Rossen Gargolov Porsche 911 GT2 RS in the super test
07.12.2011
The accusation hurt twice: first, the complaint itself and, second, the fact that it was not unfounded. The F annual report of the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS has remained flat in terms of content. He was unable to convey anything about what actually makes this 500-piece, probably most powerful series 911 of all time. Meaningful driving impressions would have been missing. In the end, it was assumed that the author was speechless in view of the potency required.
The assumption is not that wrong: What would she have about the performance of the driving report in the vicinity of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen should write? How should the difference between a Porsche 911 Turbo and the Porsche 911 GT2 RS have been determined, apart from the nominal number of horsepower, the specified maximum speed, the equipment and the price? What could have been said about the differences in braking performance? What about the - assumed - increase in driving dynamics?
The super test of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS provides the answer
If words can't express it, numbers have to be found - or you better keep your mouth shut . But who wants to find out the relevant facts in public road traffic? Anyone who is so measured and tries to explore the lateral accelerations of up to 1.5 g possible with sports tires on the country road, or - even more demanding - the subtle differences between the previous Porsche 911 GT2 and the current one, which is around 70 kilos lighter Finding out the Porsche 911 GT2 RS variant on the way to the bakery has not yet made any experiences at the limit - at least not those that can be stored with driving dynamic data.
The speechlessness thatone registered in the Porsche 911 GT2 RS is - as crazy as it sounds - technically compulsory. Per se, this is not due to the fact that the driver has to mentally capitulate in front of the nominally stately size of the horsepower figure (620) or have to bow down in front of the huge mountain of torque (700 Newton meters).
Even the magical sequence of digits that stands for the Vmax of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS variant with biturbo drive - 330 km /h - does not seriously steal the language of anyone in the horsepower scene - unless it is absolutely necessary to have to understand the truth of this series of numbers on the Autobahn at any time. As a rule, it is completely sufficient to be able to reasonably assume that the manufacturer's specifications are met. After all, the effective parameters in terms of longitudinal dynamics - primarily engine power and aerodynamics - are rather manageable sizes.
The initially devout silence in the certainly not luxurious interior, but familiar to connoisseurs of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS environment is simply due to the fact that there has not yet been any land-based sports equipment that is so vehemently carefree with its technical features sophisticated stimuli would have underpinned. If many others of his craft are loud, need getting used to in operation and are bitchy in handling, then this over-911, which is equally priced, has a seductive component to it which, even as a serene veteran, can only be resisted with extreme willpower.
The question of when fast is too fast can no longer be dealt with in literary terms in view of the potential here, or - completely ridiculous - it can be tied to the limits of legality. The time corridors announced on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife - Porsche promises a lap time of 7.18 minutes for the 911 GT2 RS - are now so far beyond good and evil that the attempt in the test to reproduce the completely realistic specifications took place in the narrow time window of a test drive at the ring can easily end in disappointment - for whom, that's another matter.
Porsche 911 GT2 RS rushes past the GT3 RS
The superimposition of the two data recording records from the super tests of the previous front-runner of the RS faction, the naturally aspirated, 450 hp The strong Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the Porsche 911 GT2 RS now competing with unprecedented biturbo power, unearths something downright dramatic: While the cornering speeds - as expected in view of the comparable conditioning - are at about the same level, the Porsche 911 roars GT2 RS on the acceleration stages and the long straights with a speed excess past the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, as if the latter had been ordered tactical restraint by the direction: with 275 km /h at the Schwedenkreuz and 300 km /h at the Döttinger Höhe. GT3 RS: 258 or 276 km /h.
In truth it isnothing more than the sheer power of 170 more horsepower, which secures the lead for the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, which runs with a slightly poorer drag coefficient and is 13 kilograms lighter. The way in which the biturbo gets out of the water at every opportunity borders on magic: The term 'intoxicating' takes on a whole new meaning in the effect of this driving machine, which flirts with all the fibers of its sinewy stature - which also applies to the impressive acoustics of the Biturbo unit is owed. It proceeds with such nonchalance with breathtaking thrust that the protagonist could easily think that he is confronted with at least a third more than the specified 620 hp.
The fact that the over-911 is comparatively more well-mannered than typically loud in terms of volume and also has a silky and polished character instead of gross motor skills is a novelty in this out-of-the-way scene, which has so far mostly been due to optical and acoustic extroversion of makes himself talk. The fact that the top RS, which is only available with a manual gearbox for weight reasons, has to bend over to a Porsche 911 Turbo S with a dual clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive, for example, in a sprint up to 100 km /h. But 3.5 seconds up to a speed of 100 km /h - who wants to complain in the blink of an eye in view of this short period of time, especially since acceleration orgies from a standing start hardly offer any irritating aspects?
