Closenberry:
Got it. Thanks.
No problem 
I only decided to get another colour other than white is to vary the spectrum of the garage a bit. There are one too many white cars at the moment. Never had green or orange - you don't get cars that pull either of those two colours off very often. I have to try 
Jun 1, 2011 7:40:54 PM
Porker:
EVO's first (small) review. Sounds VERY promising. It's all the car I'd ever wish for!
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/268519/porsche_911_gt3_rs_40_video_review.html
Jun 1, 2011 9:18:25 PM
Mike S:
cdixon:
Out of interest, can the car be ordered without leather seats ? i.e. with the fire proof cloth like the Clubsports and 3.8 RS ?
Nope
To me they have missed a trick here.
Why would you go to the trouble of light weight bonnet, wings, and bonnet crest sticker, then put leather into the car ?
I have a feeling that Andreas was overruled by marketing dept here !
that
hello all
that is not true, porsche did a car in limegreen (gelbgrün; Code 137) last year!
see the pictures that is it!
as allways they want to turn us down on everything that is a bit out of the norm.
so set some presure on! if we do it all like this I'm sure Porsche will listen one day.
actually 'm traying hard to get my 4.0L painted signal yellow (Code 114)
lets keep pushing and wait!
regards,
beany:
that
hello all
that is not true, porsche did a car in limegreen (gelbgrün; Code 137) last year!
see the pictures that is it!
as allways they want to turn us down on everything that is a bit out of the norm.
so set some presure on! if we do it all like this I'm sure Porsche will listen one day.
actually 'm traying hard to get my 4.0L painted signal yellow (Code 114)
lets keep pushing and wait!
regards,
I almost died. Thank you for posting this. I am even more sure of this colour now
Going back to my previous comments about the PTS. It's not that they won't do it. It's the time constraints I have with my current build date. It's early July and it doesn't give them adequate time to prepare without slowing down production.
The mirrors etc. all come pre-painted from other facilities. It's quite a jigsaw puzzle apparently for them to put together.
cdixon:
Mike S:
cdixon:
Out of interest, can the car be ordered without leather seats ? i.e. with the fire proof cloth like the Clubsports and 3.8 RS ?
Nope
To me they have missed a trick here.
Why would you go to the trouble of light weight bonnet, wings, and bonnet crest sticker, then put leather into the car ?
I have a feeling that Andreas was overruled by marketing dept here !
If I would track the car, I wouldn´t mind changing the driver seat to a fireproof cloth version. I admit that having the choice of both fabrics would´ve made more sense as it was the case on the remaining GT3 models. I for myself was always missing the option to have both rollcage and leather seats right from the factory.
Mike S:
Going back to my previous comments about the PTS. It's not that they won't do it. It's the time constraints I have with my current build date. It's early July and it doesn't give them adequate time to prepare without slowing down production.
I guess that´s nothing new as I cannot recall that PTS has ever been offered right from the beginning on the GT3 and especially RS models. It is just a shame that valuable customers as Mike S. and Mike V. are left without a proper indication if and when certain options are available.
Some more food for thought:
[Autocar]:
One fault common to all GT3s is their unorthodox blend of a peaky engine and wide gear ratios. With the new motor, those gears finally make sense. On the road you can just park it in fourth gear and go anywhere from shopping to prison. On the track you have to rewrite your mental circuit notes because almost every corner is now a gear higher. It’s faster, yet easier.
Its composure in fast turns something you’d not credit a car with a tax disc, yet even if you turn off all the electronics it remains fundamentally forgiving, something you’d never say about the more expensive, flawed and less-enjoyable GT2RS.
Is it perfect? That car has still yet to be built and you’ll find the 4.0 RS keen to understeer in slow corners and its ride merely impressive rather than exemplary over the worst British B-roads.
Ferdie:
Mike S:
Going back to my previous comments about the PTS. It's not that they won't do it. It's the time constraints I have with my current build date. It's early July and it doesn't give them adequate time to prepare without slowing down production.
