911 GT3 RS: available in orange…
Newswheel staff :: 31 May 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Mid / rear engine sportscar, Porsche, Porsche 911, Europe & UK
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…it’s also quite quick, apparently
Porsche has whipped the wraps off the new 911 GT3 RS. As expected, it’s a track-biased makeover of the already pretty taut ‘n toned 997-vintage GT3. The ultimate Teutonic track day tool? Until the next ninja-spec 911 comes along, at least…
415bhp. 1,375kg. In excess of 300bhp per tonne. In a word, yum
Dodgy paint job aside, the RS does little at first glance to up the ante over the relatively recently announced 911 GT3. Engine-wise, it’s a case of carry-over, dry-sump-lubed, race car-derived 3.6-litre flat-six. Not that many will complain about 415bhp at 7,600rpm, 299lb/ft at 5,500rpm, an 8,400rpm redline and a specific output of 115.3bhp per litre.
However, it’s the fine print that makes for the really riveting read. Upgrades aimed at making the RS even more responsive include a close-ratio gearbox and single-mass flywheel. Moreover, at 1,375kg it’s 20kg lighter than GT3 thanks mainly to the use of carbon fibre for the rear wing and plastic for both the rear window and engine cover. Porsche has also bequeathed the RS with the Carrera 4’s slightly plumper haunches, resulting in a 44mm wider track and aiding stability.
Track-focused accoutrements include close-ratio gearbox and single-mass flywheel
Inside, a pair of carbon fibre buckets, bolted roll cage, six-point driver’s harness and pre-wiring for a battery kill switch head up the race-ready extras. But what about performance? Well, given the GT3-aping power output and modest weight reduction, the quoted figures are predictable if impressive. A zero to 62mph time of 4.2 seconds represents an improvement of just one tenth of a second over the boggo GT3), while the RS’s top whack remains pegged at a piffling 193mph. Anyway, it’s chassis and drivetrain response, not straight line speed, that will define the RS.
That said, it’s unlikely this most focused of 911s will be all that effective as a road car. Although the new 997-model GT3 is generally reckoned to be a more accessible real-world road racer than its immediate predecessor, it’s still a car that gives its best on the track. That’s likely to be doubly true of the RS.
Of course, that won’t prevent Eurotrash and Trustafarians from clogging up west London with day-glo orange Porkers come October when the RS is released in the UK. As for pricing, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. But for the record, the GT3 RS is yours for €129,659 on the continent or £94,280 in this green and pleasant land. That’s a mere £14,740 more than the standard GT3. Who said Porsches weren’t good value?
Posted 24 July 2006, by ryan savage
an exelant car my dads got one