My Porsche Story: track life with a 911 GT3 RS

Next up was a 2016 981 GT4 Clubsport with a mere 2,300 miles on the clock, in stunning Sapphire Blue. To this day I have never experienced a manual gearbox with such a mechanical feel that made every shift feel glorious. I often found myself changing gear just for the sake of it to feel that shift again. With the same brakes and front end as the 991.1 GT3 with less weight, the GT4 was a riot on track, often embarrassing much quicker machinery. I loved that car and am often seen scouring the Porsche Marketplace for another!

After 14 months of GT4 ownership I made the mistake of driving a 991.1 GT3 Clubsport, which was again at my local OPC. Having overtaken numerous GT3s on track in the GT4 I honestly thought it couldn’t be much better and worth the difference to trade. How wrong I was.

After those first two corners on the test drive and revving the GT3 engine out in second gear, the sale was done. The 3.8, although fragile (which I will come on to later), was a masterpiece. Whilst the 981 GT4 engine derived from the Carrera S and revved to 7,800rpm, the GT3 revved to 9,000rpm and took on three distinct tones in the process. The last 1,500rpm takes on the high-revving shriek of an F1 car, which made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck every single time.

When I bought the GT3 it became pretty famous across social media with most of the attention coming from the livery I had fitted by @grafikwerks, inspired by the Salzburg livery on the historic 917 race car. For me the GT3 was the perfect companion and we had so many track days, road trips and adventures together, with it being used all year round and in all weathers on its Cup 2 tyres.

Unfortunately, mine did suffer from engine failure on its F-Series engine. The symptoms were going on for a couple of years and the local OPC just kept replacing plugs and coil packs. The most daunting thing was mine let go at almost 9,000rpm when downshifting into the final right hander at Blyton Park on a track day. It felt like someone had reached over and removed the keys from the ignition, with all power and assistance lost. Luckily I had already slowed down for the corner and had enough lock on to roll off the track and into the paddock area. After six weeks of waiting nervously, Porsche GMbH confirmed they would honour the warranty and a new engine and cats were shipped over… happy days!

The new G-series engine for me was faultless and felt more refined, and definitely ran a lot cooler. That change in character made the car less raw for me, which was a shame, but additional smoothness made it feel like a 991 Gen1.5, somewhere between the Gen1 and Gen2 GT3.

After 47 months, 25,641 glorious miles including some 30-plus track days, a few hill climbs at beautiful Prescott, a road trip to the 992 launch at Geneva Motorshow, two visits to Le Mans, countless car events, three different liveries, an engine transplant and numerous photoshoots, the GT3 was moved on as an opportunity came up to purchase my dream car from a friend.

My friend had owned the car from new and it was barely run in with 2,000 miles on the clock, with zero track days completed. It still smelt new inside.

So, it was impossible for me to pass up the chance to own what is my current car, a 991.1 GT3 RS in Ultra Violet, a car and colour I loved from the day it was launched. I’ve watched Chris Harris’ drive ‘Mr Purple’ about a million times on YouTube!

My car has every box ticked on the options list along with a smattering of CXX parts, including the factory-fitted strip over the top.

Having had the GT3 for so long, I was in the ideal position to notice the differences between the 991.1 GT3 and GT3 RS. In the RS the steering has a tad more feel, the mid range punch is definitely stronger, the ride is better (probably to do with the PCCB’s reducing unsprung mass) and the turn-in, even on the road, is more stable and immediate.

With so few pampered miles on the clock it was ready to be taken to Centre Gravity for a check over and set up before my first of many track days at Donington Park. 

Over my 21 months of ownership I have so far done multiple track days across the UK and France and the car has just clocked over 10,000 miles.

 

The two questions I encounter most often are "is the RS significantly better than the GT3?" and "what are the running costs for tracking a car as frequently as you do?"

 

In response to the first question, it's not a dramatic difference, more like a 10% upgrade in all departments, although it does feel infinitely more special. 

 

As for running costs, they're not as exorbitant as one might imagine. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres last me a full season, with my Porsches always tuned for fast road/track use by Centre Gravity. Tailored to my personal preferences, these setups have saved me a small fortune over the years in tyre wear. Aside from that, brake pads last a season, and an annual interim oil change and check-over at Litchfield keeps the RS in prime condition.

Over the years, I've driven on an array of tracks, but the scenic Anglesey and challenging Donington GP circuits here in the UK hold a special place in my heart. I am very much looking forward to taking the RS to Spa this summer for the first time though.

 

For me the track is the only place where one can fully appreciate these masterpieces from Stuttgart. The sheer joy of pushing the RS to its 8,800 rpm redline, gear after gear, tearing a noisy hole in the atmosphere, is unparalleled.

 

To anyone considering taking their Porsche on the track, I say go for it. It's a chance to further respect and understand the brilliant engineering that goes into these machines. Make use of driving instruction whenever possible, relax, and enjoy the ride. It will make you a better driver, and you'll emerge with an even deeper respect for the master engineers back in Stuttgart. Beware of my story though… it can lead you on an expensive and slippery slope of upgrades!