Is the 911 GT3RS Just a Bit Too Much?
Porsche’s 911 GT3RS is great for all the right reasons, but is it too much car for the average enthusiast?
“Race car for the road” is thrown around so much in the automotive industry that it’s a very very tired phrase. Mostly because it’s wholly inaccurate except in very rare and specific instances. You might want to describe the 911 GT3RS as a race car for the road. It has a lot of race car parts. And it can be used on the road. But you probably wouldn’t want to.
That’s the theory of Matt Farah. He’s convinced that it is possible to have too much car. The main component that Matt’s focus on understandably lies in the suspension. He explains that the car’s springs are 50% stiffer than the GT3. Further explaining, the GT3 is “a car I’ve already dismissed from my personal dream garage because it is so abusive on the street.” While many might scoff, it is a valid point.
But when he dives a bit deeper into the car, he begins to at least understand it a little better. The GT3RS is the most extreme 911 money can buy. So it is going to sacrifice some things in order to accomplish that. But at the same time, it’s not so extreme that you can get yourself in trouble. It has adjustability, but only within certain parameters. Unskilled drivers can fiddle all they want, and still not create a first-class trip to the tire barriers. But it also has tech and special features that truly set it apart, even from other Porsche models. A swath of the bodywork is now carbon fiber, and the glass is thinner. Magnesium wheels are lighter. And the aero is active, having both a DRS and air brake functionality. Steering wheel buttons to control the suspension and differential adjustability will have you geeking out like a kid playing Gran Turismo.
So it is driver friendly, but a race car it is not. If you’re not ready to buy a 911 Cup car, then Farah knows this might actually just be the car for you. He explains, “the fact that this GT3RS can be used so effectively on track, but with more forgiving, street-based tires… and can drive it in to town for dinner make it an incredibly desirable proposition.”
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