Here’s why the track monster isn’t actually worth all the hype.
Hold off on the critiques for a moment: I am fully aware that the latest 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS is, indeed, a great sports car. Undoubtedly, its masterful engineering makes the vehicle one of the world’s best driver’s cars. It’s powered by a glorious, naturally aspirated engine in the age of electrification and turbochargers – a plus point for me. The 4.0-liter flat-six engine planted on the rear produces 518 hp and 346 lb-ft, connected to a lightning-fast seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox and good enough to do 0-60 mph in only 2.7 seconds!
Although those numbers seem pretty decent, at least for me, it wasn’t enough for Porsche back then. The original plan was to fit the 992-generation 911 GT3 RS with a 4.2-liter engine from the GT3 R race car. Unfortunately, such a setup would simply not have met emission standards. As a result, the manufacturer had to make up with being lighter and as agile as possible. It has tons of aero bits (e.g., the huge wing with a DRS feature), suspensions with individual compression and rebound adjustment, three-stage stability control, eight-stage traction control; you name it.
There’s no hiding how over-engineered the 911 GT3 RS is; all this just to make the vehicle great on the track — and it does! The vehicle provides immense grip with unfiltered feedback. Those little engine vibrations, huge g-force, and the glorious 9,000rpm flat-six melody make the vehicle so special in the eyes of enthusiasts. Not to mention, it does run the Nürburgring Nordschleife in only 6 minutes and 49.3 seconds – eight seconds faster than the Porsche 918 hypercar. Indeed, it’s another wonderful piece of German engineering.
However, the problem comes with its overblown popularity, with many over-glorifying the new 911 GT3 RS on social media platforms. They act like this vehicle is the best thing since sliced bread — quite similar to the MK4 Toyota Supra phenomenon, in fact. Remember when people started saying a Supra is better than a Bugatti? Yeah, that kind of people now worship the new 911 GT3 RS.
Of course, I’m not saying the 911 GT3 RS is a bad car; it’s a great track toy, no doubt. But everything isn’t supposed to be only about fast laps all the time. There are still some other factors that make a car great. Take the Alpine A110 for an example; it is not the fastest, most powerful, or lightest car out there. But it is still a great sports car with a non-threatening driving feel. The balanced power-to-weight ratio makes it enjoyable to drive on a day-to-day basis too.
Not everyone wants a hard-riding, track-focused vehicle. Some even think such a configuration would be rather pointless on the road — and I would agree. The Porsche 911 GT3 RS provides a raw driving feel with fast cornering speed that may not be that fun at all day in and day out.
The bottom line is a sports car doesn’t need to be the fastest around the Nürburgring to be great. A sports car should be good enough to put a smile on the driver’s face without requiring a professional track license. It might be time to take a step back, stop the perpetual race towards the fastest car ever, and bring back sports cars that are truly fun to drive.
