Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (2011)
What: Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
Where: Silverstone, UK
Date: June 2011
Price: £128,466
Available: Now
Key rivals: Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Porsche 911 GT2, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, etc...
Summary: The most hardcore and powerful normally-aspirated 911 ever made, the GT3 RS 4.0 is a last hurrah for the current shape Porsche 911
We like: Hardcore engineering, geeky details, heritage, extra torque over the GT3 RS, it's all about handling rather than top speed, incredible on-track performance, usable on the road too
We don't like - Cheesy stickers, leaves nowhere for your lack of driving talent to hide, not being able to buy one
First Impressions
This is it then. The ultimate incarnation of the current shape Porsche 911 before its replacement this autumn. Well, the latest ultimate incarnation of the current shape Porsche 911. There seem to have been quite a few recently.
Three GT3 variants, a choice of two GT2s, the Speedster, the Turbo, the Turbo S - not to mention the 'regular' Carrera, Carrera 4, GTS, cabriolet and Targa models - you'd be forgiven for being bewildered by the 911 range.
So why a 4.0-litre version of the GT3 RS? If you're even asking that question Porsche's head of GT cars Andreas Preuninger would probably shrug and tell you to just go and buy a Turbo.
So don't ask him why it's got engine parts from the GT3 RSR race car. Or why you need rigid suspension mounts rather than regular bushings. Or what the point is of making an even more focused version of the super hardcore GT3 RS.
Because this is a car you'll either get or you won't. It's for only the geekiest and most obsessed of Porsche fans with a real understanding of the brand's racing heritage. What, you're a banker with a bonus? Again, go and buy a Turbo.
Beneath the compulsory cheesy graphics (you have to really, really want the car to live with them) the GT3 RS 4.0 distils everything Preuninger and his team have learned over 12 years of GT3 models and, truly, marks the end of an era.
Performance
OK, let's talk stats. The upgrade to a 4.0-litre engine over the 3.8 in other GT3 models means 500hp and 339lb ft of torque, up from the GT3 RS's 450hp and 317lb ft. The 4.0 hits 62mph in 3.9 seconds and will do 193mph, 0.1 seconds and 1mph faster.
Not exactly significant on paper. And totally blitzed by the turbocharged 620hp GT2 RS's 3.5 seconds 0-62mph and 205mph top speed. And if that matters to you, well, move along. The GT3 4.0 isn't the Porsche you're looking for.
"Top speed is just a by-product," shrugs Andreas Preuninger dismissively, before explaining quite how much work has gone into sharpening the RS's edge and eking out another 200cc and 50hp from Porsche's legendary 'Metzger' flat-six.
The answer is a heck of a lot. The crank, as Preuninger puts it, comes from the same shelf in the parts warehouse as that of the RSR racer. Everything - intake, heads, exhaust and so on - is either new or taken from the race car.
The result is one of the most explosive normally aspirated engines ever fitted to a road car. Headline figures may not differ that much but the power delivery is night and day over the regular 3.8 RS.
There simply isn't a flat spot anywhere, immense mid-range giving way to a screaming 8,250rpm peak. It's so immediate, so responsive, so spine tinglingly loud it takes your breath away. Turbo pace with GT3 response? You've got it right here.
Ride and handling
The question isn't how good is the GT3 RS 4.0, rather how good are you? At a base level this car is relatively easy to drive, the heavier than normal clutch, occasionally notchy manual shift and fiercely jiggly ride the only real compromises.
But when you start going faster the 4.0 starts asking questions of your driving. And if you're not up to the job you can almost hear the car tut at your incompetence. If you're not breaking lap records it's not the car's fault.
For such a hardcore car it's surprisingly usable on the road, once you dial into the lively steering feedback and undeniably stiff set-up. Two-stage PASM dampers and - gasp - stability and traction control are civilised stuff hardcore 911s of old would sneer at.
On the track it's amazing. The engine's explosive thrust means you arrive at corners way, way, way faster than you thought you would. Just as well Porsche has upgraded the suspension to make sure you can get round them too.
There's still the occasionally disconcerting front-end lightness that has always, to a greater or lesser extent, been part of the 911's handling. Ditto monumental traction out of corners once the rear axle hooks up.
Rigidly mounted suspension and an aero kit that delivers 195kg of downforce at top speed are just two examples of the track inspired set-up. And the fact you have to earn the ability to exploit all this only makes the 4.0 even more rewarding.
Interior
In keeping with the RS ethos the 4.0's cabin is built for speed rather than luxury, the fact it comes with a standard Clubsport pack with roll cage, harnesses and a fire extinguisher saying much about its intended purpose.
The cupholders have been removed to save weight if you're really taking it seriously you can delete the air con and radio. Going the other way you can spec adjustable seats, navigation and other creature comforts to take the sting out of that motorway hack to the Nordschleife.
Economy and safety
High revving normally aspirated engines like this are being steadily killed off by emissions regulations and, sure enough, 326g/km and, at best, 20.5mpg are the inevitable pay-off for such astonishing performance.
Turbos and associated trickery mean 600hp engines like that in the new McLaren MP4-12C can go well under 300g/km but Porsche insists future GT3s will stick with normally aspirated engines and the engineers will simply have to work harder to make them work within the stricter rules.
Verdict
With just 600 cars being built the GT3 RS 4.0 is an exclusive car aimed at a similarly focused band of well-heeled enthusiasts schooled in Porsche's racing heritage and respectful of the fact this car is the end of an era.
Rational arguments about price, relative performance against other 911s and the like are a distraction too. Just another Porsche to many, to the few who can appreciate (and afford) it, the GT3 RS 4.0 is, justifiably, the definitive modern 911.
Need to know
Engine - petrol 4.0-litre 6-cylinder
Power (hp) 500
Torque (lb/ft) 339
0-62mph (secs) 3.9
Top speed (mph) 193
MPG (combined) 20.5
CO2/tax 326g/km, 35%
Rating
Performance *****
Ride and handling *****
Interior ***
Safety *****
Verdict *****
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