New 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS sports the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in a road-legal 911 ever
Leave it to Porsche to take the already capable, high-performance 911 GT3 and make it insanely better with new 911 GT3 RS, making its official debut at the upcoming 88th Geneva Motor Show.
This 520-hp RS rocket marks the company’s third GT road-approved sports car within a year, coming off the heels of the 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 R2.
But right now, this latest rendition takes the cake, producing 20-hp more than its 911 GT3 sibling, sprinting 0 to 100 km/h in 3.0-seconds (that’s 0.2 seconds quicker than the current 911 GT3 with PDK and 0.1 seconds quicker than the previous 911 GT3 RS) powered by a 4L six-cylinder engine, and hitting a top speed of 312 km/h. All naturally-aspirated, all naturally awesome.
Shedding some weight to 1,430 kg while adding a good dose of carbon for the chassis, interior and exterior, the Weissach package ramps things up a bit while adding a set of magnesium wheels to the mix, replacing the standard 20-inch lightweight rims wrapped in 265/35 rubber up front and 21-inch in 325/30 in the rear.
2019 GT3 RS Price and release date
You can order the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS now but expect deliveries later in 2018; priced at US$187,500 and C$213,400 (less fees, charges).
OK, so maybe they didn’t take over SEMA but there was quite a few of them, and it was pretty awesome to see them all in one place. Nakai-San was here at SEMA as well, but unfortunately we didn’t run into him. RWB’s unique style is quite polarizing though as there are just as many people that hate Nakai-San’s creations as those that absolutely love it. While it isn’t something I personally would do to my own vehicle if I had one, I can certainly appreciate all the work that goes into each customer car. Pirelli brought a red RWB 911, LA’s JennaBelle to their booth and Forgestar/iForged hosted 5 other RWB 911s.
When I first read that the Targa was the next trim of 911 to receive the 991 update I thought “Okay, whatever”. The 991 GT3 set the bar so high that I’m not sure anything can top it. Certainly not a car that I’m apparently not old enough to appreciate or feel sentiment for. I figured it would be revealed quietly, I’d write a quick article on how it looks just like the other 911s and go about my day. I’d say that it’s a 911 with a front window and a rear window and a removable piece in between the two. The removable piece retracts electronically.
But then I saw it. Porsche managed to take a series of vehicles that all look similar and make one supremely ugly. And useless. Does anybody seriously think that the difference in rigidity between an electronically folding targa and the same convertible is going to be so significant as to justify not spending the extra $1,600 for a cabriolet model? How about the fact that it only comes in AWD? I’m guessing it’s because they couldn’t fit the roof and motors into the narrower fenders of the RWD version, but I feel like if you’re buying a Porsche for that pure visceral driving experience, or whatever it is that old people say, that you’re not going to be buying the AWD version.
So yeah, I don’t know. I’m of the opinion that if you want to rekindle your love of a classic Porsche, you should buy a classic Porsche. They’re not in short supply and can be had for very reasonable prices. If you want modern comfort and convenience with an open roof you can either get a panoramic sunroof which, like me, didn’t exist in the 70s, or a proper convertible. Or you can do what you want and buy a 991 Targa. Just please come back and tell me your thought process so I can better understand.
Check the gallery for evidence that you can give birth to an ugly sextuplet.
The latest update to the 911 GT3 has been revealed ahead of its world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show tomorrow. I guess calling it an update is a bit of an understatement as it is much more than just a facelift to the to 991 design. The fifth-generation 911 GT3 is the first production Porsche that features active rear-wheel steering and optional full LED headlights. Power wise, the new 911 GT3 gets a 475hp 3.8L boxer engine full of titanium goodies that revs all the way up to 9000rpm.
The Porsche 911 is a sports car icon. Every car guy, including myself, grew up with car posters on their wall, one of which was the Porsche 911. For me, the 911 was my dream car for as long as I could remember. My dad was a car guy, and Porsche toys were scattered amongst my childhood. He was a huge 911 fan, and by influence, so was I. Much like the Porsche commercial with the kid at the dealership, I was in love the first time I sat in a 911. Everyone remembers the first time they sat in one. I was 9 years old, I was at my first car show, and there sat an 82 or 83 911 SC, which to this day is still my favorite 911 body shape. Like many kids at that show, I set a goal for myself that very day; to own a Porsche 911 by the time I was 30 years old. See you in about 20 years. As an incentive, my dad promised to wash my 911 every day if I met the goal.
If you were wondering if it was still possible to kick out that tail on the crazy wide 345 Michelin Pilot Sport tires on the back of the first Canadian RAUH-Welt Porsche build then wonder no more. Nakai San, who was in Vancouver building the RWB993 was spotted having a little fun while testing out the car on the streets.
Porsche teases the next generation 911 doing some hot weather testing in South Africa. The interior is under heavy fabric camouflage but a more panamera-esque center console is visible and if you look closely enough, it appears that rumors of a 7-speed manual gearbox may indeed be true.
This was my car only three weeks ago. The photos I took while the $177,125 car was in my care sit as my current desktop.
But the car suffered the nightmare every auto writer fears. The Globe and Mail’s Peter Cheney was being a responsible steward of the 2010 Porsche 911Turbo and parked it in his garage.
