Porsche 911 GT3 RS 2023 Review

Based on the latest 992-series GT3 released last year, the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS was revealed in August 2022, launched in Europe in October 2022 and proved to be 10.6 seconds faster than the standard GT3 at the Nurburgring later that month.

Since then we’ve seen spy shots of a facelifted GT3 range undergoing testing and there’s been another round of Porsche 911 price hikes in Australia, increasing the original $500K-plus launch price by a cool $37,400 to a seriously expensive $537,600 plus on-road costs.

That’s a huge $120,200 more than its donor model (despite similar price hikes for the regular GT3), pricier than a Carrera Cup racer (about $450K) and just $1100 less than the 911 Turbo S flagship. And perhaps more importantly, it puts the latest GT3 RS in similar price territory to track-focused rivals like the Ferrari 296 GTB (from $568,300) and Lamborghini Huracan STO (from $607,920).

And that’s before you factor in a long list of expensive options for the latest version of the world’s most popular factory-made track car, led by a mega $76,420 for the Weissach pack that adds the 911’s first FIA-approved carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) roll cage saving 7.4kg, and a cool visible carbon-weave finish for the roof and (partially) the bonnet, wing mirrors and huge swan-neck double rear wing.

The Weissach pack also adds magnesium wheels (-8kg), CFRP front and rear rollbars (-3kg), CFRP rear coupling rods, magnetic gearshift paddles, Race-Tex fake-suede upper dash, black six-point race harnesses and Weissach logos on the centre console and head restraints.

Throw in the other options fitted to the car we drove, like Signal Yellow paint-to-sample ($32,440), Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes ($19,290), an extended Weissach Race-Tex interior package ($8730), tinted dynamic LED Matrix headlights ($6100) and Bose surround sound ($2970), just to name a few, and you’ll easily spend over $800,000 to put a new RS in your garage.

And that’s if you can still buy one. Porsche Cars Australia won’t reveal how many it will receive or how many it has sold, but says the new GT3 RS is a full-time (unlimited) production vehicle that’s still available to order – despite the usual overwhelming Aussie demand for 911 GT cars.

But several dealers canvassed by carsales said that if you haven’t already ordered your example of the new performance flagship of the current 911 range – at least until the new turbocharged GT2 RS arrives – then you’re likely to have to wait a while for a cancelled order or miss out altogether, as Porsche itself told us last year.

For the record, the only standard solid paint colours are black, white, Guards Red, Racing Yellow and the RS-specific Python Green, Shark Blue and Arctic Grey, with $7500 metallic hues including Carrara White, Jet Black, Agate Grey, Dolomite Silver, GT Silver, Gentian Blue and Ice Grey.

As per the standard GT3, service intervals are 12 months/20,000km but Porsche Cars Australia’s warranty is sub-par at three years/unlimited kilometres.

Offsetting its whopping price tag locally at least somewhat, Porsche Cars Australia has – as usual – specified a number of options as standard in this market for the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

These include the essential front axle lift system, rear parking sensors, reversing camera, tyre sealant kit, DAB+ digital radio and the no-cost option of the Club Sport pack comprising a steel roll cage and battery master switch provision.

Other standard equipment includes cruise control, two-zone climate control, two USB-C charging ports, 12-volt socket in the footwell and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity for the 911’s standard touch-screen infotainment system.

While the rear seats are ditched, also standard is a pair of racy one-piece CFRP front bucket seats, which can be swapped for 18-way power-adjustable sport seats at no cost (a 3D-printed full bucket seat shaped to your body is also available).

There are also aluminium centre-lock wheels measuring a huge 10x20-inch with 275/30 ZR20 tyres up front and 13x21-inch with 335/30 ZR21 tyres at rear – 10mm wider and increasing track widths by 30mm.

The standard tyres are supposed to be Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, which can be replaced with stickier-still Cup R semi-slicks that require even more care in low temperatures or on standing water, but because of supply shortages the cars were drove were fitted with Goodyears and some customers may also receive Pirelli P Zero rubber.

GT3 RS buyers will also receive a personalised Porsche Design Flyback Chronograph watch with RS logo and various colour and construction options including black titanium carbide coating.

As with most models from the Zuffenhausen car-maker, the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS hasn’t been subjected to NCAP crash testing and therefore has no independent safety rating.

And because of its radical new aero-focused front-end design there are no front sensors or cameras – and therefore no autonomous emergency braking (AEB), no adaptive cruise control and no lane keeping systems as seen on other 911s.

But extensive internal crash testing and the fitment of motorsport-ready steel or carbon roll cages will undoubtedly offer plenty of occupant protection, alongside twin front, front-side and side curtain airbags for the driver and passenger, plus extra side impact reinforcement in the doors, a reversing camera and tyre pressure monitoring including race mode.

