Pop quiz: which Porsche is more powerful and faster, the 997-gen 991 GT2 RS or the Carrera GT? You might be forgiven for answering the latter, as it was Porsche’s hypercar and a Ferrari Enzo rival whether the former just a souped-up version 911 Turbo at half the GT’s price.
The numbers, however, tell a different story. The normally aspirated 5.7-liter V10 in the mid-engined Carrera GT churns out 612HP (620PS) for a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph). The twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter that’s hung out behind the rear axle of the 997 GT2 RS has an identical power output and top speed but is faster by 0.4 seconds in the customary 0-100 km/h sprint.
Let’s just say that the two are quite evenly matched, at least on paper. Here’s a thing, though: despite the fact that the Carrera GT is not exactly an easy car to drive fast, it’s the GT2 RS that has earned the “widow maker” moniker as it has ditched the standard Turbo’s all-wheel drive system. So, unlike the Turbo that is quite docile, the RS is willing to bite back at the merest hint of provocation.
That’s what a very fortunate driver found out at the “old” Nürburgring track when a silver Carrera GT overtook him and he decided to chase it. You can’t really blame him for wanting to keep up as he certainly possesses the firepower to do so.
He found out why his stallion earned that nickname by losing control and spinning at high speed. We called him “fortunate”, though, because, unlike many before him, he didn’t hit anything in a place where there’s practically no run-off areas and the spin could have much more severe consequences.
Luckily, as you can see in the video that follows after the break, this time the RS didn’t manage to be a widow maker; it just reminded its driver that pushing it to the limit is a dangerous thing to do.
By Andrew Tsaousis
VIDEO