The news that the original 992 GT3 will not enter the domestic sales has caused a lot of discussion among all the friends who are interested in track driving and high-performance sports cars. But in fact, in my opinion, if you really understand the GT3 series and are really looking for a driving machine that is only for the track, it is not so difficult to accept. At least in my opinion, the GT3 model is really not so purely "born for the track", and it has not reached the positioning of the so-called "quasi-racing car". Another reason why it is "less acceptable" is that Porsche has indeed brought us the latest RS model: the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, a real track-driving machine, a real "quasi-racing car". Today, at the Esterolil circuit in Portugal, I'm driving this GT4 RS and getting a feel for how the first mid-engineD RS model in history is performing.
In the GT4 category, the car used by Porsche has now been updated to the 718 Cayman GT4 RSClubsport. As a GT4 racing car, its performance is subject to the requirements of the group, and it cannot be done faster at will. The speed of the GT4 car in New North is about 7 points. Therefore, the Cayman series, its performance is capped by the GT4 group of cars. And the street version of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, what is the actual lap time? Amazing 20.6 km 7:04.511! I don't know why Porsche made this car so fast, it was really so fast, so fast that it didn't even have to be so fast. And I immediately began to worry a little: there are many models now, in order to be fast and fast, sacrificing a lot of driving experience. If this car is the same way, I will really be disappointed. Porsche, this is a natural RS, I have never trusted you so much and worried about you like this.
Finally got the car. Before starting, let's briefly talk about the options for this car. The optional GT4 RS has lost 19 kg compared to the GT4, the weissach kit has lost 6 kg, and the magnesium alloy wheels have lost 10 kg, for a total weight loss of 35 kg. The Clubsport kit is a free option and includes a steel roll cage, reserved power-off switch position and multi-point seat belts that can be used on tracks that can be used with the HANS system. I think for this car, the Clubsport kit has no possibility, it is a must.
In addition, the basic weissach kit needs 155700 yuan, including the front cover, the air intake on both sides, the carbon fiber appearance of the exterior mirror, the carbon fiber tail, the titanium exhaust tailpipe, etc. It should be noted here that the front cover, with or without the Weissach kit, is made of carbon fiber, and the difference is only whether the appearance exposes the carbon fiber material. And the titanium tailpipes, which I've confirmed many times like Porsche, only change the shape and appearance, and have a little weight loss effect, but don't change the tone and volume of the exhaust at all - whether the Weissach kit is optional or not, the most moving natural intake 9000 rpm can be given. Along with the Weissach kit, there are also 4 magnesium alloy wheels as an option, the price is 183700 yuan, compared with the standard forged aluminum alloy wheels, a total of 10 kg can be reduced. Finally, carbon-ceramic brakes, 97800 yuan.
At this point I was told that I could drive the car off the track to experience its daily driving performance. But for me, the biggest value of the RS series being on the road legally is that there is no need to call a trailer on the way to the track. The two storage spaces in the front and rear are enough to accommodate the helmets and other equipment needed for track driving and the daily luggage for one or two days, ensuring that the co-pilot's position can be reserved for friends who are traveling with them. Two people, one car, will make the journey to the track the most streamlined.
The road conditions in Lisbon were much worse than I had imagined, and in order to simulate the common scene of participating in the racecourse day, I detoured for 1 hour in the city + suburbs before driving the track machine back to where it belonged. Thankfully, I was still able to get out of the car, change gear, and adjust to the upcoming track driving. The bucket chair and hard chassis that were close to the race didn't bother me much after this 1 hour, and the gearbox was smooth enough. Being able to do this has met all my needs for daily driving of RS models, and full marks can be given. Driving on the back track is the highlight.
Start the vehicle and get ready to go. The Estoril circuit was very well known in the 1970s and 1980s, and it was used to host F1 races during the active years of senna. The track is less than 4.4 kilometres long, but there are so many high-speed sections that there are no other combinations except for the small section of Turn 8-12. The final turn 13 is a long right bend, a little bit similar to the right bend before the New North Race track, which is a perfect place to fully feel the dynamics in the car's corners.
Driving out of the Pit room, accelerating at full speed, the first thing that struck me was the engine of the car. The same horizontally opposed 6-cylinder naturally-fed engine from the 992 GT3 and 992 GT3 Cups was turned 180 degrees by Porsche engineers into the less than 4.5-meter-long sports car. Due to the central layout, the length of the exhaust system has been increased compared to the 911 model, so the maximum power has been slightly reduced to 500 horses, the red line speed is 9000 rpm, and the maximum power speed is 8400 rpm. Coupled with the 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission from the 991 GT3 RS, the 10.9-200km/h acceleration is enough for you to conquer any track. At the end of the throttle, the speed is raised to more than 6,000 rpm, making the most comfortable zone for this high-speed self-absorbing engine to exert power, accompanied by an exhaust sound wave that is very similar to the racing version, and the car has been moving forward with energy that does not match the size of the body. Another thing you've never experienced before is that the engine intake duct is placed directly in your ear, and as the speed rises, you can also tell the change in the sound of the engine's intake, which is wonderful.
The brakes at Turn 1 are slightly different from what I imagined, the foot feel of this set of carbon ceramic brakes is not very hard and the initial section is extremely sensitive, but a very moderate but delicate and linear feeling, which makes it much more difficult for the driver to control the brakes. The braking force after one foot brake to the end naturally does not need to worry, the 410mm front brake disc pulls this car with a dry weight of less than 1.4 tons is too easy, and there is no need to worry about any overheating problems.