The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is all about aero and to that end the German company’s aerodynamicists were given free rein to create the highest-downforce package possible while remaining street-legal.

The result is a low-slung road-registerable coupe that breaks records for a production car, doubles that of the 991 model it replaces, beats the 992 GT3 Cup car and matches GTE Le Mans racers when it comes to downforce.

Porsche claims the new GT3 RS produces no less than 406kg of downforce at 200km/h, increasing to a mammoth 860kg at 285km/h – 60kg more than the McLaren Senna and almost as much as a Kia Picanto.

Mind you, that’s not all due to the huge swan-neck double rear spoiler, which features a main wing and mounting brackets made of CFRP, 40 per cent bigger wing area, adjusts in just 0.35 seconds and operates hydraulically and continuously over a range of 34 degrees.

There are active aerodynamics at the front too, synchronised with the rear wing and comprising an underbody wing on either side that can adjust electromechanically in less than 0.3sec, increasing front-axle downforce by up to 80 per cent.

There’s even a Formula 1-style drag reduction system (DRS) that stows the front wings and stalls the rear wing at speed, and acts as an airbrake in reverse under hard braking to slash stopping distances from 200km/h by around 2.5 metres, says Porsche.

It’s operated manually via a steering wheel button or automatically at speeds above 100km/h, revs above 5500rpm, throttle openings of 95 per cent or lateral forces of more than 0.9g. Porsche says downforce is split 30:70 per cent front-to-rear, reducing to 20:80 with DRS activated.

Also responsible for the massive extra downforce is full underbody panelling for the first time on a road-going 911, underbody fins and a rear diffuser that generates 10 per cent of downforce, plus an almost completely redesigned bodyshell with 90 per cent new (and now mostly CFRP) panels including an open-wheelhouse design with upper louvre vents at the front and side blades at both ends.

But the most prominent change are the two huge new bonnet vents, which are designed to extract hot air front the single central radiator that replaces the standard GT3’s side-mounted coolers (which are in turn replaced by the front underbody flaps) and fills the entire frunk.

Hot air is directed over the car and onto the rear wing – but away from the larger cold air intakes at the side – by a pair of roof fins, negating power drop-off by as much as 15kW on a hot day, says Porsche. And a further 40kg of front downforce was extracted by the addition of teardrop-shaped aluminium suspension wishbones and control arms up front.

To cope with all that extra downforce, spring rates were increased by a substantial 50 per cent over the already-firm 911 GT3, reducing pitch under braking thanks also to new anti-dive tech up front.

Other chassis upgrades include balljoints for the revised multi-link rear and double-wishbone front suspension set-up, 36mm larger brake discs and 32mm larger brake calliper pistons, and retuned electronic systems including Porsche Stability Management (PTM), Porsche Active Suspension management (PASM), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) and rear-axle steering.

Reinforcing its track focus, the new GT3 RS also comes with seven traction control settings, multiple rear differential modes and individual compression and rebound damping adjustment at both ends – all via four Manettino-style dials on the new steering wheel, allowing drivers to adjust the suspension and diff to suit tracks, conditions and their own preferences – both into and out of corners.

All of this new technology and the move to a wide 911 Turbo rear-end increases weight by 15kg over the standard GT3 to 1450kg (DIN), despite weight-saving measures including thinner glass all round and a CFRP roof, bonnet, front quarters and – for the first time on a 911 – doors.

With power outputs limited by emissions considerations, there’s no big news under the bonnet of the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, but there are new camshafts for the big-bore 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated boxer six, increasing peak power by 11kW over the standard GT3 (to 386kW), at the expense of 5Nm of torque (465Nm).

The standard seven-speed dual-clutch PDK auto is said to be 20kg lighter than the eight-speed unit in other 911s and has slightly shorter final drive gearing than the GT3 to maximise in-gear thrust, resulting in a top speed of 296km/h (down from 318km/h) and 0-100km/h acceleration in just 3.2 seconds – down from 3.4sec for the GT3 and the same as its 20kg-lighter 991 predecessor.

To cope with track work, oil cooling has been revised and a 20 per cent boost in performance is claimed.

The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS consumes 13.4L/100km and emits 306g/km of CO2 (WLTP), which is pretty much on par in this segment, although the small 64-litre fuel tank will limit the cruising range.

The dry-sump flat six has a petrol particulate filter, is Euro 6 emissions-compliant and equipped with idle-stop tech.

In a word, intense. But not because of the exhilarating thrust, instant response or glorious engine note of the big-bore nat-atmo flat-six as the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS approaches its 9000rpm limiter.

