The 911 GT3 is already a pretty hardcore car, but Porsche being Porsche, it had to go one step further with the GT3 RS. Essentially a road-legal racer, the RS model turns everything up to 11, with more dramatic aero features along with a little more power and pace, making it the ultimate track day vehicle. Or at least that's the idea. But given the pretty uncompromising nature of the GT3, will the RS prove too much for owners to exploit, or will it simply refine the already incredibly appealing recipe?
In the metal
If you thought the Porsche 911 GT3 looks extreme, the GT3 RS is on a whole other level, and it's noticeably different from the GT3. The whole design is based around the central radiator, which sits where the luggage compartment would ordinarily be. That's fed by two vents in the bonnet, with fins that guide air into the intakes. That has allowed other parts of the car's bodywork, and particularly the bumpers, to be freed up for aerodynamic design tweaks.
At the front, there are continuously variable wing elements in the front bumper, there's a front splitter and there are louvred air vents in the front arches. Also on display are side blades behind the front arches, designed to ensure air flows down the sides of the vehicle towards the intakes in the rear wheel arches that feed the air-hungry rear-mounted engine.
Speaking of the rear, that's where a lot of the action happens - and not just the engine-related stuff. The most obvious feature is the enormous two-part wing, which is considerably larger than that of the GT3. Like that car, it's supported by swan-neck struts designed to make the 'active' lower surface of the wing more efficient, but unlike the GT3's wing, it comes with a drag reduction system (DRS) inspired by Formula 1, where drivers can open the wing flap to reduce drag at the cost of downforce.
The whole car is also designed to be as light as possible, with lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) used to build the doors, front wings and roof. As a result, the car weighs just 1,450kg - only 15kg more than the GT3 with the seven-speed PDK transmission.
A lever for that gearbox sits in the middle of a cabin that screams race-bred sports car, with black leather and carbon-weave dashboard trim complemented by lashings of Porsche's Race-Tex microfibre trim. There are CFRP bucket seats, too, and buyers can choose to opt for the Clubsport or Weissach packages. The former includes a steel rollover bar, a hand-held fire extinguisher and six-point seat belts, while the latter comes with significantly more performance-enhancing features.
Chief among those is the CFRP rollover bar, which is six kilos lighter than the steel item in the Clubsport-equipped car. That's joined by a carbon-weave finish on the front lid, roof, parts of the rear wing and the upper shell of the exterior mirrors, while the front and rear anti-roll bars, the rear coupling rods and the shear panel on the rear axle are also made of CFRP. And as an option, customers can add magnesium-forged wheels that save another eight kilos.
There's more. Porsche has also fitted the RS out with a new steering wheel racked with switchgear, including settings for the suspension, torque vectoring settings and the electronic stability control, as well as the driving modes. There's a button for the DRS, too.
Otherwise, the cabin is much like that of the GT3, in that the dashboard hasn't really changed and the rear seats have been removed, creating an empty space behind the rollover bar. This means the GT3 RS isn't as practical as the GT3 as the boot has gone, and the space behind the seats is still tricky to get at. Speaking of the seats, the buckets are unforgiving and occasionally difficult to get in and out of, while visibility is pretty poor, particularly with the rollover bar and wing criss-crossing their way in your view out the rear window.
Driving it
Like the GT3, the GT3 RS is powered by a 4.0-litre, flat-six engine that eschews turbocharging and revs to a screaming 9,000rpm. The RS's is more powerful, with new camshafts and a motorsport-derived intake system allowing it to produce 525hp - an increase of 15hp compared with the standard GT3. That power heads to the enormous rear tyres via a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox, allowing the car to get from 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 296km/h.
That pace is pretty sensational, and the acceleration figure is particularly impressive, considering it's the sort of speed you get from supercars. But the top speed is a little on the low side for such a powerful car (and yes, we realise it's an all-but irrelevant figure in Ireland), and that's because the GT3 RS is tuned for acceleration, rather than flat-out speed. The gear ratios, therefore, are quite close-spaced, so the car is more than happy pulling fifth gear at 50km/h. Take it much above 70km/h and it'll quite happily sit in seventh, while still offering a bit of pull when you put your foot down.