At high speeds, the Porsche GT2 RS knows no opponents
A fully accelerated Porsche 911 GT2 RS then knows in practice up to 200 km /h or even 300 km /h but no more opponents: the sprint takes 9.8 seconds to 200 and only 28.6 to 300 km /h. And because the six-cylinder boxer has its full torque of 700 Newton meters ready at just over 2,000 rpm, sixth gear is consistently a universal gear. Even with that, being able to drive everyone around the ears with complete ease is a rare privilege that brings healthy relief to a psyche battered by pressure to perform.
The fact that the presumably fastest road 911 challenges speeding up in a downright lascivious way is of course directly related to the professionalism that is evident without exception in the context of this top power from the drive train. The technical leeway of the performance department for GT vehicles docked in the racing center in Weissach was certainly less than the overall result suggests. Meticulous precision work down to the depths of the wheel suspensions, which are now increasingly equipped with ball bearings, and down to the substance of the steel body are apparently more successful than reaching into the large resource box of technical innovations, despite the general maintenance of the technical status quo.
Lightweight construction philosophy with effect
The subject of lightweight construction was honored with good reason in a consistency that almost borders on self-flagellation and in the end even cost the brand emblem, which only weighed a few grams. The Porsche coat of arms is now stuck as a film on the bonnet of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, which is baked from visible carbon fiber, which means that as a new ambassador for the lightweight construction philosophy, it is now exposed to the latent danger of falling victim to the destructive fingernail test. The search for further ways of reducing the weight of this coupé, which was limited to two seats, was arranged for fun and quickly exhausted itself in view of the successful efforts to consistently dispense with everything that the practicing sports driver would find dispensable.
Almost everywhere on the Porsche 911 GT2 RS where it is safe from a safety point of view, the eye falls on the extremely light, exquisitely processed carbon material: the trunk lid, the front fenders, the exterior mirrors, the inlets for the intercooler, that The rear center section and the lower rear trims save a total of around 10.5 kilograms in weight. The rear window made of polycarbonate is included with minus 4.0 kilograms.
The interior of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS continues: The door panels save 0.7 kg. The elimination of the cup holder makes up 1.5 kg, and the special carpeting with a lower level of insulation has a negative four kilograms. The result is not only surprising because the Porsche 911GT2 RS weighs less than the latest naturally aspirated version, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, despite the more complex twin-turbo technology and a larger 90-liter tank. With a tank of just 67 liters, this weighs 1,417 kilograms; the Porsche 911 GT2 RS 1,405 kilograms. The featherweight appearance is astonishing because in the interior it avoids the impression of having to make do with a tinny body that ignores the basic needs of civilization.
The red Alcantara covers under the roof, on the sports seats and on the steering wheel rim are not only a pleasant, but also haptically high-quality splash of color in the interior, which is largely functional but perfectly designed according to requirements. Behind the ergonomically grandiose carbon shells and the crossbar behind them, there is consequently the emptiness of a largely senseless, but weight-neutral air space.
The yawning opening in the middle of the console does not necessarily have to remain empty on the Porsche 911 GT2 RS: Either the space is used for the subsequent installation of a data recording system - which, however, has to be done independently - or the space there traditional air conditioning and audio system is still put on the order list. That has - how generous! - No additional surcharge, but it is a burdenWeight account and, last but not least, the balance. The question, however, is which one is more affected - that of the car or that of the crew. Our tip: The roughly 20 kilos more on the front axle are certainly more manageable than energy and concentration sapping hot flashes in the cockpit.
That one pound more or less does not change anything about the 100 percent enthusiasm that is always and everywhere in view of the brilliant driving dynamics. However, you have to know: The delta in the target corridor, which lies between what is theoretically possible and what the individual makes of it, inevitably diverges significantly further in the Porsche 911 GT2 RS than in the league below this high-flyer with driving dynamics. This has nothing to do with the unquestionably inspiring quality in terms of drivability: It is the downright dizzying level that now places the driver so incomparably in the crosshairs of the events.
Lap times below 7:30 used to be impossible
The lap time of 7.24 minutes in the Porsche 911 GT2 RS achieved at the beginning of October with moderate temperatures of 20 degrees outside and 25 degrees asphalt temperature on the Nordschleife was therefore a reason for joy and disappointment at the same time: joy over a successful adventure that calls for permanent repetition because of the dramatic release of happiness hormones - but preferably under less time pressure. Disappointment because the factory setting in the room had been missed by six seconds. However, it didn't take long for the Porsche man to show his understanding: 'A few years ago, no one would have thought times below the 7.30-minute mark were possible.' And, with worry lines on his forehead, he adds: 'Of course I don't want to understand that myself.'
