Track test: 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS

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There are few things in life that stimulate my senses more than driving a Porsche 911 at breakneck speed on a fast track. Of course it’s exciting; It takes a great deal of concentration and skill to push a powerful rear-engined rear-driver to its limits without exceeding those limits. But get it right and a 911 will reward you with an ultimate sense of control and satisfaction. Make this 911 the 2023 GT3 RS and the race track the famous Silverstone Circuit and the stimulation rises to euphoria.

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In 1972 Porsche presented the first 911 RS model, 30 years later the first GT3 RS. Porsche’s RS cars effectively bridge the gap between regular 911 models and the company’s GT race cars, offering owners essentially race car-like performance in a street-legal package. The latest GT3 RS, due to hit showrooms soon (early 2023), has been upgraded with (slightly) more power and (much) better handling than the already nimble previous model unveiled in 2015.

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Because you can’t just introduce an upgraded model without claiming some sort of engine upgrade, the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six puts out five more horsepower than the previous model with 518 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque. The engine has a wide, flat powerband that propels the RS from zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds.

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Okay, so there’s not a huge injection of horsepower in the new GT3 RS, but there are plenty of other significant improvements borrowed from Porsche race cars that should improve your lap times significantly. Many weight-saving measures have been taken, such as the extensive use of carbon fibre, but the new GT3 RS still weighs 15 kilos more than its predecessor. Without these measures, the weight difference would have been much greater.

A look at the body of the GT3 RS does not reveal a smooth, seamless exterior, but rather a surface full of openings, folds and winglets. These design cues are used to significantly improve the car’s aerodynamics (the massive rear wing should be a giveaway), significantly increasing downforce at speed.

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A front splitter replaces the previous model’s spoiler and redirects airflow above and below the car. The air flowing over the car first passes through a single central radiator before passing through two large vents in the carbon fiber hood. And don’t worry about the exhausting hot air being sucked into the rear engine intakes; it is diverted to the sides of the car by flaps on the roof. This downforce-enhancing central single cooler replaces the three coolers of the previous GT3 RS and is an aerodynamic element borrowed from the 911 RSR racing car. However, this eliminated front storage space, although it’s unlikely anyone will ever use the GT3 RS to pick up groceries.

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The air flowing under the car is partially diverted through openings in front of the front wheel arches; There are air vents above the front wheels and winglets behind them – all these features are designed to reduce pressure in the wheel arches and increase downforce. To emphasize the measures taken to increase downforce, even components of the double wishbone front suspension are wing-shaped to generate up to 40 percent more downforce on the front axles.

Why spend several paragraphs describing aerodynamics in such detail? Because the GT3 RS now produces up to 860kg of grip-enhancing downforce at speed, more than double the previous GT3 RS. That downforce will provide absolutely no benefit when cruising the Trans Canada, but it will pay off enormously in terms of grip if you use the GT3 RS as its engineers and designers intended: on a racetrack.

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However, this downforce creates drag in a straight line, which has a negative effect on speed. To counteract this, a Drag Reduction System (DRS) is used for the first time in a Porsche production vehicle, which changes the aerodynamic profile of the RS if necessary in order to reduce air resistance.

There are several active elements that make up the DRS, including flaps under the car that redirect airflow when activated, and a hydraulically controlled upper wing on that massive main rear wing. These aerodynamic elements are activated simultaneously, either manually by the driver or automatically depending on the driving mode selected. They also help slow the car down as they automatically switch to high downforce, high drag mode under hard braking.

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Two almost magical, track-focused features have been added to the GT3 RS. One is the group of four knobs on the steering wheel that adjust suspension damping, differential settings, traction control and driving modes.

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Using these buttons is surprisingly intuitive: press the button in the center of one of them to select the parameter you want to change, then use the color-coded rotary controls to adjust each parameter as it’s displayed on the instrument panel will. For example, in Track mode, press the suspension mode button and use the dials to customize front or rear compression or rebound damping on the fly.

The other must-have racetrack feature is the Porsche Track Precision app. After you pair your phone with the car, the app records racetrack telemetry and uses GPS to record lap times, all of which are captured on your phone and displayed on the car’s center screen. The data can then be used to analyze your own lap session with the aim of improving lap times. The app also records an onboard video.

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We were allowed to drive the GT3 RS in its best possible environment on the 5.9-kilometre Silverstone Circuit. While the straights aren’t very long, it’s a fast track with high-speed corners. And here the GT3 RS showed sustained cornering grip and phenomenal braking power. When setting the chassis and differential parameters, I got help from the test drivers from Porsche because I had never driven the track before. I also left the traction control on, but adjusted it to the least intrusive setting using the steering wheel controls.

No wonder that the GT3 RS steered with scalpel-like precision and required a fine touch at the wheel. It stuck to the pavement like the tires were Velcro, despite having less than excellent track grip due to the chilly weather. Lateral grip through some of the track’s fastest corners glued my body to the sides of the deeply sculpted seat and generated 1.5 Gs according to recorded telemetry. That’s the most I can recall seeing in a road car, though I was far from the border. The only time I had seen higher Gs was in the Porsche 911 RSR and GT3 R race cars that I had driven a few years ago. And stopping power from the optional carbon-ceramic brakes remained consistent and powerful (1.4 Gs) during lap sessions. Of course, the seven-speed PDK transmission shifts at lightning speed.

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Just how much the car’s aerodynamics have improved is evident from observing the lead car during my lap sessions, a previous generation GT3 RS with one of Porsche’s test drivers at the wheel. While the lead car occasionally squirmed and its rear sometimes wobbled a bit on the exit of fast corners, my car stayed completely on the ground.

The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS will hit dealerships early next year with a starting price of $248,000. Even if you’re not looking for a GT3 RS, you should visit Porsche’s website and play around with the configurator – which adds a variety of packages and options – just for entertainment value. The car I drove at the track came with numerous extras, such as the special yellow paint job ($20,810), the weight-saving Weissach package ($38,250, 15 kilos less), ceramic compound brakes (11,540 US Dollars – get them if you lapp regularly!) and a host of other options that brought the total to US$340,000.

Sure, it’s expensive, but it’s a much more affordable way to get the driving experience that a Porsche works driver feels behind the wheel of a race car.