Narrowing down the most thrilling attributes of the GT2 RS is a challenge. The whole car is made of compressed and distilled superlatives. This 700 horsepower monster holds the top Nurburgring lap record, and exhales with such ferocity that Porsche test driver Lars Kern promises the titanium exhaust will be glowing after a hardcore track session. On a narrow, twisting, wet karting track the GT2 looks like an absolute handful. While some of the Porsche’s attributes are well known, this video highlights some of the more unusual aspects of the GT2.
The rear wheel drive GT2 RS is an exercise in reducing weight. The glass at the rear of the car is lightweight Gorilla Glass from New York’s Corning Glass works. The bonnet and front fenders are carbon fiber. The front splitter is carbon fiber, and due to the high level of downforce it is supported with steel cables. The large rear wing and hidden diffuser generate a whopping 400 kilograms of downforce. Kern states that this is the first Porsche model cooled with extractor vents rather than inhaling cooling air from below.
Save for its general shape, the GT2 RS doesn’t evoke past 911s as much as other cars in the lineup. Porsche sound engineers did concede one thing to past 911s: The sound. Sound engineers benchmarked 935 racecars for the GT2 RS’s exhaust note. Because of the 935’s influence the GT2 RS features the shortest possible titanium exhaust. Listening to the car in the action, it does sound very much like a classic Porsche turbo.
To my eye, this is the car equivalent of a liter bike. Anyone can handle it around town. To get the most out of it, though, you don’t just need to be competent, you need to be a Rossi, Kern or Bamber. Thrilling? Yes. Horrifiying? Also yes.
