Lean, green thrilling machine
Porsche’s GT2 RS too wild and the GT3 too mild for you? Try the new GT3 RS
1 ENGINE & GEARBOX
The GT3 RS’S naturally a spirated 4- litre flat- six is carried over from the previousgeneration car ( and the current GT3), with power increa sing by 20bhp to 513bhp at 8450rpm ( 200rpm higher than its predecessor) and torque rising by 7lb f t to 346lb f t. There’s a new titanium exhaust with 91mm diameter pipes, a revised intake system and a new engine mana gement system that account for the slightest of gains in the sprints ( at 3.2 seconds it’s a tenth quicker than the old car to 62mph) but will have a big ger impact on the car’s a s- yetundisclosed Nürburgring lap time.
Those hoping for the GT3’ s manual gearbox option will be disappointed to hear the RS will only be available with a seven- speed PDK ’ box. The unit is bespoke to this RS, with Porsche going to such leng ths because the loads put through the naturally a spirated RS compared with the turbocharged GT2 RS are ver y dif ferent. The shif ts are quicker and the throttle response is also improved.
The limited- slip dif ferential is an electronically controlled, torque- vectoring item and there’s also rear- wheel steering and dynamic engine mounts a s standard. 2 CHASSIS Underpinning the new GT3 RS are many of the suspension components developed for the GT2 RS. The adaptive PASM dampers have been recalibrated specific ally for this flavour of RS, while the spring and damper rates sit between those of the GT3 and GT2 RS, the latter having twice the spring rate of the out going GT3 RS. All but the rear- steering joints are rose- jointed; the former have been fur ther modified to improve a gility, with comfor t sacrificed for increa sed tactility and precision over a regular GT3.
Running a 265/ 35 R20 tyre on the front and a 325/ 30 R21 on the rear, the RS’S wheel and tyre sizes are identical to those of a GT2 RS, but the rear tyre’s compound is specific to the GT3 RS. Carbon- ceramic brakes are optional and the forged wheels are each 100g lighter than those on the previous GT3 RS.
3 INTERIOR & OPTIONS
Carbon- shelled bucket seats? Check. Lightweight door cards, door pulls made from seat- belt webbing , and stora ge nets in the doors? Check. Alcantara steering wheel? Yes, that too. The no - cost Clubspor t packa ge adds a half roll- ca ge, fire ex tinguisher and a six- point harness. A Weissach Packa ge will also be available and will add a carbonfibre front bonnet and anti- roll bar, a titanium half- ca ge and the GT2 RS ma gnesium wheels. However, high demand for the Weissach kit on the GT2 RS – 90 per cent of customers are speccing it – means those ticking the same box for their GT3 RS will have to wait a while longer for their car to be built. And the cost for the ba sic car, should you be granted a place in the order book? £ 141, 346. 4 BODY As with the previous GT3 RS and the current GT2 RS, this latest GT model leaves nothing in the pit gara ge when it comes to aerodynamic addenda. There’s a pair of cooling ducts in the front bonnet, the front wings retain the slats cut into their top sur face to allow turbulent air out of the wheelarches, and there are air intakes positioned ahead of the rear wheels. Vents in the rear bumper draw air through the rear wheel opening s. The fixed rear wing is from the GT2 RS and is positioned higher than the previous GT3 RS’S item, generating between seven and eight per cent more downforce but not at the expense of dra g , which is said to be lower. Under the car is a new rear dif fuser.
The GT2 RS’S ma gnesium roof and thinner rear gla ss are used and the bumpers and wheelarches are lightweight polyurethane.