[Evo Magazine] Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997.2) review – the best car we’ve ever driven? Possibly

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Quick_Bet5660@reddit

We don't have enough content on the internet to worship the 911. Bravo Evo magazine for such a brave piece of automotive journalism.

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WordWithinTheWord@reddit

I get the Porsche fatigue aspect. But automotive excellence should be celebrated. Especially in a world where every automaker is racing to make the most generic appliance blob of a vehicle.

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audi27tt@reddit

Lmfao from the generic appliance driver. Macan and Cayenne are best in class, just like the 911 and cayman

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mydoortotheworld@reddit

But wait are they though? Can we compare them to the X3 and X5, respectively?

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Deep-Television-9756@reddit

They’re mass-produced SUVs based on global platforms with Audi and VW.

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audi27tt@reddit

And the miata is a mass produced roadster based on a shared platform with fiat, with a soft chassis and suspension.

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Deep-Television-9756@reddit

Whatever helps you sleep at night bud

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audi27tt@reddit

Attempt to chirp from a “Quad All Terrain” iPad made my day 😂

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Deep-Television-9756@reddit

You mean my six-figure SUV with 1000hp that does 0-60 in 2.7 seconds? Yeah. You got me.

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audi27tt@reddit

What a flex, a $100k ipad. So funny when EV drivers quote 0-60 times. Tell me you don't know how to drive without telling me...

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Deep-Television-9756@reddit

Why don’t you stick to growing pot and playing video games? Let the adults talk.

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soberkangaroo@reddit

That’s why the article is written about a different car!

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jrileyy229@reddit

Their generic appliance is an upscale SUV and a luxury sedan... And their blob is a smaller more affordable upscale Suv... So more people could afford to join the cult.

When they said they would never build anything other than sports cars...

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Radicalizer26@reddit

If it wasn’t for those cars, Porsche would have been dead a long time ago.

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That's my point ... To whoever made the comment that we should applaud Porsche for this masterpiece when everyone else is pumping out appliances and conformed blobs... That Porsche is indeed doing the same thing and only were able to build this masterpiece because of the sales of their appliances and blobs.

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Radicalizer26@reddit

I mean if those other companies can’t produce a car like the 911 (despite selling more appliances), why shouldn’t we celebrate the company who can?

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jrileyy229@reddit

Most other companies do. GM gave the world a mid engine supercar for $60k... Then just gave the world 1100hp and 1200hp hypercars for $200k... And they're actually going to build a bunch of them ... And not just do ten examples that all just sit in some collection not being driven.

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strongmanass@reddit

And there are articles praising GM for doing that just like this article praises Porsche for the 911.

I think the car community is brainwashed into putting Porsche on a pedestal and I agree with you that they can't call themselves a "sports car company" when they only make one sports car (at least right now). But that one sports car is extremely capable and earned its reputation.

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jrileyy229@reddit

I have no problem with Porsche, my comment was merely noting that they are also making appliances... Directed to the person who insinuated Porsche is superior... They just make fancier appliances.

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strongmanass@reddit

Fair enough and I agree. As far as I'm concerned Porsche is a company that makes overpriced commuter cars...and the 911. Until last year their road map didn't include a single new sports car, but it did include three new electric SUVs.

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Slow-Raisin-939@reddit

That's a US issue. You can walk in any Porsche dealer in Europe and get out with a GT3 RS, no "allocation" bullshit needed.

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jrileyy229@reddit

Every brand has their own identity, goal, ethos... Whatever works for them

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audi27tt@reddit

Ever heard of the cayman? Did affordable mid engine perfection well before the c8

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jrileyy229@reddit

Yes, owned one before my c8... An excellent car... It just wouldn't make "supercar" in my book... At least not at 60k. The gt4 yes, but then you're double the money

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dustygator@reddit

With the discontinuation of the 718, Porsche now make one sports car (911) at roughly three price tiers (Base/T/S, Turbo, GT3) of which only the lowest is arguably "attainable".

Compare that to Lotus; they didn't compromise on their ethos and financially struggled (to the point of getting bought by Geely). They also make exactly one sports car (Emira) except it has two engine choices that both cost $30k less out the door than the cheapest 911 with zero options.

The corporate line of "we need to sell out and make SUVs/crossovers in order to make sports cars" feels a little more hollow when you think about that it way, no?

