Sometimes downforce gets in the way of a car that can crack 184 mph at the top end and scorch 60 mph in an estimated 2.6 seconds. That doesn’t stop me from ripping through gears, via a seven-speed PDK with a shorter final drive than a regular old GT3. The racing gods, or unjust British weather forecasters, dampen my initial track foray, pissing rain on the historic 3.7-mile circuit just as I’m leaving the pits. It exceeds the McLaren Senna’s pavement push by 121 pounds. How new? At 177 mph, a max downforce of 1895 pounds more than doubles that of the last RS and triples that of a standard GT3. But the vast spectrum from the most slippery profile to full downforce is in sight of GTE racers and a new league for a streetgoing Porsche. There’s actually a bit more drag than in the 991.2-gen RS. But that feature won’t be offered on U.S. Its performance more than justifies the additional roll structure seen here. It works in sync with the rear wing, which is taller than the roof, another production-Porsche first, and also functions as an airbrake. A two-piece active front diffuser displaces side radiators, pivoting to increase downforce by up to 80 percent. To pancake the rear end, the swan-neck-suspended wing is 40 percent larger than on the previous RS, with visible pistons hydraulically activating its upper section. Even the signature rear fender cleavage of 911 RS models plays a new role, creating a vacuum to smooth aero rather than drawing combustion air. Bladed inlets reduce pressure in front and rear wheel arches, a nod to the Le Mans–winning 911 GT1. The design cuts intake temperatures to preserve at least 15 hp. Some redirected air stubbornly flows up and over doors, so a pair of roof fins deflects it again. Deflecting vanes in the enormous hood nostrils prevent waste heat from shooting straight over the roof and into rear engine intakes. The radiator is tilted at a 43-degree angle, to catch air through an S-duct and generate front-axle downforce. PorscheĬooling surface area drops by 32 percent, necessitating efficiency everywhere else. Porsche Torque Vectoring offers a similar plus-minus range of settings for the electronic differential, for either coasting and braking or lockup on corner exits.Ī more prominent version of the front fender vents that have become a staple of RS models. A Ring-ready suspension is a racer’s dream: Springs are firmer than a standard GT3’s (50 percent more so up front, 60 percent in back), and four intuitive steering-wheel knobs allow adjustment of front and rear rebound and compression. The RS brims with carbon fiber, in most body panels as well as in its skyscraping rear wing, Race-Tex-clad bucket seats, and, with the Weissach package, anti-roll bars. That power is best unleashed on a circuit such as England’s Silverstone, a Formula 1 amphitheater that highlights this superstar’s 9000-rpm vocal range and gripping performance. The GT3 RS generates 518 hp and 342 lb-ft of torque from its 4.0-liter six. SIGN UP FOR THE TRACK CLUB BY R&T FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE STORIES This story originally appeared in Volume 14 of Road & Track. The 2023 911 GT3 RS, though, is a naturally aspirated glutton for (and a spectacular example of) fresh air. PorscheĪfter a half century of 911 RS models, Porsche could be suffocated by success, having bumped the ceiling of what a gasoline-powered sports car could do. The new GT3 RS positively bristles with aero doodads, both active and passive.
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