When Porsche first unveiled the 911, we lived in steady but gently progressive times. The 1960s was a turning point in many ways. Nearly everything was changing, and cars were becoming an exciting way for middle-class enthusiasts to express their desire for both performance and style. Manufacturers were embracing new technologies, materials advances, and buyers appreciated these latest features integrated into their vehicles. The 911 met that niche so well, it created a unique partnership with emerging generations of engineers, designers, and buyers eager to advance the 911 to astonishing levels of performance and design excellence.
Over the past seven decades, the Porsche 911 has continued to engage legions of performance enthusiasts with ground-breaking technology and superlative design.
With each iteration, innovations emerge, blended into emergent 911 architecture while cleverly conveying the legacy body design that so fully captures the spirit and sport of these iconic cars. Perfectly balanced with a range of models to suit tastes and driving conditions, each Porsche has something special to offer. The GT3 was derived to meet the growing needs for performance models evoking the essence of motorsports history.
Offered first in 1999 as part of the 996 model range, the GT3 option package was focused on racing with impressive performance figures and purposefully spartan interior trim.
By 2015 the all-new version of the GT3 was offered with the distinctive RS (Renn Sport) package.
Equipped with carbon fiber louvered front fenders and turbo intake vents on the (also) carbon fiber rear fenders, aluminum doors, and the engine lid also made of lightweight carbon fiber, the classic 911 roof was lightened by using magnesium, a highly durable metal which offered both structural rigidity and weight savings.
Carbon fiber bucket seats, and a myriad of further weight savings (no air-conditioning, no stereo, and no front axle lift system) helped to reduce the total vehicle weight to 3,155 lbs.
The 4.0 liter 500hp flat-six engine mated to the Porsche Doppelkupplung PDK 7-speed transmission delivered superb performance with 0-60 times of 3.0 seconds and quarter mile launches lapsing in 11.1 seconds. Stopping prowess was equally amazing with 70mph braking to zero covered in an eye-popping 140 ft.
As if that wasn’t already enough, the most recent and highly compelling iteration of the GT3 continues this tradition of superlative performance and design in the RS package.
But this is no ordinary step up from the past – it’s a radical departure in every respect. In retrospect, this level of racing technology compressed into a road cara mere 50 years later is simply jaw-dropping when compared to the first RS series 911.
Comparing the current iteration to the earliest examples it’s almost as if another life form inhabited Porsche, migrating through the ventilation chambersnestling into the brains of Porsche development staff to give birth to this otherworldly creature.
The side view shows how much visual percentage of the car is now engulfed in the wheel expression – not just the wheels, but the surrounding details. The formerly smooth fender lines are now sliced open to reveal the inner biology of the underlying GT3 RS physique.
The visual compression of the soft upper against the aggressive lower architecture gives an impressive visual downforce. Much like when it is in motion, it’s literally glued to the ground.
What has transpired in developing the newest iteration of the GT3 RS is nothing short of shocking. Just eight years ago the 911 design traits and general “feel” remained evident in the overall body contours and visual appearance of the GT3.
The 2016 model was impressively equipped but, at the time, had a series of features that were visually striking but rather tame by today/s comparison. The lower front air dam and integrated bumper flowed seamlessly into the front fender and hood sections while the glass and body proportions maintained a neutral balance. The front fender air extractor, rear fender intake, and leading-edge hood vent were surprisingly sedate details that made the GT3 memorable and distinct.
Once again, at the time, these features were welcomed departures from the road car aesthetic, but they were tamed details.
Whereas the former GT3 RS captured your attention, the current iteration demands it. The fenders are not only infused with energy, but they also display a beautifully formed upper curvaceous surface sliced open to reveal a distinct mechanically emergent substructure that eerily licks the road in preparation before it devours its metallic meal.
The formerly massive rear wing is now a symphony of technical sophistication. The adjustment features are supported by dual reversed armatures that convey a robotic precision to the elevated wing surface. The rear wing is in complete visual command of the entire caras it rises above the roof height. But it’s not only visually compelling, it also contributes to the near one-ton of collective downforce applied at top speed – a remarkable number especially in the hands of a capable and willing driver.
At the front fender intersection to the lower portion of the door, the designers evoked the earlier Carrera GT where designer Grant Larsen pulled the trailing front fender into the wheel arch. This feature is partially concealed by a bladed floating black panel as an exterior aero device which cleverly balances the now significantly commanding dual front fender air extractors.
The entire front wheel is surrounded by black aero features, but they are not alone. The hood too is now emboldened with twin black ventilation devices which through offwarm air sucked out from the front of the car to aid in high-speed downforce.
Though entirely concealed from view, the entire underside of the car has also been carefully designed to wick off or channelunwanted air to appropriate places for cooling or downforce advantages.
Wickedly demanding from any view, the GT3 RS recalls one of the most challenging aspects of modern car design – how can designers balance a legacy silhouette with modern technology and fresh visual features while being respectful to the heritage that brought us to this moment? The GT3 RS certainly answers that question with a commanding force of visual brilliance, one that will be a daunting challenge for designers and engineers to top when they embark on the next iteration of this iconic design.
