997 GT3 RS versus 991.2 GT3
12-30-2017, 05:37 PM
#92
Rennlist Member
The link I have doesn't work anymore but here is what they said about the RS.
"The elephant in the room is a Porsche 911 GT3 RS 3.8 parked on the moor, ticking noisily beside the road having been given one final blast by the evo team.
Jethro eventually volunteers to be the one to put his thoughts into words: Every time I think I've just experienced motoring nirvana in one of the other cars, I drive the Porsche and think,No, this is it.
SO THIS IS it. This is evo. This is the car that we hold aloft as the one that has reached the highest heights in this crazy mixed-up world we call the Thrill of Driving. The Porsche 911 GT3 RS 3.8.
That it fights and almost wins against a car that is so aligned with the more analogue leanings of the team is remarkable, and while the GT3 RS should be celebrated as the best of the past 200 issues, it's the Speciale that sets the benchmark for the next 200.
So what is it about the GT3 RS that elevates it above the others? John Barker explains: Take the best bits of everything else in this whole test, cram them into a ridiculously compact shell and you've got the 911 GT3 RS. If the Speciale is a masterclass in response, the GT3 RS is the definitive lesson in feedback, adds Jethro. The steering. I know we're forever banging on about bloody steering! It is truly special, bubbling and wriggling with the most wonderful detail. Not just of the road surface but flowing information about weight transfer, the shifts in balance that are at the core of this car.
At this point Henry chips in: The way its damping copes with the Welsh roads is just perfect and not once did I feel like the mighty Mezger wasn't strong enough. What's more, the suppleness in the suspension set-up means that I could enjoy all these lovely adjustable 911 feelings even when we were just pottering along in the morning at five- or six-tenths.
Back to Barker: This is the best balanced of all RSs for me. The ride and handling are perfectly balanced, the crazy top end of the 3.8 is plenty crazy enough, the heft of the hefty gearshift is as hefty as I'd want it and there's nothing I want more of from an RS.It's alive at all times, explains Jethro, and you feel the weight shifting around, the slight softness of response as you guide it gently into easy curves. But then the transformation when you decide to snap between direction changes is incredible. Suddenly the front-end is pinned and the traction is, of course, almost surreal.
The final words go to Dickie: As much as I love the Speciale, the RS is a tougher, grittier experience. Of course you have to drive the Speciale to get the best from it, but ultimately there's less to get to know. The RS demands a broader skill set and greater intimacy with its ways and foibles before you're able or confident enough to push it. Essentially these cars perfectly illustrate the difference between the analogue and digital ages. We just happen to be living through the transitional phase, so while it's brilliant that a car like the Speciale can deliver such a vibrant and all-consuming experience, the appeal of cars that require you to use hard-won skills and the satisfaction they deliver when you do so to the best of your ability remains irresistible.
The epic Speciale proves the future is in good hands, but looking back over the last 200 issues the GT3 RS is the defining car, the pinnacle of an extraordinary era."
12-30-2017, 08:18 PM
#93
Thanks for putting that excerpt up, my old evo link didn't work either.
rereading it, have to say I think Meaden (perhaps unsurprisingly) described best why the 7.2rs imo correctly bettered the speciale and in many ways for me why it remains pretty much 'peak car' as the point where analogue feel and tech complement each other and are present in the 'right' levels. Every car since has pretty much gone the wrong way for me as far as the tech/driving feel balance is concerned.
rereading it, have to say I think Meaden (perhaps unsurprisingly) described best why the 7.2rs imo correctly bettered the speciale and in many ways for me why it remains pretty much 'peak car' as the point where analogue feel and tech complement each other and are present in the 'right' levels. Every car since has pretty much gone the wrong way for me as far as the tech/driving feel balance is concerned.
12-31-2017, 02:54 AM
#94
GT3 player par excellence
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^ yes.
i have 997 adn 991Rs. and 997 will always have a special place in my garage.
i have 997 adn 991Rs. and 997 will always have a special place in my garage.
12-31-2017, 04:59 AM
#95
^ 991 RS not ?
12-31-2017, 03:54 PM
#96
Burning Brakes
I don't have one but the 991RS may still be in transition on to newer models. 997RS = Mezger and to many, the best of a series. IIR, Mooty went without an Mezger RS for a short period and had a major personality change worthy of commitment to Napa State Hospital. Issue resolved with the purchase of another and now appears to be happy camper.......
12-31-2017, 11:39 PM
#97
GT3 player par excellence
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^ hahaha, well i do love mezger.
but since 2004, i have at never at any time not have at least one mezger in garage.
but since 2004, i have at never at any time not have at least one mezger in garage.
01-03-2018, 07:01 PM
#98
No car life without a Mezger RS. ;-)
01-04-2018, 07:02 AM
#99
Rennlist Member
I live 80% of my time in Europe and 20% of my time back in my home country on the other side of the world. When I am back home, I miss not having a car to drive so of late I have been thinking long and hard about what car to buy and base there. My mind has mused over everything from old to new Pcars but I have ultimately settled on buying a second 997.2 RS above anything else. So I will have one in Europe and a second one back home. Only challenge now is finding a decent car at a reasonable price given not many 997 RS ever made there way there.