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Radicalizer26@reddit

Not really, they need money to make things. Just like you said Lotus ultimately failed and had to sell out to another company to keep existing, and the Emira is priced for what it is and the lack of demand for it. These companies are here to make money not to be a humanitarian affordable sports car provider lol. Unfortunately Porsche makes a sports car so good that people are willing to overpay dramatically for one, so why would Porsche let random resellers make that money when they could pocket it themselves? I do agree that the discontinuation of the 718 sucks, but I’m pretty sure I heard that it’ll be coming back due to the poor reception of the Ev version.

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JForce1@reddit

Yeah but the 911 worship has gone crazy. There’s a new one every 12 weeks, and I would bet money that if you could blind test them, none of these car journos could really tell the difference (different engines aside). Back-to-back GT3 testing and they’re all “oh yeah the damping on this one is .5 newtons tighter on compression when under load due to the increased stiffness of the flange compounder” when it’s all BS.

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Word_Underscore@reddit

It's got a Sport Plus S Max Pro mode Type-Z

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jca_ftw@reddit

But the GT3 has changed very little in 10 years. So it’s just Porsche love vomit from the mouths of all the reviewers at this point. Plus nobody can even get one if they want, unless you buy 2 Taycans and then pay 100k over sticker.

When the cheapest 911 now costs nearly 150k in the US, why are we praising them? I mean anybody can build a fast car and sell for 150k. The real trick is building a fast fun sports car and selling it for 70k, or a fun little hatch for 40k and stuff like that.

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Cygnus94@reddit

I do like Evo's coverage of most cars, but whenever a new 911comes out they always like to make a point of just how hard it's making their dick.

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Bonerchill@reddit

I don’t understand the fascination with the RS models on the street.

They’re harsh, noisy pretend race cars that are outshined every day of the week by a good 2.2 S in terms of engagement without the aural and physical assault.

The title makes me think the writer is looking for engagement rather than honesty.

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TheDragonaut@reddit

Don't see why it's so surprising a magazine catering to driving enthusiasts likes the most hardcore and focused trim levels of the last great 'analog' generation of 911. The RS's may be too harsh and loud for you but if you ask the people who street drive them they gladly accept the sacrifices because the driving experience and engagement outweighs any other consideration they have, otherwise they'd be in another car. For guys who like that there is no amount of comfort or refinement that can replace it.

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BrunoEye@reddit

I live in the UK and some of my absolutely favourite roads would be miserable to drive on in 90% of the cars that are considered the best sports cars. They're too wide, too low, too stiff. The Dakar was the best 911.

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TheDragonaut@reddit

I bet you'd be surprised at how something like a GT3/GT4 Porsche or Elise really isn't that much more intolerable than your MR2, at least based on my experiences in those cars. In your opinion what makes the Dakar the best 911? I guess I just don't understand what people want in a 'sports' car when all they do is complain about and want to change the exact things that make a sports car feel so good to drive.

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BrunoEye@reddit

A few cm of ground clearance, a bit more sidewall, 332 mm narrower and not being a collector's piece that is expected to retain or increase in value over time.

Even then, there have been roads where I've scraped the bottom a couple times or places where I've struggled to pass an oncoming car without dipping a wheel off the road. If it wasn't a 22 year old car worth £2,500 then I wouldn't have been able to drive it the way I do.

Idk why you lumped the Elise in with the Porsches when it's more like the MR2.

Watch a review of the Ariel Nomad and see how much fun can be had in a car with 25 cm of ground clearance with soft suspension and all terrain tyres.

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TheDragonaut@reddit

I say that about an Elise because I own an Exige and with properly set up suspension like Nitrons or Penskes the cars are no more harsh and uncomfortable than RS Porsches with PASM set to Sport. I daily my car in the summer and apart from sounding like an explosion at a fiberglass factory over potholes it's perfectly acceptable on the terrible roads around where I live, just a bit more harsh than my Ford Focus honestly.

I can see a Nomad or Dakar or Sterrato would be 'fun' because of how stupid (in a good way) and less compromised they are but I guess I don't get why if that's what you want why you wouldn't get a Porsche Cayenne or X6M or something instead. I dunno, I just want a car to handle as well as possible and transmit as much feel and feedback as it can and having a bit of NVH and being careful about driveways and speed bumps is a fair trade.

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Bonerchill@reddit

The driving experience and engagement is not as good as a vintage 911, period.

If the argument is “but it’s the most engaging,” my counter is that it is less engaging than a non-power-steering, non-power-brake, unassisted clutch, mechanically-injected 1970 911 S that weighs 600lbs less and has limits that are easily explored on the street.

