Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992) Review: The Most Gripping 911 RS Yet

Introduction

However good you think the new 992 GT3 RS might be to drive, double that estimate and then think again. This is a car built around aerodynamic grip, raw naturally aspirated flat-six performance, and the knowledge that it might well be the last of the last. It is a line-in-the-sand kind of car, created by the GT department in a place it has never been before.

The GT3 RS has only a little more power than the GT3 it is based on, and it is not lighter either, at 1,450 kilograms despite a 911 Turbo-based body shell made mostly from new carbon composite materials. What it delivers instead is a level of downforce, grip, and track speed that changes what a road-legal 911 can be.

Aerodynamics and Grip

Aerodynamics define this car. A new single front radiator sits ahead of everything to make the air flowing above and beneath the new skin work as efficiently as possible, while an enormous electronically adjustable rear wing dominates the rear.

Together, these produce 860 kilograms of peak downforce above roughly 170 mph. That peak figure needs serious speed, but even so, the RS generates more than twice the downforce of a regular GT3, and a regular GT3 already has quite a bit.

There is no boot inside, and to be honest, that stops mattering within a few corners.

The Steering Wheel and Its Controls

The new steering wheel is festooned with buttons, and they matter. From it you adjust the bump and rebound settings of the dampers through eight stages, the preload and on-power settings of the diff, the intervention level of the traction and stability control systems, and the shift speeds of the dual-clutch gearbox.

Then there is the DRS button, which lets you alter the angle of that vast rear wing to increase or simply ditch downforce through any given corner. It is a potentially bamboozling set of controls on a car that was already complex. The payoff is a machine you can tune to your own line, corner by corner.

Engine and Performance

The fully naturally aspirated flat six produces just 14 more horsepower than the GT3, and there is actually slightly less peak torque than in a regular GT3. The difference lives in the last 1,500 revs, thanks to different cams and a different intake system, with torque just below the peak noticeably stronger.

The overall effect, even at fairly light throttle, is of more torque and quite a lot more power. On a straight, it is nothing short of outrageous.

Chassis, Brakes and Tires

The springs are 50 percent stiffer than in a regular GT3, yet the slightly wider front and rear tires give a marginally higher sidewall for a touch more compliance. Front brakes are fractionally bigger than the GT3’s and remain steel as standard, with carbon ceramics available only as an option, just as on the GT4 RS. Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires were fitted to the test car, with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo and Goodyear Eagle F1 Super Sport RS also available.

Living With the Toys

Like the regular GT3, there are three drive modes: Normal, Sport, and Track. Only in Track mode do you get full use of all the toys, which means you cannot leave the car set up as a track monster for someone else to climb into and get bitten by, which is nice.

First laps on a partly damp circuit with cold tires and warming brakes produced some understeer, but time spent exploring the damper, diff, and traction settings reveals a car that is sharp, friendly, and astonishing under braking. The real story is not just the aero grip; it is the whole package: the engine, the gearbox, the brakes, the steering, the sound, and the excitement it clearly delivers to anyone behind the wheel. Climbing out, you always know there is more to come, sometimes a lot more.

Things to Consider Before Buying

This is not an easy car to unlock, and it should not be. To fully understand the RS and what lies beneath its dramatic carbon composite skin, you need time with its various toys, or the magic will lie mostly untapped. There is also no usable boot, and much of the downforce advantage only arrives at very high speeds, so buyers should be clear about how they intend to use it.

Buying Advice

With around 516 horsepower on tap, this car proves you do not need loads of power to deliver a mind-altering driving experience. If you want the most capable, most adjustable, most aero-driven 911 RS ever made, this is very likely it, and it is worth securing one while it lasts.

Conclusion

This could well be the best 911 RS yet, and therefore you would assume ever. It is right up there with the very best of all time: a true last of the last, with more of everything.