There’s less than a week to go before Porsche takes the wraps off the new 2023 911 GT3 RS at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. But there’s no need to wait to find out what Porsche’s new track hero looks like because our spy photographers have caught the RS entirely free of disguise during final testing. Spotted on and around Germany’s Nürburgring, this matte black development GT3 might not look as shiny as the car Porsche will showcase on its Goodwood stand, but all of the important ingredients are there and on display.
Comparing these most recent shots with the
last RS spy shots taken a few weeks ago we can clearly see the details that
will help make it clear to anyone watching that this is the most extreme
road-going 911 of the lot, or at least until the next GT2 gets here. Visible
for the first time are 911 Turbo-style air intakes in the rear quarter, though
how necessary they are we’re not sure given Porsche managed to lap the ‘Ring
for months with them covered. We can also see the design of the vents on the
top of the front fenders, which were previously covered in mesh, but now have a
clear saw-tooth pattern as on previous models, and the rear diffuser is also
free from disguise.
But the most striking elements are the vertical
wings fitted to the rear bumper behind the rear wheels and on either side of
the front wheels. Previous test cars have had heavy disguises on their bumpers
making them look much smoother, obscuring the aero trickery. One component of
the aero kit we’re plenty familiar with is the huge rear wing, which features
an active flap for F1-style drag-reduction and a clean bottom surface because
the pylons attach to the top. As for how much squish that spoiler produces,
we’ll probably have to wait until the official reveal next week when we’ll also
get all the details on the flat-six mounted below it.
We know it will be naturally aspirated,
drive the rear wheels through a seven-speed PDK paddle-shift transmission and
make more power than its 503 hp GT3 littler bother, but can’t be sure
if Porsche will increase capacity from that car’s 4.0-liters to 4.2 liters as
some rumors suggest. If you’re lucky enough to have around US$ 200,000/£ 160,000
available and are drinking buddies with your Porsche dealer you can expect to
take delivery of your GT3 RS by the end of the year.