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TheDragonaut@reddit

I think it was Matt Farah who said people don't want 'race cars for the road', they want cars that make people feel like they're driving race cars for the road and that's basically what a modern RS car is and why they're so highly praised and valued. Is a 70's 911 more engaging from an absolute mechanical perspective? Yes, but the 997 GT3 RS's are essentially the platonic ideal for a modern sports car that balances old-school engagement (manual, hydraulic steering and brakes, little sound insulation or engine noise fakery, passive, manually adjustable suspension) with modern features (build quality and engineering, parts availability, reliability, performance) that you can trust to be street-driven without needing to worry about old car problems like you would on an air-cooled 911. The argument isn't about what the absolute "most engaging" car is, if it was that logic ends with everyone wanting engagement ending up in a Model T or something.

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Bonerchill@reddit

A Model T lends busywork to driving. Busywork isn’t engagement, ask any student.

People who want to feel like they’re driving a race car on the road are stupid. I know they are because I used to daily drive my track car.

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AWD_OWNZ_U@reddit

Yeah man I’ve driven one in anger several times and I don’t get it. it’s nice but nothing overly special. I’d rather a 993 any day and it’s not even close.

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Bonerchill@reddit

Ugh I hate 993s when it comes to driving.

Dig the way they look, hate any 911 with power steering.

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AWD_OWNZ_U@reddit

That makes one of us. haha I think it’s the best blend of modern and old school. The older ones I just don’t love. They feel too agricultural to me.

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PM_ME_HOUSE_MUSIC_@reddit

The 991 and 992 RS cars are way more harsh than the 997. It’s no Rolls Royce but my 997 GT3 and is WAY smoother over the bumps than my buddies 991 RS.

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Bonerchill@reddit

This is damning with faint praise. The GT3 Touring I’ve been in was unbelievably stiff.

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PM_ME_HOUSE_MUSIC_@reddit

There was no GT3 touring available for the 997 generation.

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Bonerchill@reddit

You referenced 991 and 992.

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Slow-Raisin-939@reddit

and that's exactly what he said. That the older 997 was far less harsh than the 991 and 992, which is true. The 991 and 992 GT3 are incredibly harsh, even in the "Touring" configuration

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Bonerchill@reddit

And what I said was being less harsh than incredibly harsh isn’t exactly a pro.

I was, and remain, shocked at the stiffness of these cars. Even the 997 GTS is ridiculous.

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LiquidDiviums@reddit

I do feel there has been a fascination as of late with ‘track focused’ cars. Not only with the 911 GT3 RS. Besides the driving experience, it’s what those models represent in a social context.

A Turbo S is also a great driving experience, with way more usability on the street but it’s not what drives engagement, it’s not what people want to see. That’s the fascination. It’s what represents, more than what it actually does.

“Look at me, look how much money I spent on a GT3 RS and look at how great of a driver I am”. That’s the fascination.

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Slow-Raisin-939@reddit

it's usable in the sense that it has a bit more amenties than the GT3 but far less usable from a driving enthusiast perspective. the Turbo S is a rocket in a straight line, coupled with the far too muted engine, it just doesn't really allow you to have any kind of fun on a public road without putting yourself and others in grave danger

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xlb250@reddit

Crash safety would be a major concern for me.

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Bonerchill@reddit

Meh.

I’d rather die in a great car than live in a good one. I’ve lived long enough.

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DifficultCarob408@reddit

RUF Yellowbird it is then

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Bonerchill@reddit

NA only A.

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asdfoneplusone@reddit

992.2 S? It doesn't even come with manual, let alone how gigantic and isolated the car feels. If you're talking about 992.2 gt3rs, that's a different story

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Bonerchill@reddit

2.2L S as the other poster said.

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Iridium-Silver@reddit

I imagine they’re talking about the early long wheel base air cooled 911S as that makes more sense.

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asdfoneplusone@reddit

Then f series 2.2 911S, yeah I would agree with

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tombatch10@reddit

Why is everyone in this thread so goddamn miserable!? No, 99% of people will never be able to drive, let alone afford the car, but does that mean the article has to be trashed? Doesn't anyone remember what "aspirational" means?

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Averylarrychristmas@reddit

Yeah - it means something you can aspire to. You know, like a 911 used to be.

This is an example of how Porsche is not longer looking to be aspirational, and instead would rather chase the 1% and influencer crowd.

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jrileyy229@reddit

So just a regurgitation of an article from over a decade ago?