997 Rennsports

Both the Gen1 3.6 and Gen2 3.8 are superlative examples of the 911 Rennsport genre, but which is best?

- Kyle Fortune

It was the 996 that started the GT3 RS dynasty, fusing a new GT3 platform with those hallowed RS letters which have long signified a Porsche to be significantly special. That first liquid-cooled RS was something of a toe-in-the-water for Porsche. The management was sceptical that the Andreas Preuninger-led, after-hours built, overt (for then) GT3 RS would find customers. It did, and convincingly so, with Porsche unable to make enough of them for the demand that it created.

So, these two cars, and all of us who enjoy driving, have a lot to thank that 996 for, because without it the 997 might never have been offered as an RS. That designation was instrumental in Porsche realising the commercial value of these focused, enthusiast cars, not just as another model line to sell, but as a tool to bring credibility to the rest of the 911 range as a direct link to the company’s racing activities.

What’s almost certain is that while Porsche was struggling to sate the appetite of customers wanting the 996 GT3 RS, the 997 GT3 RS was already under development. The GT3 it was based on was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006. No management concerns this time, with Porsche taking very little time to follow its new GT3 with an RS version. The 997.1 GT3 RS debuted at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, or correctly ‘Mondial de l’Automobile’, along with the 997 Targa 4S, which couldn’t be much further removed from its track relation.

There would be one similarity, though: the adoption of the wider body from the four-wheel-drive cars that saw the rear arches swell by 44mm over the slimmer-hipped GT3, for the wider track and, as it was described back then, “transverse acceleration potential”. That’s cornering speed in case you’re wondering. Obviously, it remained rear-wheel drive, with the 3.6-litre Mezger engine’s output hitting 415hp at 7,600rpm (800rpm short of its 8,400rpm redline).