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The Porsche 911 GT3 looks set to be a classic, even if Richard Hammond does hate that colour
If you or I stubbed a toe on the bedside table every time we got up in the morning, we would move the table. A Porsche engineer would redesign their foot. They might be bonkers, but you've got to admire their determination.
For 40 years, they've honed and improved the 911, because honing and improving is what they do. Yes, they could have moved the engine to the front end decades ago, but where would the challenge be? Thanks to their fetish for sticking with a plan and honing and improving it, what they've ended up with is one of the most accomplished and characterful cars ever made.
It may have started out as not much more than a sporty VW Beetle in 1964, but it has evolved - just as we evolved opposable thumbs to be able to peel bananas and build Porsches. And now this, the new 911 GT3 RS, is the most complete and exciting supercar on Earth.
Of course, there's little point in me getting snared up in an argument about why this car is better than all the others, because supercars are ultimately a matter of individual taste, and you can't argue against individual taste. James chooses to grow his hair long, because he thinks it looks good.
'There's no point in me getting snared up in an argument about why this car is better than the others'
No amount of arguing that he looks like a spaniel mated with a tramp will ever persuade him otherwise; it's a case of personal taste.
Look at our 100 Fastest Cars list, and you'll see what I mean - you're sure to disagree with some or all of it. But what I can do here is explain why, for me, this car is the boss, and maybe you'll be able to relate to at least some of what I'm on about.
You probably know about the GT3, Porsche's stripped-out version of the 911 designed for racing homologation. To make it, the normally aspirated 911 lost its rear seats (and other bits and pieces) to shed weight - it's 30kg lighter than a Carrera S - and gained a racing roll cage.
To turn it into a GT3 RS, Porsche put it on a more extreme regime, with a different, more complex cage, lightweight carbon-fibre rear wing and Perspex rear window, saving another 20kg. About 700 will be produced, guaranteeing exclusivity.
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