2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS: It looks bad-ass because it is
The 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is Stuttgart’s answer to those who find that the $300,000-ish GT2 RS is out of reach. To the eye, the track-ready GT3 RS looks much like that one-digitsmaller, megapower Nurburgring blitzer, as the two cars’ widebodied exteriors share quite a lot, including carbon-fiber front fenders with heat extractors and a carbon-fiber hood punched through with NACA ducts to cool the standard iron brake rotors or optional carbon-ceramic units. The front fascia carries over from the standard GT3, although a more aggressive splitter is fitted to its lower edge for increased downforce. Intakes are sculpted into the fenders to draw air into the engine coolers, and there is an RS-specific rear bumper with larger side intakes. The manually adjustable carbon-fiber rear wing and rear underbody diffuser create additional downforce to keep the standard Michelin Sport Cup 2 rubber pushed securely into the tarmac at the GT3 RS’s claimed top speed of 193 mph.
What did we learn about the car from riding in the passenger seat for two laps with world champion rally driver Walter Rohrl at the wheel as he navigated a frozen road course, mostly sideways, in northern Finland? Not a whole lot, beyond confirming yet again that Rohrl is a far better driver than we are and that we remain mesmerized by the sound of six air-intake trumpets tuned to the key of H-flat.
For RS duty, Porsche’s screaming naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six is tweaked to churn out 520 horsepower, a bump of 20 horsepower over non-RS GT3s. The additional power is squeezed from the engine — which has the same strengthened block and lightweight valvetrain as the standard GT3 — via a new intake and titanium exhaust system that breathe more efficiently, while an updated engine calibration keeps the timing curve in check. Sorry, manual fans: torque will be routed to the rear wheels solely through Porsche’s seven-speed