Big aero and bespoke bodywork are on the cards for Porsche’s next 911 GT3 RS.
An undisguised example of the forthcoming 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS has been spied on the roads around the Nürburgring, providing a first look at the frankly astonishing aero package it’ll feature when it’s officially revealed later this year.
This latest 992 generation 911 GT3 RS takes the theme of more aero and less weight to the extreme compared to its forebears, with significant new aero elements to rival Porsche’s current 911 GTE PRO class racer.
As with previous generations of RS, the latest model will follow its predecessors by utilising the wider Turbo shell, although for the 992 RS Porsche has gone further still by designing bespoke bumpers, front wings and a new bonnet.
A creased and scalloped front bonnet incorporates two large openings to channel air through and out of the front compartment, which will be home to the RS’s cooling requirements. Wider front wings feature deeper vanes than before atop the front wheels to extract high-pressure air within the arches.
To further the aero cause the lower third of the front wheel arch has been scalloped away with a vertical vane in its absence designed to clean up airflow as it exits the front wheel area. This new aero vane is connected directly to an extended side sill. More vertical vanes are fitted to the outer edges of the front bumper and there’s a more defined splitter to channel air under the car.
The roof features a double-bubble profile, first seen on the 997 generation Sport Classic, and further back there are two subtle fins to clean up the airflow before it hits the RS’s most dramatic aero device – its huge wing.
As with the GT3, its swan neck uprights are mounted directly to the chassis through the plastic shroud at the base of the rear screen, but they’re far more substantial, with a more sophisticated mounting system offering a wider range of adjustment.
As per the front, a pair of aero vanes are fitted to the outer edges of the rear bumper and around the rear arches, which again feature cutaway sections. The rear diffuser itself doesn’t look dramatically bigger than the base GT3.
It also looks like this will be the first 992 model without flush-fitting door handles – the electronic door handle and its accompanying mechanism were obviously deemed too heavy.
The GT3 RS’s powertrain is expected to retain the atmospheric 4-litre flat-six engine and PDK combination of the 992, but whether they’ll feature a substantial power hike over the base GT3 remains to be seen. A seven-speed PDK will almost certainly be the sole transmission available as Porsche continues to allow its RS products to focus on out and out performance. A Weissach package is expected to be on the options list too when the car makes its global debut later this year.
Jordan Katsianis