We were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the current Porsche 911 GT3 RS in Cape Town for a day last year and now thanks to the kind folks of Porsche South Africa, the keys were handed back but this time for a few days of driving in Gauteng.
Without getting too caught up in a long-winded review because let’s be honest those are a little boring we will get to the point and tell you why this might just be the best car we have ever driven.
For starters, the car looks absurdly epic thanks to the carbon fibre overload (Weissach Package which sheds 28 kg), NACA ducts, roll-cage, the enormous rear wing, boy-racer decals and of course the gorgeous black satin Magnesium wheels. The car looks as fast as it is and we challenge you not to take a second glance when you lock the door and walk away.
Sitting behind your head is the mighty and magnificent 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six which packs 514 hp (383 kW) and 470 Nm of torque which is enough to get the rear-wheel-drive track machine to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds. That is fast but by today’s standards, it is pretty normal. What is not normal is the fact that the engine will climb all the way to 9000 rpm with maximum power available at 8,250 rpm so it wants to shout and scream as much as it can and boy is it rewarding. It is a rush you will keep chasing again and again, like an rpm junkie. The sound it makes beyond 8500 rpm or so, a metallic-edged howl, is unforgettable.
The steering response is absolutely instant and thanks to those specially-developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2’s, the grip is astonishing. There is a huge level of front-end grip on the way into corners, and equally impressive traction on the way out, and a feeling of absolute precision in between. Although the GT3 RS is so fast it can consume the road ahead like a hyper-lapse video, you can enjoy it at a gentle pace too, enjoying the sound and everything else going on around you.
Purists moan that there is no manual option for the GT3 RS but you would have to be a lunatic to pass on the PDK dual-clutch gearbox. It has been remapped for this particular 911 and there is phenomenal feedback from the paddles adding to the theatre. The ratios feel perfectly balanced, neither too long nor too short and it is also brilliant in auto mode. It is rare to find a self-shifting box choosing the right gear at the right time.
Is it harsh to use as a road car? Well yes, it has been developed to demolish circuits so the weight-saving thin glass and removed sound deadening makes the cabin a little on the loud side but you can’t have a precision weapon like the GT3 RS and expect it to soak up the less-than-ideal roads like a Panamera or even the regular GT3.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a racecar-with-numberplates, it provides the most vivid of driving experiences and responds as fast as you can think. Is this the best car we have ever driven? The Lamborghini Huracán Performante comes to mind when thinking about this sort of level but after our second stint in the masterpiece from Stuttgart, the Porsche 911 (991.2) GT3 RS sits on top in our books (for now). We say for now as we know we will be seeing a GT4 RS in the near future and will be expecting BIG things from that package.
Please keep building things like this Porsche, please!
