It appears as if Porsche itself were caught off-guard by the statement of the specialedition 911. The company had shut-down the line that will typically construct the engine to get an automobile such as this, so Porsche needed to restart production, if the administration decided they needed one last 997.

The GT3 is, obviously, the purest 911, making a GT3 derivative the proper closing sendoff for the 997 before the coming of the 991. Porsche released the GT3 in 1999 to counter-claims the 911 had gone soft, what with the 996's bigger body and watercooled motor. Some in the advertising section expected the business to sell several hundred - or one thousand in the Porsche has since sold about 15, 000 GT3s. That is certainly even more astonishing whenever you think about the truth the GT3 was available only occasionally.

Porsche says 85% of RS customers take their vehicles for the monitor consistently. And now Porsche is topping that with the GT3 RS 4.0, that is lighter and much more strong and handles better still. That 4.0 inside the auto's title denotes the displacement of its own motor. Whereas other GT3s work with a 3.8liter flatsix, the 4.0 borrows the upsize motor in the trackonly GT3 R and RSR. The bulge in results from the longer stroke, as Porsche couldn't raise cylinder bore. Titanium connecting rods along with a singlemass flywheel shave several pounds, but other changes in accordance with the GT3's 3.8liter six enrich air flow. The 4.0 receives a higherflow air-filter, a modified intake manifold with shorter runners, along with a lessrestrictive exhaust-the last that minimizes back strain and amps up the sound in equal measure.

Porsche doesn't provide its PDK dualclutch transmission in any GT3, which remains accurate for those 4.0. Even though the firm claims the PDK is better than a manual box in a far more civilized context, keeping it out-of the GT3 family looks like tacit admission there isn't anything like the control provided by a stick shift (even one with seven speeds, which we have affirmed Porsche will offer within the nextgeneration 911). In Addition, the conventional guide is lighter compared to the PDK, also it allows specialists to initiate drifts more easily by using the clutch.

Within the Swabian Alps south-east of Stuttgart, the abandoned streets is the epitome of tranquility or even for the distant shriek of flat-sixes being wrung out. The 3.8 is not just a tractor motor, but the 4.0 is a remarkable development. "A racing engine in this way must burst in the best," says Andreas Preuninger, project leader for particular vehicles at Porsche. Explode it will, but despite its 8500-rpm redline, the 4.0 accelerates easily and free of hiccups from just above idle. There really is really so much force over the rev band that we frequently found ourselves a gear higher-than we had maintain with the 3.8. Amount to the 4.0 controlling the title in about 3.4 seconds, using the quartermile getting about 11.6.

Porsche Perfected-and Expensive

The RS 4.0's handling is almost perfect, and also the transition to oversteer is simple and relatively easy to handle. Carbonceramic discs are discretionary, but even the setup is amongst the finest on the industry. Porsche's dynamic engine mounts are conventional, and even though they include four or so lbs, just how that they set to better handle the back-mounted engine's mass during hard cornering readily offsets that demerit.

We did not have the opportunity to wreak havoc on the options now, but the back spoiler as well as the suspension could be modified for monitor use.

The front fenders, the hood, and also the seats are carbon fibre, and purchasers can opt-out of either or both in support of lightness, although a radio along with ac are conventional. An elective lithiumion battery saves 24 lbs. Purchasers purchasing the mild battery also obtain a device for those winter road trips to Alaska, because lithiumion batteries experience decreased cranking ability in sub-freezing temperatures. Thank the bureaucrats for the reality that we will not get the even - lighter onepiece seats (just 18 pounds apiece!), the polycarbonate quarterwindows , or glass and rear the roll-cage.

At $185,950, the RS 4.0 does not come cheap. But that did not stop clients: All 600 have been offered, for example, 126 that will be sent to the shores. You'll manage to differentiate them from lesser GT3s by their particular striping and exceptional aerodynamic aids. The 911 GT3 RS 4.0, probably the coolest road-going 997 actually, is obtainable in just two shades: black and white. Carrara White is particular-jobs guru Preuninger's preferred. "It is harmless," he says, hardly able enough to hide his smile.

2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Hot Lap! - 2011 Best Driver's Car Contender