No, as we’ve stressed, this car is all about aero. And because it generates more downforce than any other car you can buy in Australia, even mere mortals like myself can rejoice in the significant increase it makes to high-speed cornering performance on the racetrack.

That’s what Porsche set out to prove at The Bend circuit in South Australia for the local press launch with the first handful of GT3 RS cars in the country, with a compacted Level 4 Porsche Track Experience session thrown in for good measure.

Complete with real-time telemetry and post-session tuition from a team of Porsche racers, I did the same course in this car’s 991.2 predecessor at the much shorter Queensland Raceway a couple of years ago, but I still wasn’t prepared for the 992’s extra cornering grip at The Bend.

Perhaps the best illustration came at turn five – a fast, downhill left-hander that looks a bit like Eau Rouge at Spa – which requires real commitment, as demonstrated during hot laps by Porsche chief driving instructor Luke Youlden, who attacked it flat-out at more than 200km/h.

After backing off and accelerating through the apex at much lower speed in my first session, I plucked up the courage to button off only slightly and discovered even more mid-corner grip and stability, effortlessly exiting the corner at 180km/h and getting within 4sec of Youlden’s benchmark time around the 3.4km West Circuit.

And just to prove how much faster it is around a proper circuit than the model it replaces – despite being slightly heavier – Youlden shaved a full two seconds off the time he set in the standard GT3 around the full 7.7km GT Circuit in 2021 (3:17.05), setting a new production car lap record of 3:15.03. And he said he’d have been another second quicker with Pirelli or Michelin rather than Goodyear tyres.

For reference, Youlden set a time of 3:22.07 in the latest 911 Turbo earlier in 2021 and another former Carrera Cup racer Warren Luff set a time of 3:24.08 in the old 911 GT2 RS soon after The Bend opened in 2018.

No, lap times aren’t everything and we only drove the new GT3 RS on track, so we don’t know how (un)bearable those 50 per cent firmer springs will be on typical Aussie backroads. But given its brief as the most track-focused 911, Porsche’s latest RS certainly ticks its box.

We didn’t get a chance to play with the multitude of chassis settings available, but we can say the default traction control mode (4) offers a huge amount of yaw – both under brakes into corners and hard on the power getting out – before it gathers everything up quickly and seamlessly.

And there’s no doubt the various damping modes will be a boon for those who like to tinker with bump and rebound to suit their driving style and the conditions at hand – both road and track – without getting their hands dirty. No other production car allows you to do that.

Likewise, the different diff modes is very F1-like and, for example, lets you tighten the locking mechanism if you’re oversteering too much on corner exits – and vice-versa if you’re understeering on corner entry, where the clever diff can make a big difference to turn-in response.

Yes, the RS drives like any other rear-engined 911 and loves to be braked deep into corners, transferring the weight forward for maximum front-end bite, before powering hard and early out of them to make the most of the weight over the rear axle.

Ultra-precise steering and instant throttle response help make it forgiving to the ham-fisted, but everything happens faster in this car and you’re always left wishing you’d braked later or powered-down earlier, such is the level of traction on offer here.

The new GT3 RS isn’t for the faint-hearted and there’s no doubt many owners won’t extract the most from it, because it takes plenty of skill to get anywhere near its cornering limit. But for those with the confidence and ability, the deeper they dig and the more they trust it the more rewarding the new RS will be.

The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is much like any other new 911 inside, apart from its fabric door-pulls, refreshingly thin-rimmed and Alcantara-clad steering wheel and awesomely shaped and positioned bucket seats, which come complete with lap-sash seat belts in addition to the six-point harnesses and make it just a little less elegant to get into or out of.

Of course, there are no rear seats under the rear roll cage, but that makes even more space for the stuff you can no longer put under the bonnet.

But the RS is very loud, very conspicuous, very firm-riding and harder to see out of given the roll cage and enormous rear wing – which you have to be careful not to bump into outside the car.

The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS also lacks key modern safety equipment and, like the standard GT3, is sure to follow every camber on the road, requiring constant attention at the wheel.

These compromises may be deal-breakers for potential GT3 RS owners who may have planned on extended mountain road trips, during which time all of those aero advances will be yet another trade-off and completely redundant.

But what a waste it would be for any owner not to take their GT3 RS to the track, which after all is the reason for its being. Plenty of people still prefer to drive – rather than trailer – their cars to track days and this RS probably fills that role better than anything else.

Pricing and availability may put the new 911 GT3 RS in the same league as more exotic Italian supercars, but that unique 9000rpm boxer engine and unrivalled aero package make it a formidable piece of engineering – and one of the finest and most collectible ‘road racers’ ever made.

2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS at a glance:
Price: $537,600 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre flat six-cylinder
Output: 386kW/465Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 13.4L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 306g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested