Porsche reveals new 911 GT3 RS 04 | 03 | 2015
PORSCHE HAS SQUEEZED a 493bhp 4.0-litre version of its naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine to its new, hardcore 911 GT3 RS.
Capable of a claimed 0-62mph time of 3.3sec — 0.6sec faster than the old 911 GT3 RS — and a 0-124mph time of 10.9sec, the new GT3 RS's top speed varies according to the amount of downforce dialled into the rear wing. Porsche though suggest it will surge through the 200mph barrier in low-downforce guise.
On sale in Scotland in May costing £131,296, the pared-down road racer is based on the latest 911 GT3 and boasts a modified aluminium body borrowed from the 911 Turbo. It also has a new magnesium roof structure and a bonnet and engine lid fashioned from carbonfibre-reinforced plastic: these combine to save weight and lower the car's centre of gravity.
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Look carefully, and you'll see both the bonnet and roof each feature a 30cm-wide indent down their centre line in a look reminiscent of that seen on earlier air-cooled 911s.
Aerodynamically, the 911 GT3 RS benefits from a prominent splitter element, modified front wings with integrated air ducts to lower the pressure in the wheel house and reduce front axle lift, and a large, adjustable rear wing.
Porsche is keeping quiet about the exact changes made to the car's 4.0-litre engine which have made it the most powerful naturally aspirated engine yet to be fitted to a road-going version of the iconic 911.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a reworked seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and fully variable locking differential with an integrated torque vectoring function.
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Jim McGill