Daily Slideshow: Joe Rogan's SharkWerks GT3 RS

Hey Joe

When he wasn't daring people to eat animal entrails and burying them in bugs, or vice versa, as host of network television's Fear Factor, Joe Rogan was pursuing his passion for driving fast cars. Though the stand-up comedian, long-time UFC color commentator and host of his popular The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, makes his living by talking, he's always had interests in a variety of life's more kinetically intense pursuits. The Boston native was the U.S. Open Tae Kwon Do lightweight Champion at 19 years old, going on to beat both the middle and heavyweight champs to obtain the title of Grand Champion.

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Not So Average

So what kind of car would you put an aficionado of the extreme in then? Challenger Hellcat? Vintage Z/28 Camaro? Some variety of yellow Lambo spyder? No to all three. He's a sports car guy. As he told The Drive recently, his first car after coming into some money, circa 1994, was a MkIV Toyota Supra Turbo. Solid choice. His next purchase was a 1st Gen Acura NSX, about which he said: "I liked that car a lot." With front- and middle-engined examples of the breed under his belt, Rogan moved on to rear engines and Porsche. His first 911 was a 996 turbo, purchased during his Fear Factor days, that he says broke down five separate times.

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Next 911

Even with those problems, he liked it enough to try another 911. "I like raw cars," said Rogan. "I like a car that I can feel the road," he said, adding the quality of responsiveness and the option of a manual transmission to his list of musts. With those parameters in mind, Rogan bought his next Porsche, a narrow-bodied 997 MkII GT3. He loved the car but after he came across more and more articles about SharkWerks, he didn't even take delivery of his next Porsche, a GT3 RS—he had it shipped straight to the northern California company for them to perform their magic on it.

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SharkWerks Work

That magic included the SharkWerks/Evolution Motorsports 3.9L engine conversion. The upgrade features custom intake and exhaust camshafts, custom cylinders and pistons, and special head studs. It also features EVOMSit engine software that can be calibrated for either 91 or 93 octane fuel, and it can be ordered with either SharkWerks center exhaust kit, or SharkWerks/EVO's ultra light cup-style system.

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Good Work (Gut Werk?)

The engine mods boost the normally aspirated engine from the factory 415hp up to 502hp, raise the redline by 400rpm (up to 8800), and provide 355 lb-ft of torque (up from the stock 300hp). The lighter pistons spin up faster than the original units, further improving engine response. The upgrade, which is only available for 2004-2005 996 GT3, and 2006-2008 997 GT3 or GT3RS models, takes five weeks to perform and starts at $34,000 USD—though higher mileage cars require additional bottom-end work be performed in order to insure reliability under the demands imposed by all that extra power.

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Matt Speaks

The Drive's Matt Farah, sunglassless behind the wheel of Rogan's car, described it as "pretty nuts," and as the "best car ever." Farah said that the extra 85hp, and the knowledge that Rogan has put a lot of miles on his GT3 without incident, convinced Matt to take the 'best car' crown away from the factory's RS and give it to SharkWerks' version. Farah made mention of the car's "instant throttle response," opined that the "power band is off the chain," and mentioned the spaciousness of the interior. His final assessment was that the car was perfect the way it was, saying: "It feels like everything you want out of a sports car."

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Shark Factor

For his part, Rogan seems genuinely happy with the car, and even after many miles, his enthusiasm hasn't wilted. Driving the car, he says, gives you the feeling you're getting away something you shouldn't be able to do on the street. "The idea that any a**hole like me can just go to a store and buy one of these is ridiculous," Rogan says. "It literally should be illegal... but I’m glad it's not." Us too, Joe. Us too.

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For help keeping your Porsche running right, please see our how-to section in the forum.