The Porsche motorsport department is presenting Weissach's latest treat at the Geneva Motor Show: the 2019 911 GT3 RS with a race-bred chassis and a high-revving four-liter, naturally aspirated engine producing 520 horsepower and 346 lb.-ft. of torque. Based on the 911 GT3, the RS has been refined even further, combining the most powerful naturally aspirated engine ever fitted to a road-legal 911.
The four-liter, naturally aspirated flat-six engine from Porsche in the new 911 GT3 RS pushes the sports car to new limits: It delivers 20 horsepower more than the engine in the 2016 911 GT3 RS and the current 911 GT3. Plasma coated cylinder liners, a central oil supply through the crankshaft with larger bearing diameters, larger connecting rod bearings and the rigid valve train with shims to provide valve clearance compensation all carry over from the 2018 911 GT3. Capable of up to 9,000 rpm like the regular 911 GT3, the thoroughbred engine takes in ram air through openings in the rear quarter panels, and it is closely related to the unit used in current Porsche 911 race cars. The unmistakable flat-six sound escapes the exhaust tips, which are made of titanium like the muffler itself. The engine is mated to a specifically tuned seven-speed PDK, which features performance-oriented gearing with the top track speed being reached in seventh gear, like all GT tuned PDK transmissions.
Technology derived from motorsport ensures that the chassis offers exceptional driving dynamics. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), active engine mounts, rear axle steering, and the fully variable electronic locking rear differential with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+) are standard. Ball joints on all suspension links provide even greater precision than conventional bearings with rubber bushings. Furthermore, the new 911 GT3 RS features new helper springs at the front axle, in addition to the rear. As is customary for a Porsche GT model, the ride height, toe, camber, caster and sway bar settings of the suspension can be adjusted to suit individual driver preferences. Forged lightweight wheels measuring 9.5 x 20 inches in diameter with newly developed 265/35 ultra-high performance (UHP) tires enhance agility and steering precision, while 12.5 x 21 inch wheels with 325/30 UHP tires mounted at the rear deliver excellent traction. Overall, the wider tires offer a significantly larger contact patch than those of the regular 911 GT3. Large cross-drilled grey cast iron rotors measuring 380 mm front and rear are standard, while the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake system with 410 mm rotors at the front and 390 mm rotors at the rear can be ordered as an option. The ceramic rotors weigh around 50 percent less than the cast-iron variants.
