If you want to understand the history of the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS, just look at the wing and, really, where else would you look?
The latest variant of the 911 is rumored to get a 4.2-litre mill, the same displacement as the wild GT3 R race car, but Porsche claims the larger engine would have failed to meet emissions standards. So, to figure out how to build a better sports car without bulking up muscle, the German brand leaned into the wind.
It’s here we point out that the 518bhp 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six engine is no slouch, with a dizzying 9,000rpm redline and six individual throttle bodies – inherited from the GT3 – which provide crisp, rewarding right-pedal response. But it’s an evolution of an existing engine, while the car’s downforce figures compared to its predecessor might as well come from an entirely different machine.
At 124 mph it produces twice the downforce of the previous vehicle, and at 177 mph it has the equivalent of a Clydesdale (1,895 pounds) sitting on its carbon fiber roof.
But while downforce is great for grip, it robs a vehicle of straight-line speed. To address this issue, the automaker designed a Drag Reduction System (DRS) to automatically enable slippery aerodynamics on the outside of corners by evaluating a matrix of parameters, including G-forces, angle of steering and suspension compression, and fine-tuning a section of the rear wing. airflow accordingly. Two flaps under the nose work in tandem with the tail configuration to maintain the level of air pressure through the car, eliminating the rocking effect. DRS systems are an integral part of modern Formula 1 cars, and it’s a neat trick to play Lewis Hamilton with a push of the left thumb, removing drag from the rear wing to overtake slower traffic.
Rossen Gargolov
A host of other components, from a single radiator up front to roof fins designed to direct hot airflow away from the engine intake, work to harness the last ounce of speed and athleticism. of an already highly evolved platform, although managing these variables is serious work. : Dials on the steering wheel control everything from the behavior of the rear electronic differential to the compression and rebound settings of the front and rear suspensions. Taken together, the result is heroic levels of grip – demonstrably more, in fact, than the current generation GT3.
During an extremely wet session at the Silverstone circuit in the UK, the lead instructor unceremoniously spun this car through the gravel even as the GT3 RS displayed remarkable grip, helped in large part by the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
Yet while the GT3 RS’s wider stance and aggressive aerodynamics give it an air of rock-solid stability at higher speeds, slower cornering reveals the usual vulnerabilities that come with slick surfaces and cool temperatures, namely a tendency to move the hips when the accelerator is applied. when exiting a turn. But the car is reassuringly effortless at scrub speed, reversing course with the DRS and turning it into an airbrake to bring the car back to a stop. It’s race car technology for the road at the highest level, a reminder that for all its visual drama, the car’s unflappable driving bravado doesn’t come from brute force (the twin-turbocharged Porsche GT2 RS develops an additional 182 hp) but an uncanny ability to bend the air to its will.
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