SEMA 2019: Porsche GT2 RS is Back in Black
Part of Optima Batteries’ Ride Shotgun display, GT2 RS built by BBi Autosport delivers high performance on bolt-ons alone.
We just returned from a wonderful week in Las Vegas, where the action was not on the blackjack table, but inside and outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center at SEMA 2019. No matter where we were, there was always the possibility of finding a cool, custom Porsche either parked under the lights of a given display, or tearing it up outside in the parking lot.
One such example of the former was one we happened upon while crossing through the Optima Batteries’ Ride Shotgun display, in the form of the VMax GT2 RS built by Betim Berisha of BBi Autosport.
Berisha’s shop has built some gnarly Porsches over the years, including the Pikes Peak-dominating GT3 Cup car piloted by Jeff Swart in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and another GT3 Cup sent up the clouds by Raphael Astier to a second-place finish overall in the 2019 running of the hill climb.
This GT2 RS, though, is more for the track than for the clouds. Berisha and his crew took the 690-horsepower, 211-mph monster into their shop in Los Angeles for an insane upgrade, though one that would require some restraint — through the use of bolt-on parts — lest they end up building yet another Pikes Peak challenger.
Behind the well-appointed interior, the GT2 RS’ 3.8-liter flat-six received a large pair of plug-and-play turbos, which can deliver the goods to the fat rear tires when needed, while running as if nothing happened during the long drives to and from the track.
And speaking of the long drive, the GT2 RS can carve canyons with the help of stiffer coilovers, BBi’s own bump steer kit, and adjustable drop links. All of the pieces help make excellent use of the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, each containing 20- and 21-inch Forgeline monoblock rims in black.
The results of the build are outstanding: 200 pounds of weight shed, and a top recorded speed of 226.95 mph at the 2019 Sun Valley Tour de Force in Idaho, second only to the record-setting Bugatti Veyron’s 253.01-mph run, and all on a factory motor with a pair of big bolt-on turbos. Not bad at all.
Photos by Derin Richardson for Rennlist
