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Porsche 911 GT3 RS: How did the new Porsche manage to be street legal?
The new GT3 RS is the ultimate racing machine, which is actually much too good for the street.
Please buckle up, it might be a little faster today. Let’s park our sustainable thoughts at the side of the road for a moment and drift into the border area of unreasonableness. Doors open for the new 911 GT3 RS. One of the last of its kind. An uncompromising muscle beast, threatened with extinction. Never before has Porsche built a road car so consistently designed for performance. The leap from one generation to the next has never been greater. This 911 GT3 RS is the essence of Porsche, an extreme racing machine that seems to have swindled its street legal status by accident.
The new looks more radical than many thoroughbred racing cars. The developers spent more than 250 hours in the wind tunnel – everything in this flagship project really revolves around aerodynamics. Side blades, openings in the fenders, a rear diffuser and a huge, active rear wing (two-part) that can be adjusted automatically or at the push of a button – the development effort was gigantic for a road vehicle. The downforce has been doubled compared to the old GT3 RS, and according to Porsche, the aerodynamics package ensures downforce of 860 kilograms at 285 km/h.
Sharpest series 911 of all time
In order to reach the fighting weight of 1450 kilos, body components such as the front fenders, roof, front and trunk lid and the complete rear wing including the carrier are made of light carbon. For the first time, the doors are also made of CFRP. In addition, all discs are extra thin and light, inside the standard CFRP full bucket seats save additional weight.
Compared to its predecessor, the performance of the revised 4-litre six-cylinder boxer has only been increased by 11 kW/15 hp to 386 kW/525 hp. And with a top speed of 296 km/h, a GT3 RS remains below the 300 mark for the first time. However, the short stepped seven-speed dual-clutch transmission allows the boxer to rev up to 9000 rpm – even thoroughbred racing cars are jealous of that. And the sovereignty with which the model athlete throws himself into the curves is simply spectacular. The sharpest series 911 of all time pushes the limits up a notch once more.
In the basic setting, the chassis is designed so that it should fit 90 percent of all drivers. The remaining, really ambitious racers can configure their sports equipment completely individually using four rotary knobs on the steering wheel. For the first time in a production Porsche, the compression and rebound stages of the dampers can be adjusted in multiple stages.
Race track instead of the street
To speak of suitability for everyday use in this context would be misleading – this car belongs on the circuit, not on the road. He has no place because behind the seats a carbon cage provides stability. He has no comfort because nobody would demand him anyway. And he has zero ambitions to succeed in city traffic. What’s he supposed to do there?
The 911 GT3 RS has everything it takes to make its owners happy. Good customers of the company who are “allocated” to one at the list price of 287,500 francs get hold of one of the probably best-earning shares these days. A decent increase in value is part of the guarantee.
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