HISTORY & TECH
The RS moniker on Porsche dates from the 1950s, but the first Porsche RS that most think of is the celebrated Carrera 2.7 RS of 1972/3, built to qualify Porsche for Group 3 racing. Until the end of the air-cooled era, the RS remained the special race version, mildly tuned and lightened, and with reduced equipment and hardened suspension.
The advent of water-cooling in 1997 dictated a different approach. Production limitations and homologation requirements ruled out lightening, and the stiffer-chassis 996.1 GT3 on which the RS models would be based was 50kg heavier than the Carrera. The 996 GT3 RS of 2003, the inspiration of the Motorsport department’s Andreas Preuninger, was an attempt to make a lighter, less-compromised GT3 track car and provide a homologation basis for the competition RSR.
The 997.1 GT3 RS presented in 2006 effectively dressed the GT3 in race gear, while the face-lift car of 2008 had more developed aerodynamic aids and used the 3.8-litre flat six that Porsche had been campaigning in the 996 RSR. It was some 25kg lighter than its GT3 equivalent.
After a hiatus of four years, the 991.1 GT3 RS represented quite an advance. Using the 991 Turbo body, the new RS was