I guess that´s nothing new as I cannot recall that PTS has ever been offered right from the beginning on the GT3 and especially RS models. It is just a shame that valuable customers as Mike S. and Mike V. are left without a proper indication if and when certain options are available.Some more food for thought:
I was actually thinking exactly of chartreuse green or "yellow green" aka gelbgruen.
It was under the recommendation from my dealer to choose a colour they would more likely have existing for my request to have a better chance to be approved. 
Didn't work out anyway 
Jun 2, 2011 9:19:06 PM
Jun 3, 2011 6:37:19 AM
2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 - First Drive Review...
It seems as though Porsche itself was caught off guard by the announcement of this special-edition 911. The company had shut down the line that would normally build the engine for a car like this, so, when the brass decided they needed one more final 997, Porsche had to restart production.
The GT3 is, of course, the purest 911, which makes a GT3 derivative the appropriate final send-off for the 997 before the arrival of the 991. Porsche launched the first GT3, in 1999, to counter claims that the 911 had gone soft, what with the 996’s larger body and water-cooled engine. Some in the marketing department expected the company to sell a few hundred—or a thousand at the most—but Porsche has since sold around 15,000 GT3s. That’s even more surprising when you consider the fact that the GT3 has been available only sporadically.
The more extreme GT3 is the RS—Porsche says that 85 percent of RS buyers take their cars to the track regularly. And now Porsche is topping that with the GT3 RS 4.0, which is lighter, more powerful, and handles even better. That 4.0 in the car’s title refers to the displacement of its engine. While other GT3s use a 3.8-liter flat-six, the 4.0 borrows the upsized engine from the track-only GT3 R and RSR. The bump in displacement results from a longer stroke, as Porsche could not increase cylinder bore. Titanium connecting rods and a single-mass flywheel shave a few pounds, but all other changes relative to the GT3’s 3.8-liter six enhance airflow. It gets a higher-flow air filter, a modified intake manifold with shorter runners, and a less-restrictive exhaust—the last of which reduces back pressure and amps up the noise in equal measure. The result is an increase in output from 450 hp to 500 hp, with torque edging from 317 lb-ft up to 339.
Three Pedals, One Clutch
Porsche does not offer its PDK dual-clutch transmission in any GT3, and that stays true for the 4.0. While the company claims the PDK is superior to a manual box in a more civilized context, keeping it out of the GT3 family seems like tacit admission that there is nothing like the control offered by a manual transmission. (Even one with seven speeds, which we’ve confirmed Porsche will offer in the next-generation 911.) Additionally, the traditional manual is lighter than the PDK transmission, and it enables experts to initiate drifts more smoothly by playing with the clutch.
For this drive, Porsche planted us in the tranquil village of Hohenstein-Ödenwaldstetten. Here in the Swabian Alps southeast of Stuttgart, the deserted roads would be the epitome of peace and quiet if not for the distant shriek of flat-sixes being wrung out. The 3.8 is not exactly a tractor engine, but the 4.0 is a notable improvement. Its wonderfully linear power curve peaks at 8250 rpm, while torque does so at 5750. "A racing engine like this needs to explode at the top," says Andreas Preuninger, project leader for special vehicles at Porsche. Explode it does, but, despite its 8500-rpm redline, the 4.0 accelerates smoothly and without any hiccups from just above idle. There is so much punch across the rev band that we often found ourselves a gear higher than we’d be with the 3.8. The figures speak for themselves: Porsche claims 0–60 in 3.8 seconds, 0–120 in less than 12, and a redline-limited top speed of 193 mph. Of course, the company claimed the regular GT3 would do 60 in 4.0 seconds, and we recorded 3.6 for that car. Figure on the 4.0 managing the deed in around 3.4 seconds, with the quarter-mile taking about 11.6.
