In the world of modern 911s, few are as desirable as the 911 GT3 RS, and of those produced over the years, it is the 997.2-gen 4.0 variant that’s the most prized of them all.
Porsche launched the limited-run GT3 RS 4.0 back in 2011 as a way to send off the 997.2-generation model. It left the factory with a 4.0-liter flat-six, the largest engine ever offered in a street-legal 911 up until that point, which had the same crankshaft as the 911 RSR race car. All up, this engine is good for 493 hp at 8,250 rpm and 339 lb-ft (460 Nm) of torque at 5,750 rpm.
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Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire recently had the opportunity to test out one GT3 RS 4.0 on the track and was blown away.
The matte black car featured in this test is chassis #000 of 600 units produced, making it all that more special. He comments on the epic, high-revving engine, but does point out that you need to keep the revs between 5,000 rpm and 8,000 rpm to get the most out of it.
Coupled to the 4.0-liter engine is a six-speed manual shifter that Farah believes is the best non-gated stick shift ever fitted to a road car. Unlike some more modern track-focused sports cars, the GT3 RS 4.0 doesn’t have an automatic rev-matching function, meaning the driver is left in charge of heel of toeing, something Farah reveals takes a bit of practice.