GT3 SQUADRON - JZ Machtech

Original incarnation of the
Mezger engine installed in
the tail of the 996 GT3 RS
gives 381bhp. Interior is
rather more basic than any
of the 997 generation GT3s
Narrow body 996 GT3 RS
struggles to contain the
Manthey wheel and tyre
combo. On the road it still
cuts it as a great drive,
with easily the slickest,
lightest gearchange of
the bunch
A relatively small team under the direction of Andreas
Preuninger was developing the GT3 models. In this pre-
Cayenne era it wasn’t so easy to get a small production
run of extreme cars built, but Preuninger was determined,
even sketching the retro-inspired graphics out in his own
time. The green light was given, with the car announced
in the autumn of 2003, and instantly the interest in the
return of the RS badge bubbled over uncontrollably.
What buyers were getting was in many ways the last of
the truly raw 911s, although we weren’t to know it at the
time. Looking at the car today amongst the three 997s it
unsurprisingly looks the odd one out. Much smaller –
certainly to the naked eye – and the only car here to use
a ‘narrow’ bodyshell, it nevertheless looks superbly
purposeful with its low ride height and sizeable, Cup-style
rear wing. It’s a relatively simple car, the extra firm
suspension devoid of any PASM management and a total
absence of any traction control system. It really is just
you, the controls and whatever you had for breakfast that
morning. For some, therein lies its appeal, although it does
mean it’s a less versatile car than its successors,
particularly in ride comfort on poor road surfaces. Still,
with 381bhp it predictably flies, the soundtrack instantly
recognisable, and with the simpler hydraulic power
steering of the 996 and much lighter gearchange than
the latest cars, it’s a very instinctive car to drive quickly.
Values have been fairly unspectacular in recent years, but
I wouldn’t bet on it staying that way forever. We all know
what happens to limited edition RS 911s over time…
Given the success of the 996 GT3 RS it was less of a
surprise that the next GT3 would have an even more
extreme variant with those two letters attached to its
bodywork. Sure enough, following the introduction of the
997 GT3 in 2006, an RS variant appeared a year later.
Rob Young’s (of tuning company DMS) black with
orange example has a great patina of hard track day
miles, but seems all the better for it. This was the point
where Porsche really settled on what a modern era RS
should be: lots of naturally aspirated power (409bhp in
this case – the same as the regular GT3 but with a lighter
flywheel), the voluptuous wide-arch body for extra tyre
contact patch with the road, a big rear wing and a lurid
paint job. Oh, and the small matter of a superb chassis for
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
PORSCHE 996 GT3 RS
ENGINE:
POWER:
TORQUE:
TRANSMISSION:
TOP SPEED:
0–62MPH:
3.6-litre flat-six
381bhp @ 7400rpm
284lbs/ft @ 5000rpm
Six-speed manual
190mph
4.4 secs
44 911 & PORSCHE WORLD