Porsche Perfected. And Pricey
The RS 4.0’s handling is virtually perfect, and the transition to oversteer is smooth and easy to manage. The power steering is perfectly weighted and linear; the brakes bite immediately and hard. Carbon-ceramic discs are optional, but even the base setup is among the best on the market. Porsche’s dynamic engine mounts are standard, and while they add four pounds or so, the way they firm up to better manage the rear-mounted engine’s mass during hard cornering easily offsets that demerit.
Although we didn’t have the chance to mess with the settings this time around, the suspension and the rear spoiler can be adjusted for track use. Up front, dive planes mounted at the corners of the fascia do an admirable job of countering the high-speed lift that still afflicts some 911s.
Expectedly, the RS 4.0 is lighter than a GT3 RS. The hood, front fenders, and seats are carbon fiber, and, while air conditioning and a radio are standard, buyers can opt out of either or both in favor of lightness. An optional lithium-ion battery saves 24 pounds. Since lithium-ion batteries suffer diminished cranking ability in sub-freezing temperatures, buyers ordering the light battery also get a lead-acid unit for those winter road trips to Alaska. In Europe, the RS 4.0 is even purer. Thank the bureaucrats for the fact that we won’t get the even-lighter one-piece seats (only 18 pounds apiece!), polycarbonate quarter windows and back glass, and roll cage.
At $185,950 (including destination and delivery), the RS 4.0 doesn't come cheap. But that didn’t stop customers: All 600 have already been sold, including the 126 that will be shipped to our shores. You will be able to distinguish them from lesser GT3s by their unique aerodynamic aids and specific striping. The 911 GT3 RS 4.0, likely the coolest road-going 997 ever, is available in only two shades: black or white. Carrara white is special-projects guru Preuninger's favorite. "It is innocent," he says, barely able to conceal his grin...
Porsche-911-GT3-RS-4-litre_Car+Driver
Jun 3, 2011 6:43:21 AM
At $185,950 (including destination and delivery),
Porsche-911-GT3-RS-4-litre_Car+Driver
With the actual exchange rate, this car would cost me less then a Carrera 4S, if I would get a US car !!!
A great deal !! Has anyone in the US a car he wants to sell to me ?
997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm
Jun 3, 2011 6:44:22 AM
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 review...
Porsche 911 4.0 GT3 RS First Drive
Test date 01 June 2011 Price as tested £128,466
The most noticeable difference over the 3.8 is how accessible the torque is...
What is it?
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this last and loudest laugh of the 996/997 series of Porsche 911s, you should know its run of 600 units is dictated not by demand, but that thereafter its parts supplies will dry up; and at a price of £128,466, Porsche will make no money from any of them.
Think about that. What you are looking at is the greatest version of the greatest sports car ever built. Porsche knows it could have made thousands and charged half as much again for everyone. But it chose not to.
Instead it is what Porsche calls a ‘thank-you’ to its most loyal customers, the only people with a hope in hell of getting a sniff of one. Most will have already owned at least three GT3s.
What’s it like?
What they will find is so much more than an RS with a bit more poke. Instead it is a heady confection of Porsche’s most extreme road car, the GT2 RS, and its all-conquering racers, the GT3R and RSR. The Rose-jointed rear suspension with its helper springs is pure GT2 RS, the engine courtesy of the race cars, their long-throw crankshaft stroking the unit out to 3996cc, making this the largest engine ever to sit in the boot of a Porsche.
A new suspension tune has been achieved thanks to bespoke spring rates, but much of the car, including the gearbox, its ratios, the steering, brakes and tyres are carried over from the ‘normal’ GT3 RS. Myriad weight saving measures including the carbon bonnet and front bumper from the GT2RS, meaning a base-spec car wearing optional ceramic brakes weighs just 1360kg, about 10kg less than a 3.8-litre RS.
A new aero pack provides more downforce than any previous RS, those natty front winglets essential to balance the extra rear grip provided by that new rear wing with its 9deg angle.
