PORSCHE GT3 RS vs PORSCHE GT3 RS (2010) (2022) DROP TOP BMWS
The new GT3 RS is the most extreme 911 ever. Time to see if its great grandfather has gone soft
TWO 911s WITH BIG WINGS AND STICKERS. THAT’S PROGRESS?
Don’t judge a car by its decal package. Admittedly, the 2010 997.2 Generation GT3 RS possesses a 3.8-litre flat-six with 444bhp that revs to 8,500rpm while the 2022 equivalent, the 992 GT3 RS, has a 4.0-litre nat-asp flat-six revving to 9,000rpm and produces 518bhp. The newer car is also nearly 100kg heavier. So, not much progress you’d think. But you’d be wrong. In the 12-year gap between these two, Porsche has managed to carve 44secs out of its ’Ring time.
POINT TAKEN. BUT HOW’S IT GOT SO MUCH FASTER?
Well, they both stick steadfastly to Porsche’s GT division’s rulebook of using motorsport as the guiding light for hardcore road cars; with RSes being harder and faster versions of the already hard and fast GT3s. The 992 has just been refined, honed and made a lot more complicated. Especially when it comes to the aero department. You might have noticed the wing but there are also countless flicks and underfloor tunnels to gift the 992 860kg of downforce at 177mph. The 997.2 develops half that at 186mph.
THAT ALL SOUNDS A BIT SERIOUS
A car with DRS and track suspension normally is. Which makes the 997 refreshing. It’s remarkably approachable when put next to the 992. Yes, it’s serious, but simpler. A lot simpler. The steering wheel is clutter free, allowing you to relax as you waggle the stubby little six-speed gearlever and admire the roll cage filling the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, in the 992, you’re confronted with a high, wide, complicated dash you have to peer over like a dog looking for scraps at a dinner table. There’s no gearstick to waggle either, just PDK shift paddles that snap satisfyingly.
PEOPLE SAY THE 997.2 GT3 RS WAS PEAK RS. IS IT?
Forums argue that the 4.0 may be the pinnacle, but the 3.8-litre is 98 per cent there and far more attainable in the pricey world of Porsche attainability. It’s paired perfectly with a hefty, meaty clutch, graunchy but self-assured gearbox and telepathic steering. You can then use the roll and supple, well damped suspension to lean on the wide, thick, sticky Michelin rubber to maximise the weight and traction over the back axle to throw yourself out a corner and at the horizon to the sound of 8,500rpm.
HANG ON, SO IS THE 992 THE RIGHT KIND OF PROGRESS?
Depends what you’re looking for. If you live for the stopwatch and are a track day fan, hell yes. But it isn’t as usable, having lost its frunk in favour of a racecar radiator, and having had its spring rates wound up, it won’t favour a B-road. The 997 is a joy on the road and where it once was a wide car now it’s suitably slender and narrow compared to the squat prop-like 992. Either way, both cars are going to go down in Porsche history as legends.
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