Porsche GT3 RS: Just You And The Road
Happiness can take many forms. It may be a first love, or the thrill of a winter storm or a sunny beach at dawn. It may also be something that can take driving to new heights and thrust it into another dimension of time and space. That’s why this writer is happy. Happy because he recently spent a day road-testing a Lizard Green special version of the Porsche GT3 RS.
If you love to drive then this car will pay you back in many ways. Happiness, then, is a 4.0L, naturally aspirated flat six, grumbling and barking and screaming behind you, delivering plentiful, precise power delivery, an evocative soundtrack and an increased rev range.
The Car
One of the few 911’s without turbocharging these days, the GT3 RS still lays down an explosive 513bhp, whisking you from zero to 62mph in just 3.2 seconds. That’s from a standing start of course; it’s the in-gear acceleration that really counts and it is awesome. From 50 miles per hour to 75 takes just 1.8 seconds, flicking quickly through the sport-tuned, seven-speed PDK short-ratio gearbox. It happens faster than you can say it. It is necessary to remember that this car is, essentially, a racing car that just happens to be road-legal.
The whole package is aided by weight saving thanks to the bonnet, front wings and engine compartment lid being manufactured in carbon fibre. There are no interior door handles, just straps: That’s a few grams shaved off right there. The weight saving continues throughout the vehicle but not at the expense of comfort and the model shown had all the mod-cons you would expect in any one of those run-of-the-mill prestige cars.
The days of wayward Porsches are gone; the GT3 RS utilises rear-wheel steering, specially recalibrated for the job. It works extraordinarily well. Adaptive engine mounts, an electronically controlled locking differential with torque vectoring, and more aerodynamic trickery that you can imagine all work together in conjunction with the massive tyres to provide unimaginable grip. In the dry, anyway.
The steering is enormously precise. You simply cannot miss your apex. Front-end traction going into corners makes the car feel totally flat and stable; there’s nothing twitchy going on. On the way out the shove from the rear-end is immense, yet the car is so well set-up it does not induce fear and apprehension. The GT3 is whispering in your ear like a little red devil, ‘Go on. You can do this’.
Fortunately, you can choose to add huge Porsche Ceramic Composite brakes. Since the car as tested costs around £150,000 you might just as well and, seriously, you really do want these brakes. The modulation is superb; no grabbing or snatching or fading even under heavy pressure. This car can stop as quickly as it gets to a top speed of 193mph.
Inside The Car
One of the most surprising aspects of this ultimate sports car is the ride. The Porsche GT3 RS is quite amiable when pottering about. Sure, it’s firm and the occupants can feel the bigger blemishes of the road surface, but on a smooth road all is serene. Everything is kept in order by an adjustable chassis and Porsche’s Active Suspension Management, the variable dampers being sport-tuned.
The fixed-back carbon-fibre seats, and the steering wheel, have ample adjustment although there are no rear seats, the better to accommodate the scaffold-like roll bar, because you never know. There is an adequate storage pit for weekend luggage under the front bonnet as usual. If you can live with the noise long-term then this is a motor you could use every day.
The Happiness
Driving, I never once felt out of my depth. The throttle responds gently to the lightest of pressure which means none of those sudden, panicky ‘hurtling forward’ experiences. Put your foot down though and instantly achieve warp speed, watching traffic disappear behind you.
It is no exaggeration to say that this was the best drive I have ever had. It is truly impressive how the Porsche GT3 RS designers and engineers have fettled every aspect of the car, every component working in harmony with all others. It’s a symphony on wheels played by Iron Maiden. It’s a fairground ride fashioned by gods. It is the car for the driver who desires the very, very best. As a grown-up man I don’t use the word ‘awesome’ as a matter of principle but, well, there’s no other word that will do. This car is awesome.
Geoff Maxted