The result? The car we named last year’s best driver’s car in Britain, the 3.8 RS, has not been made to stand aside. It’s been blown off the road.
Look at the stats like the 0.1sec knocked of the 0-60mph time and it’s hard to see why. But drive the 4.0 RS and it’s blindingly obvious. Despite it’s extra 50bhp, it’s not the power you notice, nor even its additional 22lb ft of torque. It’s where that torque is that makes all the difference.
One fault common to all GT3s is their unorthodox blend of a peaky engine and wide gear ratios. With the new motor, those gears finally make sense. On the road you can just park it in fourth gear and go anywhere from shopping to prison. On the track you have to rewrite your mental circuit notes because almost every corner is now a gear higher. It’s faster, yet easier.
Its composure in fast turns something you’d not credit a car with a tax disc, yet even if you turn off all the electronics it remains fundamentally forgiving, something you’d never say about the more expensive, flawed and less-enjoyable GT2RS.
Is it perfect? That car has still yet to be built and you’ll find the 4.0 RS keen to understeer in slow corners and its ride merely impressive rather than exemplary over the worst British B-roads.
Should I buy one?
Ask if there is a car on sale today I’d rather drive on a combination of road and track over the course of the next 20 years and I’ll tell you that if there is, I haven’t driven it.
- by Andrew Frankel
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
Price: £128,466; Top speed: 193mph; 0-62mph: 3.9sec; Economy: 20.1mpg; CO2: 326g/km; Kerb weight: 1360kg; Engine type: 6cyls, 3996cc; Power: 493bhp at 8250rpm; Torque: 339lb ft at 5750rpm; Gearbox: six speed manual
Porsche-911-GT3-RS-4-litre_Autocar-link
Jun 3, 2011 6:51:43 AM
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0...
Motorsport engineering makes this, the last of the current generation 911s, one of the most extreme Porsches ever...
The 911 is going out with a bang. The existing 997 generation of Porsche’s supercar is due to be replaced next year, so the new GT3 RS 4.0 is the last variant we’ll see. And it’s a fitting swansong.
The £128,466 machine is billed as the ultimate expression of the brand’s race and road car know-how. Only 600 are being built, each featuring one of the biggest-capacity engines ever fitted to the 911. The 4.0-litre flat six-cylinder is the same size as that in Porsche’s GT3 RSR race car.
In fact, the engine is packed with track-bred technology. The crankshaft is lifted from the ultra-successful Le Mans racer, while titanium connecting rods, a single mass flywheel and dry-sumped lubrication also feature.
The end result is the most powerful normally aspirated engine ever to grace a 911. It’s quick to rev, and has masses of torque throughout the range. Yet at 6,500rpm, the 493bhp unit becomes even more manic, all the way to its 8,500rpm red line.
This means performance is just sensational, and accompanied by an intoxicating bark from the revised exhaust system. The RS 4.0 pins you into the seat every time you press the throttle. It sprints from 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, while the 30Nm torque advantage it has over the 3.8-litre RS means in-gear response is even punchier.
The chassis is enhanced, too. Lower suspension arms now feature ball joints rather than rubberised bearings, for extra precision. Plus, secondary ‘helper’ springs on the rear axle pretension the main spring, allowing for smaller and lighter coils. These motorsport solutions ensure the new RS delivers the purist and most engaging driving experience you’ll find in a road legal car.
The dual setting active suspension allows for two levels of damper stiffness but the RS is always firm on broken surfaces and while the delicacy of its controls make it engaging at any speed, its high limits mean this Porsche makes the most sense on the racetrack.
Here, the 4.0-litre comes alive - turn into a corner and the precision of the steering combines with incredible front-end grip, allowing you to arrow towards the apex. Then, picking up the throttle through the corner beautifully balances the car to the exit of the bend and even with the traction control turned off; the cut slick tyres deliver unbelievably high grip levels. Plus, the optional ceramic brakes mean stopping power is every bit as impressive as the acceleration and cornering ability.
