Naturally aspirated flat-six engine gives this sports car a soul
An astonishing thrill to drive this beast fast
NURBURGRING, GERMANY • Nine thousand rpm is not something any human should experience. The sensation, when screaming from a flat-six boxer engine sitting only a metre behind the ears, is like having God on speed dial. So no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to resist calling back. Hello, it’s me again.
Such a crescendo in the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS vibrates every sense of a driver’s soul, invigorating and inspiring, reminding that in the building of certain sports cars, such purity of purpose still exists. That purpose in this street-legal race car is all about track dominance, competitor annihilation — and total enrichment of the senses. This is what it feels like to be alive. Loud, seemingly impossible, utterly irrational, the rush to this engine’s redline as the PDK seven-speed automatic fires through the gears is part of what separates the RS from just about every other 911. Its power, performance and thrilling characteristics come without the aid of turbochargers or batteries.
Yes, that means the naturally aspirated GT3 RS might just be the last of its breed as the world moves to a different beat, although Porsche engineers and managers seem to know and understand that the thing that makes this car so special is its non-turbo engine. Sure, that means it is somewhat slower than the turbocharged GT2 RS, as well as the more common Turbo S for that matter, but it will nonetheless tear the tape off 200 km/h in 10.6 seconds from rest on its way to a top speed of 312 km/h. The first 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds.
Around the world’s foremost benchmark for track speed — the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany — the new GT3 RS hit 6:56.4 this spring to become the third-fastest street-legal production car ever tested at the ring, bested only by a Lamborghini Huracan and Porsche’s own GT2 RS in the No. 1 spot. Heck, Porsche’s supercar, the 918 Spyder, required 6:57.
Some of the speed of the RS’s lap times can be attributed to its 520-hp 4.0-litre flat-six engine that is actually modest in torque at 347 pound-feet. And some comes from its lightning fast double-clutch automatic gearbox. But such speed also comes from investments in aerodynamics, chassis development and weight, trimmed on the new RS to 1,430 kilograms.
Like that RS that debuted in 2015, the new RS retains its creased magnesium roof. But new “uniball” joints on all axle arms have been taken from the GT3 Cup car, adding rigidity and feel. Carbon fibre is still used on several body panels, along with carbon fibre-reinforced plastic. Rear and side windows are made from lightweight glass. An optional Weissach package adds a carbon-fibre hood and roof, along with magnesium wheels, although the wheels are in such demand worldwide that it will be next year before they’re available.
Dynamic engine mounts — soft for street driving, hard for track — join Porsche’s “torque vectoring plus” that electronically varies the rear differential lock, optimizing cornering traction. Standard rear-wheel steering and a stability management system with two modes, normal and sport, further allow the RS to be driven on the street as well as meet the demands of the track. The suspension is adjustable as well.
The new RS is an astonishing thrill to drive fast, a forgiving and trusting partner. At the Nurburgring’s Grand Prix track, a 5.148-km track with 10 rights and seven lefts, the new RS unleashed a surreal amount of fury as it surpassed 200 km/h before braking hard into turn 1. Electromechanical steering is amazingly accurate, quick to respond and sharp with feedback.
Stand on the gas and the world changes on its axis, the thrust feeling almost as powerful as a Turbo. The sound of that flat six hitting 9,000 rpm is a sonorous climax more intoxicating than a V8 in a NASCAR stocker running flat out. Most surprising is the level of grip and absence of lean as the car rages through corners faster and harder than it would seem physically possible.
This car makes you faster than you thought you could go. It will tolerate slow, but it prefers to run as hard and as fast as any driver is able, forgiving and congratulating at the same time. And it does it with grace and poise.
First appearing in 1972 with a 2.7-L boxer engine, the RS back then came with 210 hp, able to reach a top speed of 240 km/h. It was also the first 911 to wear a rear wing, a tradition that continues to this day. The first GT3 RS arrived in 2003 as a 996, followed by a succession of 997 versions and the first 991 911 GT3 RS in 2015.
Of all Porsche 911s, however, none are more hallowed than the RS. Yes, the GT2 may be mightier, but it lacks the one thing that makes the GT3 RS so special, so unique in this day of electrification and turbos: a naturally-aspirated flat six engine. Let us pray it always stays this way.