Porsche 997.1 GT3-RS & 997.2 GT3-RS Head2Head REVIEW by Kenneth Wong I opened the Pandora Box.......why? I was perfectly happy with my 996 GT2 and have never driven a car than excite me enough to give a reason to switch......until now. Forget about all other manufacturers claim that they have developed their cars at the Ring, how track inspired the handling and the aerodynamic add-on are, the Porsche GT3-RS is the real deal! These homologation special are indeed street legal track cars. It is rare to experience a car that feels better than the sum of all its parts. In my younger years, I have a track day addiction so I was on an endless quest to modify my street car into a street legal track car. In doing so, I have learned a hard lesson. If the exhaust gives more power and sounds amazing on the track, it took away low end grunt and simply was TOO loud for the street. If the handling is crisp on the track, on the street, the negative camber would have eaten up the tires in no time and it is just too harsh. If I stripe the interior and put a racing wing and bodykit, on the street, it becomes a huge cop magnet. The list goes on and on ...... In summary, nothing beats a factory prepared car. The mighty GT3-RS is exactly that. In 2006, Porsche took a garden variety Carrera C2 body, give it a massaged 3.6L 415HP engine, new brakes, new exhaust, strip the interior, put in a roll cage and racing bucket seats. They have also updated the aerodynamics with understated bodywork and calls it the GT3. Enthusiasts were happy, this car is wonderful on the street and fast in the track, it is the perfect compromise , or is it? For a small percentage of Porsche enthusiast (including myself), the GT3 is not hardcore enough. It is still too street focused. Porsche heard our prayer and introduced the GT3-RS. In usual Porsche tradition, they improved the GT3 by making very small adjustments and tweaks. They started off with a C4S wide rear body shell, put in all the GT3 ingredients, put in a titanium exhaust, widen the tires then update the aero bits, firm up the suspension and put in a light weight single mass flywheel. On paper, it doesnt sound like much, but in reality, it has tipped the scale in favo r of track driving. Without further adieu lets try out the 2007 3.6L Mk1 GT3-RS. This particular car is in a beautiful special hue called Mexico Blue and simply looks stunning. Grad the keys, turn the ignition and the car simply vroom to life in an unmistakeable Porsche flat six soundtrack, nothing groundbreaking and definitely no pretentious ROAR a la Lamborghini. Getting into the racing bucket will require some practice because the side bolsters are high and stiff, but once settled in, the seat provides excellent support and were quite comfortable (in racing seats standard). Depress the heavy but not impossible clutch (the GT2 is heavier), snap the alcartera short shifting gear knob into first, lift off the easy to modulate clutch and off we go. The ride is very supple on the street when PSAM is set in comfort mode, the steering is light, the engine and exhaust is heard but not loud. It has an ok stereo, working but not too effective air-condition and all the basic stuff to make it a decent daily driver. When its time to attack some mountain roads, mentally prepare yourself, switch the PSAM to Sport, engage the Sport button next to it and voila you have a track car. Grad second gear, full throttle from civilian speed, once the tach swing past 4000 RPM, Porsche VarioRam will engage and the exhaust sound will suddenly deepens and turn into a glorious wail approaching the 8500RPM redline, grab 3rd gear and repeat, it is intoxicating! Acceleration is fast for this 415HP light-weight car (a bit over 3000 lbs), but cant compare to my GT2s 465HP rush when it hits full boost. The fastest way to approach a corner for the Mk1 GT3-RS, is to apply the very grabby and sensitive PCCB Carbon Ceramic brakes late in the corner, apply heel and toe to downshift a gear, then trail brake into the corner. Once the tail start swinging, you can re-apply throttle to shift the weight to the rear and the tail will stabilize and the car will shoot out of the exit. For a seasoned Porsche driver, this would come very naturally and it can reward him with very fast turn-in and good exit speed. BUT for a less experienced driver, trail braking the grabby and exceptionally strong brakes will send the tail sideways. If you hiccup and panic, you will be in a very dangerous situation. This grabby PCCB brake system is also not ideal for heel and toe, the initial bite is too strong, making smooth brake modulation while heel and toeing difficult. The gear ratio is a little too tall for my taste. In winding mountain roads, I usually stay in 3rd gear to attack corners, but in this MK1 RS, I will need to downshift to 2nd gear to have a decent acceleration out of the corners (did I mention heel and toe downshift is a hassle in this car?). With that said, the PCCB system will be perfect for the track because after a few hot laps, the brakes pedal will soften to a perfect level for heel and toe. Overall, the 3.6 RS is a very desirable car, it is a true track car for the street and perfectly suited for both track and daily duties. However, it has some flaws that I think Porsche knows damn well what they are. Step out of the 3.6 RS and into the 3.8 RS, everything looks almost exactly the same. Except the steering wheel is more beefy at the 3 and 9 o clock position (a great improvement) and the interior seemed roomier (the weight saving interior door panels now have no door pockets and just tiny red cloth straps for door latch) Mechanical wise, the extra displacement has yield more power (now at 450) and slightly more torque, the gearing has been lowered, the engine mount has a new dynamic system and the front track has been widen by 1 inch. Couple with wider tires front and rear, updated 997.2 bumpers, lights and updated aerodynamic bits, the MK2 GT3-RS looks even more race car than the original GT3-RS. As said before, Porsche likes to make little tweaks to a car that seems minor on paper but make such incredible real-world improvements. I have to drive it to find out. Turn the key, start up the car, immediately you can hear the difference, the 3.8 sounded deeper. The lighter weight flywheel makes a louder sheeee sheee sheee sound, but reward you with lighting fast revs. The updated PSAM system still rides well on the street but it is noticeably stiffer than the 3.6RS. Engage 2nd gear, bring the car up to speed in a hurry, you will hear the even more pronounced shift in exhaust note when Vario Ram is activated at 4000RPM, the car serge faster with more urgency. It must have been the lower gearing, the 35HP advantage felt like an extra 50HP, making it feel on par with my GT2. The owner of this 3.8RS has opted out of PCCB and specifically spec Steel rotors (hats off to you P!). In essence, the brake is no longer grabby at the initial bite, it is full of feel and super easy to modulate when doing heel and toe, simply PERFECT. Same rules applies when you want to drive this 3.8RS fast in winding mountain roads. Approach the corner, brake late, downshift, trail brake, turn-in, re-apply gas gradually, full throttle out of the apex and repeat. This time around, with the new dynamic engine mount and the less grabby brakes, the tail stays completely planted as you trail brake, the line will tighten but the rear will not swing wide, making it hugely more confident for any drivers. The extra tire width in front gives a lot more grip at turn-in and mid-corner. The extra horsepower and lower gearing means you will have enough power to swiftly power out of any corner without the need to downshift. You can be on the throttle earlier and harder because the rear has so much more grip. Is there any flaw? Not really, but if you must ask, I would like some more power. Porsche have already answered that prayer too, with the very limited edition 500HP 4.0RS that is obviously on the top of my list!! In summary, both the mk1 and the mk2 is the ultimate track car for the street, it has the perfect comprise between track and daily duties. If thats your cup of tea, and have the dough, buy one and you wont regret it. Yes the MK2 is better, but it is also more expensive, the MK1 GT3-RS is the most bargain and best drivers car money can buy today. PS: Special thanks to Ben Molly for the photos
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 10:05:33 +0000
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