High-speed stability is amazing as well; the revised rear wing increases downforce, while for the first time on a production Porsche, front bumper winglets balance out this rearward pressure and control nose lift. Unlike some road cars, the handling is so focused that at track speeds you’re left in no doubt that the spoilers are more than just a visual gimmick and that the aerodynamics really work.
Inside, the usual no nonsense 911 cabin is given a racier edge with lightweight supportive seats and a sprinkling of carbon trim. As before on RS models, the air conditioning and the radio are removed to save weight, but they can be added as a no cost option, while the optional Clubsport package adds a rollover bar, six-point harness and fire extinguisher. Externally, subtle 4.0 badges and slightly gaudy stickers distinguish this GT3 RS, but it’s the scintillating driving experience and astonishing performance that make this such a special 911...
Porsche-911-GT3-RS-4-litre_AutoExpress-link
Jun 3, 2011 8:32:10 PM
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 *****
Jun 8, 2011 12:13:32 PM
Jun 12, 2011 7:21:18 PM
Jun 12, 2011 7:24:16 PM
Jun 12, 2011 7:33:08 PM
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 first drive by PistonHeads...
DRIVEN: PORSCHE GT3 RS 4.0
If there's a world at Porsche beyond ever more hardcore 911 GT3 and GT2 variants (nine and counting on his watch), GT cars boss Andreas Preuninger doesn't appear to acknowledge it. Indeed, it's hard to imagine his department hanging out with colleagues on the Cayenne and Panamera production teams, or even giving them the time of day in the staff canteen.
It's that kind of single-minded focus that results in cars like the GT3 RS 4.0. It's not clear whether Preuninger is voicing the official line or his own personal view when he declares the RS 4.0 the ultimate 911. But it's clear there's bittersweet satisfaction that this car represents the conclusion of 12 years of expertise building GT3 911s.
Of course if you're a 911 fanboy you'll likely already know all about the GT3 RS 4.0. But, even if you've got the necessary £128,466 there's some bad news. They're already sold. All 600 of them. Of that number our contact at Porsche was somewhat vague on how many would be coming to the UK, eventually conceding it would be "around one per Porsche centre" but "less than 10% of the overall production run." So that'll be a number greater than 32 but fewer than 60 then.
That spec sheet statisticians won't find a whole lot to get excited about in the seemingly minor performance upgrades over a regular GT3 RS is to be applauded. After all, if Autobahn blitzing and spec sheet willy-waggling are your thing you still need a 911 with forced induction, the GT2 RS taking this to its most extreme conclusion.
No, the GT3 RS 4.0 is about details. Details resulting in the famous 'Mezger ' engine's capacity creeping up 200cc to make it the biggest ever fitted to a roadgoing 911 and boosting power over the regular GT3 RS from 450hp to 500hp and torque from 317lb ft to 339lb ft. The 4.0's additional aero - nine degrees of rear wing over the RS's six and front bumper mounted 'flics' to reduce resulting front-end lift - mean top speed is only 1mph up at 193mph and 0-62mph down a tenth to 3.9 seconds. But what was that about meaningless stats? The changes to the 4.0 can be better appreciated in just one corner on Silverstone's International Circuit.
On the advice of the bloke in the passenger seat - 1970 Le Mans winner and occasional 'Porsche Driving Consultant' Richard Attwood no less - I try short-shifting from third to fourth before turning into the new pit straight following the Club chicane. Where the regular RS would bog the 4.0 digs deep into its newly expanded torque curve and by the time I exit the corner I'm fast approaching the 8,500rpm redline, grabbing fifth and arriving at Abbey 20mph faster than I did on the last lap. Yikes!
