2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS First Drive: Plenty Of Porsche
For a car that occupies such a tiny niche within a niche within the vast 911 family, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS sure has become a massive thing. The RS鈥檚 carbon-fiber fixed rear wing has grown to near-ridiculous dimensions; each recent generation has seen it become more conspicuous, the struts on which it鈥檚 mounted pushing the wing farther into the clear air. Depending on your perspective, the RS engine gets a 20-hp boost compared to the standard 911 GT3 or the GT3 gets a 20-hp haircut compared to the RS. The engines are almost identical. Both receive new pistons and rings, a solid valvetrain with shims for valve-clearance compensation (in place of hydraulic adjustment), a stiffer crankshaft with larger main bearings, wider and thicker connecting-rod bearings, and plasma-coated cylinder liners. Compared with the last RS, Porsche also bumped up the compression ratio, from 12.9:1 to 13.3:1. The 20-hp gap between the current GT3 and the GT3 RS comes down to electronics and a different exhaust system. The RS鈥檚 exhaust also gets titanium tailpipes, the inside of which turn the loveliest cobalt blue from prolonged exposure to heat.
The car sounds so good at higher revs鈥攜ou can twist the engine to 9000 rpm鈥攖hat we let out a completely unintentional 鈥淲hoo! 鈥?once we reached the upper reaches of the tach, and our co-driver had to remind us to back out because of a quickly approaching corner. That extra power, we estimate, chops a whopping 0.1 second off the previous GT3 RS鈥檚 zero-to-60-mph time. The last GT3 RS we tested did the deed in three seconds flat. Not that this, or any other RS, is a drag racer. This is a track-day destroyer. Its cornering grip is, well, massive. We weren鈥檛 able to run numbers on the car, but we鈥檙e willing to venture a guess that it鈥檒l score higher than the 1.08 g that we achieved with the last RS. That grip starts with a new generation of either Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 or Dunlop Sport Maxx Race 2 gumballs. Sized 265/35ZR-20 up front and 325/30ZR-21 at the rear, either tire is qualified for the track and acceptable on the road, assuming the weather is okay.
The front and rear suspension systems use metal ball joints in place of all-rubber pieces (the last-generation RS retained some rubber up front). Stiffer front and rear springs quell body roll, despite the new RS鈥檚 less aggressive front anti-roll bar. With its carbon-fiber rear ironing board, larger front spoiler, front fender-top vents, and new rear underbody diffuser, the RS produces double the downforce at 124 mph of the already pretty downforce-y standard GT3. The upshot is that the front end has more grip and feels better settled than any 911 we鈥檝e ever driven. There鈥檚 a rock-solid steadiness鈥攁 seriousness鈥攖o the experience. Quicker steering than the previous GT3 RS and retuned rear-wheel steering give the RS a level of nimbleness that helps make it feel slightly less massive than it is. In keeping with the theme, the brakes, are, yep, massive. Six-piston calipers up front and four-piston units in the rear squeeze 15.0-inch iron rotors.
9210, like those on the cars we drove. The pedal feel is perfect. The car feels like it could handle a lot more than 520 horsepower. That鈥檚 because it can. It鈥檚 essentially the same vehicle as the turbocharged 700-hp GT2 RS. We suppose there are probably circumstances in which you鈥檇 really appreciate the extra 180 horsepower, but believe us when we tell you that 520 is plenty in this car on public roads. Naturally, the GT3 RS is available only with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, because the DCT is faster than a manual on the racetrack, no matter who is rowing the gears. Well, it鈥檚 available in the regular GT3. There are some modifications compared with the earlier GT3 RS, which was also based on the current 991 generation (technically, this car falls under the 991.2 designation). The frunklid is now pierced with NACA ducts that feed cooling air to the front brakes. There are actually brake-cooling ducts under the nose as well, but they are downsized from those of the last RS.