GT3 RS not extreme enough? Try a Talos 911 RT
Carbon-bodied, more power, Ohlins dampers and more - just the thing for cars and coffee...
Doesn’t matter whether it’s an original 996 or the very latest 992, a GT3 RS 911 is more than enough roadgoing track car for most people. But most is not all, and you only need look at the supercar aftermarket to know that some people are never happy. And for those who need something above and beyond what the ultimate Porsche 911 can offer, there’s now this: the Talos 911 RT.
Inspired by the 911 R competition machine, the UK-based firm says this RT is an ‘awe-inspiring machine’ with ‘sublime road driving performance’. You’ll not miss it, that’s for sure: the RT is now clad entirely in exposed carbon panels, saving 80kg for a 1,350kg kerbweight (and surely likely to make any track day even more nerve wracking). The wild appearance was achieved by 3D scanning the race car and adapting that design ‘to integrate seamlessly with the roadgoing GT3 RS chassis’. Talos says what you’re looking at here is ‘unapologetically bold.’
There’s race car bits beyond the look, too, including custom Ohlins TTX suspension. And that’s not just slightly altered calibration, either. Talos has worked with Ohlins for an entirely custom setup, ‘engineered specifically to strike the perfect balance between road comfort and sharp handling.’ Which can then be adjusted further via a smartphone app, if you really must.
Talos claims around 540hp from the RT, up from the standard 500hp of a 991.1 GT3 RS (which it looks like this once was). There’s no mention of how that’s been achieved, other than to say that power delivery of the flat six has ‘been engineered to feel natural and progressive, allowing drivers to fully exploit the car’s capabilities, without compromise.’ And there’s a turbo upgrade on the options list if that’s enough.
Indeed as is often the case with these super special builds, the sky’s the limit when it comes to options and personalisation.Talos says that each of the customers - there’ll be no more than 20 - ‘will play a key role in specifying and customising the design of each creation’. So don’t expect any two to look the same. Don’t be surprised if one or two opt to paint the carbon, for example. As for extras, Talos will do you carbon doors, bespoke exhausts, race car mirrors… if it’s ever been on a 911 (or even if it hasn’t), Talos will put it on an RT.
For a price, of course. Before considering any personalisation, £850,000 is needed for one of these, plus the price of a GT3 RS donor car - which is still a £125k prospect, let’s not forget. Call it a million to be sure. The Talos can’t even claim to be the ultimate collector's 911 revealed today, as that accolade goes to the Porsche’s latest Sonderwunsch GT3 RS (pictured below).
You’re seeing that right, it is definitely a brown RS. Macadamia metallic, no less, with brown-tinted carbon throughout and orange highlights from rear spoiler to headlight bezel. And if you think that’s extraordinary, wait until you see inside, a ‘carefully balanced palette of brown and orange tones.’ Apparently this is what a GT3 RS that ‘captures the finer nuances of haute couture’ looks like; it’s hard to imagine many track day paddocks filling up with Macadamia metallic for a while, but then that was surely just the point of this Sonderwunsch build. Your special wishes don’t tend to be the same as everyone else, after all…
And if three’s the magic number when it comes to GT3s, check this out: a Cup-converted (but road legal) 991 is coming to PH auctions, complete with air jacks and a spoiler even bigger than the Talos RT’s. Won’t cost a million quid, either.
The brown one does absolutely nothing for me though. I've never understood why people fawn over brown Porsches. It's about the least sporty colour you can get, and looks totally at odds with the rest of the RS bits on that car. Each to their own of course, but brown belongs on old '70s toss, not a modern sports/super car.
Many years ago, John Robinson of Performance Bikes wrotes about an Ohlins damper on a superbike he was testing.
He wrote of the fear of an Ohlins van pulling up next to him at the traffic lights and a bloke leaning out shouting "Rebound on 7, preload on 4? You w
ker!"I loved his book "Motorcycle Tuning: Two Strokes"
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