Ballistic Porsche GTstreet RS revealed
I’M writing this wracking my brain trying to think of a Porsche 911 more nutty, more ferocious than this new beast from tuning company TechArt.
As far as factorymade Porsches go, the 911 GT2 released in 2018 is certainly up there, as is its Nurburgring-crushing 9000rpm GT3 RS cousin. Beyond what rolls out of the factory, there’s also what the likes of RUF and Singer make, too.
And still, few have the immediate visual impact of the carbonfibre coated GTstreet RS.
We’ll get to all that boring (but incredibly impressive) power numbers stuff in a moment. First, I want to talk about that carbonfibre.
This isn’t any old carbon fibre, as the closeups will indicate. It’s created using randomly arranged strands of carbon in a method similar to the Forged Composites product seen on the Lamborghini Huracan Performante.
TechArt have their own (admittedly noncreative) name for it; Forged Design. Nonetheless, the random and sporadic arrangement of carbon is theorised to be tougher and lighter than the uniform carbon seen more commonly. And, that compact weave is replaced with a look that appears almost like a black marble.
On the Performante, the unique carbonwork only really appears on the rear. On the TechArt though it is absolutely everywhere. From the surrounds on the front inlets, to the wheelarch extensions, to the vents that sit atop the front wings, to most of the overgrown rear diffuser. It’s gratuitous overkill . . . stunning in my mind, but beauty is in the eye of the wallet holder.
TechArt have even used their Forged Design carbon to form part of the GTstreet’s centrelock multipiece wheels. Anyway. What about power? The GTstreet RS is based on a Porsche 911 991.2 Turbo S, which comes with 427kW and 750Nm out of the box. That’s enough for most, but TechArt’s changes have blown those numbers to pieces.
This new model produces 566kW and 920Nm from the Porsche 3.8L flatsix engine — a growth of 139kW and 170Nm over the standard car. Naturally acceleration takes a cut, too, with 0100kmh times down to a claimed and quite crazy 2.5 seconds, with 0200kmh coming in 8.1 seconds.
How did TechArt do it? Well, mainly they say through a pair of newly developed variablegeometry turbochargers that have fluid aspect ratios that change according to what the car is doing.
Top speed is listed as a dizzying 340kmh. But, that’s not necessarily a number set in stone.
‘‘However, on a high speed testing ground and equipped with specially homologated sports tyres, the new TechArt GTstreet RS performance powerkit allows speeds of around 360kmh,’’ says Steven Ratz, TechArt’s technical CEO.
Beyond the crazy aero and crazier numbers, the GTstreet naturally has other tricks up its sleeve, too.
The cabin comes with the requisite levels of Alcantara and leather. But it also comes with portions made from . . . genuine virgin wool, which I suppose is nice. Embossed headrests and orange highlights let you know that you’re not in a standard 911 as well.
There’s not a lot of statistical chance of the public mistaking this for a ‘‘normal 911’’ simply by virtue of how limited the production run is. Just 10 of these beasts are set to be produced, all of which will proudly sport their number in the production run on their bonnet.
The TechArt GTstreet RS will make its public debut at next week’s Geneva Motor Show. Although, as nice as it will be for those lucky to attend to see it there, know now that they are probably all accounted for. — Driven.co.nz