New Porsche 911 GT3 RS Drills Old GT2 RS Around Nürburgring
Fastest-ever naturally-aspirated production car just misses all-time mark.
Porsche’s wild new 911 GT3 RS is the quickest-ever normally aspirated standard production car ever to lap the Nürburgring. Not just that, but it but it also thrashed its turbo GT2 RS sibling around the Green Hell. It fell just 1.21 seconds short the monstrously more powerful Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series’ all-time road car mark.
The GT3 RS set a 6 minute 49.328 second lap on the traditional longer lap. The 6m44:848s mark around the ‘official’ 12.8-mile Nordschleife lap is just over 1.2 seconds off that AMG GT Black Series’ 6m43.616s mark. Not bad for 200 horsepower less.
GT3 RS has Active Aero, Drag Reduction & Air Brake
This new GT3 RS mark is also just short of the current streetcar record held by a Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR fitted with aftermarket Manthey Racing tuner components. The new mark is however a couple seconds quicker than a standard GT2 RS, a tenth or so swifter quicker than the 760 HP Lamborghini Aventador SV, and 10.6 seconds quicker than the standard 911 GT3.
The record-breaking Porsche 911 GT3 RS features an active aero system including two flaps just ahead of the front wheels. It works in conjunction with a massive bi-plane rear wing to constantly adapt the level of downforce generated. That’s up to 1,895 pounds at 177 mph and comparable with a GT3 racecar.
The rear wing also doubles as an air brake, and there’s even an F1-like DRS drag reduction system. It opens a gap between the two wing sections to reduce drag and up speed at the touch of a steering wheel button. That helped the GT3 RS to 173 mph on the long Döttinger Höhe straight, while driver Jorg Bergmeister used DRS several times through his hot lap.
Less Than Ideal Conditions for GT3 RS Lap
“Considering far from ideal conditions and a strong headwind on the Döttinger Höhe long straight of the and cool track temperatures, we are satisfied with this time,” Porsche head of GT cars Andreas Preuninger confirmed.
The record car was fitted with an optional weight-saving Weissach Pack, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires and magnesium wheels. The only other changes were a racing seat for the driver and safety kit.
Interestingly, Porsche’s 918 Spyder was the first production car to break the Nordschleife’s 7-minute barrier only ten years ago. The new GT3 RS is now 12.152 seconds faster, but still a hair’s breadth off that other car from Stuttgart. Over to the GT2 RS, then!
Photos: Porsche