’re extracting the cooling air from the radiators underneath and putting it to good work. Just don’t expect much in the way of luggage space up front. But do expect to discover everything else there is to know about the 992 GT3 RS right here on August 17th, because that's when Porsche has scheduled the reveal. Definitely one for THE CALENDAR.
Definitely not a cup car, compromised as a road car. I normally take factory delivery of my RS and then do a quick 2-3000km in Germany in a matter of days and head for the tracks. Given the lack of luggage space this will be a solo effort I suspect.
Should be blast on track and of course beyond my abilities to find its limits-but so were all the others .
Definitely not a cup car, compromised as a road car. I normally take factory delivery of my RS and then do a quick 2-3000km in Germany in a matter of days and head for the tracks. Given the lack of luggage space this will be a solo effort I suspect.
Should be blast on track and of course beyond my abilities to find its limits-but so were all the others .
In terms of design I think in recent years it has been a backward step too. Some have the coloured rim around the alloys that looks like a Halfords special
The wing too, looks silly and I am sure I read that the racing series that incorporated it, did so to reduce the downforce from other styles of wing. If I am correct then what is the point? It just makes seem like it is there because it is current, rather than most functional and they said they were focusing primarily on aerodynamics...
I could be completely wrong and if anyone could shed some light on that it would be appreciated.
Compare that to a 996 RS where majority of us would never be able to peddle it quick on average skill levels. But for me 996 was the one i always wanted whilst realising 997.2 was peak GT3 RS in my opinion. since then its just followed the power wars like all the other brands.
so not for me, if i had to buy a brand new 911 i think the GTS would be my car .
Saying al that i will watch the usual Preuninger and Harris/Catchpole tech breakdown vids on launch day.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff