GT3 RS just as good at going forwards as it is sideways What is it? The new GT3 RS a seriously track-focused version of the already track-focused GT3. There are already some vociferous critics of this car, despite no one having driven it until now. Their complaints are this: that for £94,280 £14,740 over the already excellent GT3 Porsche will give you a wider rear track, a 20kg weight saving, a lattice of rollover bars and the choice of some fruity paint jobs. Theres also an 8kg lighter single-mass flywheel to add more zing to the motor. To some people, these modifications dont justify the price premium over the standard car. I have to admit that when I discovered Porsche didnt even throw in ceramic brakes as standard, I began to empathise with the critics. Then I drove it. What's it like? The GT3 RS isn't anything like as aggressive to drive as youd expect. It uses revised two-stage adjustable dampers and runs the same ride height as the stock GT3, but is barely any harsher on the road. Pictures do not adequately convey the added visual advantages of a few millimetres around the hips. This is one of the best-looking cars Porsche has ever made. The rear wing is far bigger than the standard GT3s and the wider rear arches house the same vast 305-section Michelin tyres as the standard GT3, but on a 34mm wider track. There's a Perspex rear screen that wobbles about but saves 3kg, and theres little in the way of sound deadening, but the carbon bucket seat is so snug you can cruise in far more comfort than should be expected in this type of car. It is also exceptionally rapid. Using all 8400rpm, the RS feels little slower than the 480bhp Turbo, and we easily reached 190mph on the autobahn. Porsche has also kindly fitted a button marked Sport that rejigs the exhaust valves. This brings an extra 18lb ft of torque and a noise so wonderful that anyone still carping on about air-cooled flat sixes will be stunned into permanent silence. At the circuit, the RS's behaviour in high-speed turns clearly separates it from its tubbier underling. Porsche test driver Walter Röhrl has timed both GT3 models at the Nurburgring and attributes the RS's four-second advantage over a 12-mile lap to the added rear axle grip. But those four seconds don't tell even half the story. The RS is much easier to drive in fast curves because the rear axle is far better tied down. This matters because the speeds it registers at times beggar belief. The single-mass flywheel has released tangible extra energy from the flat six. It might still be rated at 415bhp and 298lb ft, but it responds to the throttle faster and sheds crank speed with race-car immediacy. Tyre temperature in the RS is critical, and the bespoke Michelins want nothing to do with adhesion or traction when cold. With heat comes massive grip and this, combined with a chassis that is both supple and yet completely in control, creates a very fast, amenable car. The steering is as good as assisted racks get, and the optional ceramic brakes fitted to this test car were sensational. Should I buy one? In the simplest terms, the RS doesn't justify the extra cost over the GT3. The standard cars amenities more than offset its slight disadvantage on the circuit. But the RS is a much more emotive machine: it looks stunning and goes as hard as anything with number plates can be expected to. For the committed few, this car will occupy a place in their garages based on exclusivity, heritage and ability that no other car can duplicate. >>> www.autocar.co.uk/FirstDrive_Data.asp?RT=222788 >>> www.autocar.co.uk/popups/gallery.asp?RT=222788
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