► New Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport
► 690bhp
► Not road legal
Porsche has set another record, the time with the 911 GT2 RS at the Road America track. With David Donohue at the wheel, the flagship Porsche lapped the 6.5km course in 2:15:12, which is a new production car record. You can watch the lap above and read all about the GT2 RS and even more savage Clubsport version below.
Meet the Clubsport first
The new 992 might be here, but the old 991.2 911 isn’t done quite yet. At the LA motor show today, Porsche revealed a 690bhp version of the GT2 RS, and no you clearly can’t drive it on the road. Perhaps that enormous rear spoiler and front splitter gave the game away?
Limited to 200 units, and designed for clubsport events and motorsport meets, the GT2 RS Clubsport shares the same underpinnings as the GT2 RS and new 935, so expect a 3.8-litre flat-six twin-turbo motor.
A seven-speed PDK sends power to the beefy 310mm rear wheels, while six-piston callipers and 390mm discs at the front mean it’s got some stopping power. At the rear, you’ll find four-piston callipers with smaller 380mm discs.
Like the road-legal GT2 RS, the 1390kg Clubsport features PSM, TC and ABS, though you can turn all those off. And for safety, the Clubsport adds a roll cage, racing bucket seats and a six-point harness. Thankfully, AC hasn’t fallen off the spec sheet either.
For everything else you need to know about the ‘standard’ GT2 RS, keep reading.
What do we know about the 991.2 GT2 RS?
The specs are pretty heady for the most focused 911 yet. In case that (metric) horsepower figure didn’t tell you all you need to know, this is the most powerful roadgoing 911 of all time; no wonder it’ll dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in a torso-crushing 2.8 seconds….
Key spec figures for the GT2 are thus:
- Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
- Power: 700hp, or 690bhp
- Torque: 553lb ft
- 0-62mph: 2.8sec
- Top speed: 211mph
- Kerbweight 1470kg (wet)
It’s dripping with special touches: the exhaust is made from ultra-lightweight titanium, to chop 7kg from the bulk of a 911 Turbo’s breathing apparatus; four-wheel steering features for added agility; and there’s a smattering of carbonfibre to chop weight down to 1470kg.
Porsche GT2 RS prices
The order books for the new GT2 RS are open with immediate effect. The price? A cool £207,506 on-the-road.
Brits can spec the optional Weissach pack for a further fee in excess of £20,000.
What does the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach pack do?
This is proper hardcore geek territory, lopping a further 30kg from the 911’s kerbweight. It achieves this by adding a carbonfibre roof, anti-roll bars and coupling rods, while magnesium wheels trim further mass.
And if that’s not enough, Porsche will also sell you a matching Porsche Design 911 GT2 RS Chronograph for an extra £8250.
An unusual preview at the E3 2017 gaming convention
Porsche’s all-new, super-extreme 911 GT2 RS was first revealed at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. It’s one of the biggest video games shows in the world; think of it as the Geneva motor show of the gaming industry and you’re on the right track.
It was confirmed at Xbox’s press conference as the new cover star for the upcoming Forza Motorsport 7 racing game.
That meant that the team at Turn10 Studios, which produces the Forza Motorsport franchise, were the ones who got to pull the covers off first.
You can tell the new 911 GT2 RS is an extreme race car for the road, rather like its predecessor; the huge vents in the bumper and front wings, massive brake calipers and rear wing make sure of that. Dan Greenawalt from Turn10 said the GT2 RS ‘features the most powerful roadgoing 911 engine ever made.’
Renderings of the GT2 from the game were issued ahead of its formal world debut at Goodwood this week (see below).
Check out our review of the new Porsche 911 GT3 here