As good as the GT3 is, it’s missing two letters: RS.
The GT3 has traditionally been a stripped down, simplified version of the 911, but Porsche has always topped it with a GT3 RS model. As Richard Hammond of the BBC2’s Top Gear once described it, the RS is “the ultimate version, of the ultimate version.”
According to Auto Express, Porsche is planning a new ultimate-ultimate 911.
Porsche test driver Walter Rohrl told the magazine that the next GT3 RS has already done some testing at the Nurburgring, and that it has an aggressive aerodynamics package that generates 50 percent more downforce than the standard GT3.
That sounds like enough downforce to burst the tires. It will reportedly be achieved with front-spoiler winglets similar to the ones used on the 997 911 GT3 RS 4.0, and other modifications. The RS will also ride on an even wider track than the regular GT3.
The current GT3 isn’t as spartan as previously models, but the RS is expected to get fewer luxuries in the name of weight savings. It will also have lightened body panels and thinner glass.
The RS will likely have the same 3.8-liter flat-six as the standard GT3, with a modest increase over that car’s 475 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. As with the GT3 and Turbo, the dual-clutch PDK will probably be the only transmission option.
With its lighter curb weight and slight power increase, the GT3 RS is expected to improve on the GT3’s 0 to 60 mph time of 3.3 seconds. However, it probably won’t match the GT3’s top speed of 195 mph, because of all of those downforce-creating aerodynamic aids create a lot of drag.
Expect the GT3 RS to clock a hellaciously-fast Nurburgring lap time as well.