But that isn't the only thing that's remarkable about the gearbox. While some customers might prefer a three-pedal manual arrangement, the double-clutch gearbox is race-bred, and it allows lightning-fast shifts. And with the Weissach Package fitted to our test car, the shift paddles that allow you to select gears sequentially come with magnet technology that adds a 'pressure point' and a perceptible click to the paddles, giving them an action that's more like a trigger than a simple switch. For something so high-tech, it provides a surprisingly old-school and mechanical feel that makes flicking through the ratios a joy.
That said, the name of the game is hanging on to gears for as long as possible, because of the roar produced by that flat-six engine. Yes, the vital stats are all well and good, but the real draw is the way it bubbles away at idle before the exhaust note turns to a growl and then a scream that builds until you hit the 9,000rpm redline. Then you can pull the paddle on the right and experience it all over again.
Do that too many times on the road, though, and you'll soon lose your licence. The GT3 RS pulls like an express train, and the figures don't really do it justice, because once you get past about 5,000rpm it's like riding a tidal wave of burning petrol that's flinging you towards the next corner. And even when you try to keep things civilised, the GT3 feels as though it's straining at the leash. This is a car designed to be driven at full chat, and pootling around town is not its forte by any measure. There, the brakes start making noises and the gearbox feels jerky, which isn't exactly conducive to smooth driving.
That said, there's extraordinarily little about the GT3 RS that's smooth. The suspension has been tuned for the track, and that means it's borderline unbearable on the road. It isn't too bad on the motorway, but around town, traversing even the most mild-mannered of manhole covers will send a shudder through the seat and your back. Potholes feel like a punch in the pelvis. And that's with the suspension in its softest setting. Ramp things up and the car jiggles over most surfaces, stopping only to whack you again as you pass a cat's eye or a white line or some other trifling imperfection in the surface.
The advantage, of course, is that the GT3 RS is epic on a race track. The body control is hugely impressive, with extraordinarily little roll or dive when you steer or brake, and the stiff suspension allows the wheels to spend more time in contact with the asphalt. In fact, such is the GT3's focus on lap times that even the suspension components have been aerodynamically considered, with specially shaped parts that manage the airflow. There's a wider track, too, and the suspension can be adjusted from the cockpit, with varying stages of rebound and compression damping. It's all incredibly detailed.
And the results are spectacular. Combine that suspension set-up with rear-axle steering and plenty of feedback through the wheel and the seat, and you've got one of the most exciting track cars on the market. It darts between corners and feels remarkably light on its feet, as well as being even more direct and responsive than the GT3. The only problem is the stiff springs mean using that capability on the road is not that easy. Any bump will send the car skittering across the surface as the wheels bounce over the ground, and it makes it exceedingly difficult to exploit the power that's on tap.
What you get for your money
Let's not beat about the bush: the 911 GT3 RS is ludicrously expensive. At more than €350,000, only the very wealthiest buyers will even dream about affording one. That's partly down to the vagaries of the Irish tax system, but there's more to it than that, because it's also around €80,000 more expensive than a standard GT3. Unless you need the pinnacle of 911 performance or you're desperate to set the fastest time at Mondello, it isn't worth it. Yes, you get lots of performance-orientated goodies, but in terms of smiles per mile, the GT3 will offer exactly the same enjoyment. And it has a boot.
Summary
As with the GT3, the RS's stiff ride effectively limits it to only occasional road use. So unless you're regularly found at track days, it's probably going to be too uncompromising for you. Certainly, we wouldn't dream of using one as a daily driver. But all that being said, there's no denying the brilliance of the GT3 RS, which does a great job of making you feel as though you're behind the wheel of a racing car. An hour or so of road use is more than enough, but in its natural habitat of the race circuit, there are few cars we'd rather drive.
