Porsche 911 GT2 RS – 515kW of rear-wheel-drive fury

THE big numbers first. Porsche is asking $645,400 for its 911 range flagship, the GT2 RS. Packing a monstrous 515kW and 750Nm from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat six, the GT2 RS tips the scales at 1470kg and will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds. Keep the loud pedal pinned and it’ll only bump heads with a thorny physics issue at 340km/h.

It’s understandable if you need a moment or two to let those numbers sink in. Take the power output. The 911 Turbo S isn’t exactly shy of grunt, but the GT2 RS ladles on an additional 88kW courtesy of bigger turbochargers, a water spray for the charge-air cooler and a number of electronic tweaks. There’s also a titanium exhaust that shaves another 7kg and amps the noise up by a fair few decibels.

Unsurprisingly, the GT2 RS get a PDK as the only transmission, so fans of three pedals and a stick will have to look elsewhere. Rear-wheel steering, carbon-ceramic brake discs and a suitably lairy PSM stability control tune will also come as standard, along with some serious boots - 265/35 ZR 20 at the front and 325/30 ZR 21 at the rear.

The outrageous body styling makes the GT2 RS looks as if it’s just driven from a 12-hour endurance race, through a jetwash and then onto the dealership floor. The front wings, bonnet, wheel housing vents, mirror shells, air intakes on the rear side sections and parts of the rear end are made from carbonfibre-reinforced plastic, as are many of the interior components. The car’s centre of gravity is lowered thanks to the lightweight magnesium roof panel.

Those looking to chip a bit off their lap times will doubtless tick the box marked ‘Weissach Package’. This yields a weight saving of 30kg and includes a stack of carbonfibre-reinforced plastic and titanium elements. The roof panel, the anti-roll bars and the coupling rods on both front and rear axles are carbon, while magnesium wheels further reduce unsprung weight. The luggage compartment lid and the exposed weave roof also get a central strip in the same colour as the car’s body paint.

At almost double the price of a 911 GT3, the GT2 RS, due here in early 2018, is clearly going to be a speciality taste. Eyebrows were raised at the $645,400 list price, especially given that it appeared on the tail of Ferrari Australia asking $610,000 for their 812 Superfast, replete with 588kW V12. Those looking to boss track days might also be tempted by the relative bargain that is the $483,866 Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

Still, if there’s one thing we’ve learned about RS-badged Porsches it’s that, longer term at least, you’re not going to lose your shirt on one. The price of admission may be high, but when you consider what these cars will change hands for and factor that into your calculations, the GT2 RS could be one of Australia’s cheapest cars to run. What further excuse do you need?

Watching brief

Porsche is also offering GT2 RS owners the opportunity to accessorise with a special-edition chronograph watch. Whereas Porsche used bought-in movements on their previous timepieces, this is the first they’ve developed in-house and they’re pretty proud of the fact.

The calibre 01.200 is built from titanium, with a tungsten crown wheel based on the rim design of the GT2 RS. The face is made of carbon, while the design of the face mirrors that of the car’s dial pack. There’s also a ‘flyback’ function, where the chronograph‘s lap timing function can be triggered with one button press rather than the usual three of stop, reset and restart. We’ve yet to get pricing, but as this watch is solely being offered to GT2 RS owners, you might want to sit down when the RRP does get announced.

6