► The most hardcore Porsche 991 of all
► Quicker round the ‘Ring than Carrera GT
► 493bhp, 0-124mph in 10.9 seconds, £131,000
We’ve spied it testing at the Nurburgring, in patent photos, snapped on Instagram and even leaked as a model car – but today the worst-kept secret in sports cars has been announced officially: this is the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
And it’s just as spectacular as we’d hoped.
2015 Porsche 911 GT3 RS: the stats
They’re worth waiting for. Engine: four litres split between six cylinders generating 493bhp and 354lb ft. That makes it the most powerful non-turbo 911 in the range.
0-62mph: 3.3 seconds. Even more eye-openingly, 0-124mph: 10.9 seconds. Fuel economy: 22.9mpg. (Who cares?)
Here’s another quite significant figure relating to the GT3 RS: seven minutes 20 seconds. That’s how long it takes it to get around the Nordschleife, making it nine seconds quicker than the Porsche Carrera GT supercar. This is a very fast car indeed.
What separates the RS from the ordinary Porsche 911 GT3 on the technical front?
It’s wider, for a start. Those broad arches cover wider front and rear tracks, and the RS also wears the widest tyres of any current 911 road car. No wonder it can corner so hard.
The roof panel’s made of magnesium, and the bootlid and engine covers are carbonfibre. Those vents atop the front wheelarches – as predicted in that model car – are there to help increase downforce over the front axle, Porsche says. Meanwhile, the flattened bit up the middle of the bonnet is intended to be reminiscent of that of old 911s, when it used to lead to an air intake.
Gears are swapped by a development of Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission, with an on-demand neutral function designed to replicate a kick of the clutch pedal. Just in case. Like a few other 991 Porsches, it features a rear-wheel steering system, subtly swivelling the rears to aid low-speed turn-in and high-speed stability.
The seats are more or less the same as those of the 918 Spyder supercar, and nestling behind them is a bolt-in rollcage. If customers don’t take their RS near a track, Porsche is clearly going to be disappointed in them. Especially as the options list includes a six-point harness, fire extinguisher mount and master cut-off switch.
When can I buy one? And how much does it cost?
As of today, right now. If interested, hotfoot it to your local Porsche dealer with £131,296 handy.
Click here to watch the regular Porsche 991 GT3 take on the Ferrari 458 Speciale in our twin-test.