Preuninger admits the 3.8 RS's flat six is "not a tractor engine" but by increasing the stroke - there was literally not enough metal in the block for any increase in bore - with the same crank as used in the half million pound RSR race car they wrung out those final few hp and lb ft. New heads, cams and shorter, wider inlet tracts also play their part in the astonishing 125hp per litre specific output. Oh, and if you're worried about durability part of the test programme was running flat out for 3,000km at Nardo.
The thing that strikes you from the wheel of the 4.0 is both the incredible response such a highly tuned, normally aspirated engine gives and the way detail improvements to the RS's already fabulous chassis help you exploit them. Sure, there's the usual PASM adjustable damping but Attwood's advice is to leave it in the standard setting and be done with it.
Like the GT2 RS, the 4.0 gets additional rose joints on the suspension arms and uprated coilovers with compensator springs to allow a shorter, lighter main spring. None of this fancy pants hardware can overcome those inherent 911 handling quirks though and the 4.0 still has that 'will it, won't it' light-nosed feel on turn-in that, assuming you've not totally overlooked the additional speed you arrived with (see above), can be bled off with a little bit of trail braking. The fierceness with which the engine responds has you wary of being too early on the power but, inevitably, even when you think you're being brave you're actually being a wuss and everyone will know about it, so loud is the exhaust when you're on properly on it. Dig deeper and the response is so accurate, the communication so undiluted that you can actually feel the differential begin to lock up and fire you out of the corner for that classic 911 slingshot effect.
Traction and stability control are there and can be independently disabled but drive with the smoothness and accuracy the 4.0 encourages and you'll only see them wake up at the very extremes of the handling envelope. At which point you'll most likely be glad of them.
Again it's the engine that dominates, the rate with which revs and speed build requiring serious mental recalibration. Like all 'proper' Porsches this is a car that makes demands of its driver and assumes a certain level of competence before giving its best. There's no Ferrari style ego massage here.
And though the stickers, plank-like rear wing, roll cage and aero flics mark you out as a bit of a tragic wannabe away from the track from the driver's seat you won't mind. Because, like the regular RS, the 4.0 is surprisingly viable as a road car. A road car that doubles, trebles even, speed limits in the blink of an eye admittedly. But it rides well, bumps, cambers and ridges clearly communicated via wheel and seat of the pants but the feedback so clear and faithful it's never intimidating.
It's on the track where this car really gives its best though and if there's one measure of the improvements that'll really count to aficionados it's that all-important 'ring lap time. And here it really shows, the 4.0's 7:27 six seconds faster than the 3.8 RS and 13 seconds quicker than a regular GT3. Matching performance like that will require a pair as steely as Röhrl's. But the satisfaction of knowing the car can do it - even if you can't - and would be perfectly acceptable for the long schlep home across Belgium is the kind of credibility an RS Porsche thrives on. This final swansong edition more so than ever...
Porsche-911-GT3-RS-4-litre_PH-article-link
Jun 12, 2011 7:55:35 PM
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 first drive video by Auto Express...
Porsche makes its farewells to the current generation of 911s in extreme racing style, with the GT3 RS 4.0
Saying "auf wiedersehen" is never easy, especially to the 911 997 series, one of the most popular generations of German supercar ever built. But Porsche have found a way of doing so with a smile and their secret is this: the GT3 RS 4.0.
This machine is billed as the ultimate expression of the brand's race and road car know-how, and only 600 of them are being built, costing each new owner £128,466 to take one home.
The 4.0-litre flat-six is packed-full of race-bred technology which makes it the most powerful naturally-aspirated engine ever put inside a 911. Performance is exceptional, completing 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds.
High-speed stability is amazing; the revised rear wing increases downforce, while for the first time on a production Porsche, front bumper winglets balance out this rearward pressure and control nose lift. Unlike some road cars, the handling is so focused that at track speeds you’re left in no doubt that the spoilers are more than just a visual gimmick and that the aerodynamics really work...
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Jun 13, 2011 9:21:23 AM
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