Porsche have a thing with the legendary Nürburgring. After the 911 GT2 RS demolished the record for rear-wheel-drive production cars with a 6:47.3 late last year, the 911 GT3 RS has now set a 6:56.4 – 0.6 of a second quicker than even the 918 hybrid hypercar managed.
The new Porsche 911 GT3 RS promises to elevate the GT3 experience by giving something as close to a Cup Racer as possible, and with agility of this sort, that promise doesn’t seem too far fetched at all. With a fair bit of hardware from the more mental GT2 RS, the GT3 RS packs a wallop. The 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated boxer-six makes 520 PS, allowing a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 3.2 seconds, and a top speed of 312 km/h – the focus, of course, is on agility and cornering speed rather than outright top-end pace. The car was fit with the latest generation Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres – 265/35 ZR 20 front and 325/30 ZR 21 rear. Optimised for track-day use, these tyres are fully compliant with US and EU regulations and can soon be ordered at every Porsche Centre and selected tyre dealers for your 911 GT3 RS and 911 GT2 RS.
Kévin Estre, Porsche works racing driver, set a lap time in 6:56.4 with the 911 GT3 RS. This time was 24 seconds faster than the best time achieved with the previous-generation GT3 RS. Porsche development driver Lars Kern shared driving duties with Estre.
Estre, 29, began the record lap at 11:40 am with a 14°Celsius ambient and 18°C track temperature. After the run, he commented, “This lap was a sensational experience for me. Through the fast corners and on the brakes in particular, the GT3 RS is unbelievably close to our racing car GT3 R. This is also thanks to the new generation of tyres for road going sports cars. I like the engine of the GT3 RS a lot. Up to 9,000 revs per minute from a six-cylinder engine just feels fantastic. The sound is a dream and the torque is massive.”
The new 911 GT3 RS is the third production Porsche sports car, after the 918 and the 911 GT2 RS, with a notarised lap time of under seven minutes at the “Green Hell”, the world’s most demanding race track with its 20.6-km lap. It is available to order for Rs 2.75 crore (base price, before tax) in India. You may also personalise your car to suit you specific taste using the Porsche Car Configurator.
Story: Jim Gorde
