New car news

28 April 2011 - 09:00

Porsche announces 368kW GT3 RS 4.0

Excuse our inner cynic for a minute, but Porsche has just released another limited edition 911 that screams run-out special.

Joining the ranks of 911 GTS, 911 Speedster, 911 Sport Classic and 911 GT2 RS is the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 – the largest ever 911 engine, bolted into the lightest and most hardcore 911. Only 600 will be available worldwide from July (with less than 10 destined for Australia), which is just in time for the release of the all-new 911 in September.

Still, it’s difficult to stay cynical with Porsche for too long. The 4.0-litre GT3 RS will be the closest a road-going Porsche gets to the iconic racing Porsches, thanks to race-bred bits like the crankshaft from the GT3 RSR that's mated to titanium conrods.

Look carefully at the pictures and you’ll see the little flick winglets on the front bumper. This is the first time a road-going Porsche has got these aero tweaks, which helps total downforce reach 190kg at top speed. Allegedly. You certainly won't achieve that figure driving to the golf club.

More pictures of the Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 

Peak power is 368kW and max torque is 460Nm – throw in its relatively anorexic 1,360kg mass, and 0-10km/h can be rattled off in 3.9 seconds. Eeep.

A few 911 comparisons for you – get your numbers head on. The turbo’d GT2 RS does 0-100 in 3.5 seconds, while the 911 GT3 RS 3.8 weighs 1370kg with 331kW, and does 0-100 in 4.0 seconds. As ever, Porsche’s talent for squeezing new models into the teeniest gaps never fails to impress.

Nor, we’ve no doubt, will this $409,000 car fail to impress when we eventually get to drive it, though that price tag is a little rich. It might be nearing the end of its life, but the 997 911 is still one of the finest sports cars of its generation.