- Porsche’s next 911 GT3 RS has been spied testing at the Nurburgring ahead of a launch next year.
- The 992.2-generation facelifted RS will continue to use a 4.0-liter flat six but could lose torque due to emissions regulations.
- Even tighter regs will force Porsche to add either turbos or hybrid power to the GT3 and RS after 2026.
A prototype of Porsche’s next 911 GT3 RS has been spied putting in some hot development laps at Germany’s Nurburgring, its natural home. Take a good look, because this might be the last time we see Porsche develop a new RS that has neither turbo or hybrid power.
Visually, this test car doesn’t look much different from the one we spotted at the Ring in August. In fact it’s almost certainly the exact same car. But since we wrote about it, Porsche has revealed the facelifted 992.2 GT3 meaning we have a far better idea of what to expect from the RS when it arrives, probably early in 2025.
Related: Facelifted Porsche 911 GT3 RS Steps Out For The First Time
Back in August, we wondered if Porsche might add hybrid power to the GT3 and RS, using tech lifted from the new 911 GTS. But the 2025 GT3 carries over last year’s naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six and we’re now expecting the RS to do the same.
Sadly, the ’26 car is probably not going to be quite as potent as the 2025 RS. Porsche’s engineers have been battling with emissions regulations, and although they retained the GT3’s 503 hp (510 PS) output and 9,000 rpm limit, torque was knocked back from 346 lb-ft (470 Nm) to 331 lb-ft (449 Nm). To help offset that fall the final drive is now shorter.
Assuming Porsche applies the same thinking to the 2026 GT3 RS, we can expect it to kick out the same 518 hp (525 PS) as today’s car, but lose around 15 lb-ft (20 Nm) from its current 342 lb-ft total. But with a shorter final drive, it should be able to match the 2025 model’s 3.0-second zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) time, at the expense of a couple of mph knocked off its 184 mph (296 kmh) top speed. Unlike the GT3, the RS will again only be available with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The RS should inherit the GT3’s key-style starter, rather than switch to the boring button start now adopted by other facelifted 911s. But don’t expect to see the back seat option – a GT3 first for 2025 – appear on the 2026 RS option sheet. The instrument cluster will also go full-digital next year.
Exterior visual changes will be minor and limited to lights and bumper tweaks, though it’s possible Porsche could extract even more downforce from the aero kit, because, you know, 1,896 lbs (860 kg) just isn’t enough for some folks.
And here’s something else that isn’t enough: the time we’ve got left with the GT3 and RS in their current, pure form. Andreas Preuninger, the man in charge of Porsche’s motorsport road cars recently confirmed that tightening emissions regulations meant the 4.0-liter flat-six will have to be modified to incorporate hybrid and/or turbo technology after 2026.