Remember the worry I said earlier? With just one bend, my worries were gone. The front axle of this car comes from the 991.2 GT3 RS, and after I turned the steering wheel into the corner, the rough asphalt pavement was like a high-precision photograph, presented to me through the steering wheel, oh no, it should be in my hand. Just by turning the counter, I was able to perfectly gauge the state of the vehicle's front axle, which was amazing.
The other is the dynamics of the body. This car perfectly inherits the characteristics of the 718 series in both steady and transient in the corner. The higher cornering limit gives the driver more room to try, and along with the attempt at a higher mid-corner speed, the front and rear axles approach the limit at almost the same speed, and within a short range from the beginning of the tire to the time before the breakthrough of the limit, the steady state in the outer corner of the car neither pushes the head nor flings the tail. Faster, after breaking through the red line, the rear of the car took the lead in making movements, gently throwing outwards, but at this time the movement of the rear of the car is still very gentle, the center of the body rotation is so easy to perceive, and find the best way to operate the steering and throttle to achieve the best way to bend. And if you want to do something more out of the ordinary, feel free to let go, it should be said that in other mid-sports cars you can't find control beyond the limits like on this car. However, these are all done at extremely high speeds.
In order to achieve this control, there are several elements that must be mentioned. The first is the response speed of the 4.0 naturally inlet engine, even the best supercharged engine, there is still a slight gap at this point, when you adjust the throttle very slightly, it is when we love natural intake the most. Of course, the power of 500 horses also gives you enough reserves to use. The second is the chassis, which cancels all rubber bushings, so that the response of the car is more than one notch higher than that of ordinary 718 models. Finally, there is one of Porsche's insistences on this GT4 RS: in addition to providing a fast enough lap performance, it also provides a more mechanical and original driving experience. The car uses a rear-axle mechanical limited-slip differential, no rear wheel steering, no PTVPlus Porsche Torque Steering System Plus, these high-tech equipment armed to the teeth for laps, while the ESP electronic stabilization program and TC traction control program also support a complete shutdown. Such a pure driving machine, let us return to the original driving, who would not love it? At the same time, the car still did incredible lap times, which was really too strong.
992 GT3
Since it comes to lap times, the 992 GT3 is in my head again. Using the same engine, the 992 GT3's New North lap is about 9 seconds faster than the GT4 RS, so what's the difference? The main difference is the absolute mechanical grip of the low and medium speed bends. Compared to the tire width of the GT4 RS's front 245 rear 295, the 992 GT3's tire width reached the front 255 rear 315, coupled with a larger wheelbase at the front and rear, the resulting lift in the mechanical grip is not to be underestimated. That's why I didn't describe the GT4 RS with the corners going deep. In The Slowest Wehrseifen Bend in New North, the GT3 has a minimum speed of 74 and the GT4 RS of 69. But plenty of power makes the GT4 RS just as good at high speeds. At several points in New North where the tail speed can be observed, the tail speed of the GT4 RS is almost the same as that of the 992 GT3, and these sections are all far enough to fully impact the tail speed and will not be affected by the out-of-corner speed of the previous corner. With enough power to do the guarantee, the lap speed naturally has a basis. In addition, compared to the 992 GT3, the GT4 RS has better aerodynamic components, and at high speed corners, stronger downforce makes up for the lack of mechanical grip. The most typical Swedish cross, the two cars have the lowest speeds of GT3 216 and GT4 RS 213 respectively. Finally, there's the rhythm, which, as the RS series, which is more geared towards track driving, has a significantly faster tempo than the 992 GT3, with almost no small straights between the corners as an adjustment in some continuous and breathless left and right low-speed corners. Although the cornering limits are slightly lower, the GT4 RS has even shorter passage times on these sections because it can achieve faster paces. The same level of power, stronger downforce, better rhythm, so that the GT4 RS in a considerable number of sections of the New North have reached or even surpassed the level of the higher positioning OF the GT3, the narrower tires, smaller wheelbase disadvantages of the impact of the impact, so that the amazing lap speed.
The above theories were also quickly confirmed at the Esterolil circuit. Turn 5 is a full-throttle high-speed false bend that should be easy for the GT4 RS. But the track and the car were my first contact, and there was still a little hesitation, but in the end the trust in Porsche overcame the hesitation, and the full throttle passed, without any pressure.
Soon came the previously mentioned section of the 8-12 combination curve, where the previous analysis was confirmed again. The rhythm shown by the GT4 RS here is definitely racing-level, especially the 9 and 10 consecutive corners, which are really too easy, and at the same time as the cornering action is completed, the vehicle has been adjusted and ready to enter the next corner. By the end of the 13th long right bend, I had even started to tease the throttle frequently, and this car did exactly what Porsche promised: it could complete very beautiful galloping laps, but if you needed it, it could also instantly transform into the most fun toy for driving. In a short time I had forgotten the lap and enjoyed the pleasure it brought. After the selection of more than 2 million yuan landing price, indeed not everyone can afford to consume. But compared to the 718 Cayman GT4, this is the most intuitive embodiment of the gap between street cars and quasi-racing cars, faster laps, but far more than the increase in lap speed. This 2 million is probably the most worthwhile purchase you have in the car.
But at the same time, a small thought popped into my head: Why doesn't this car have a manual transmission? Porsche gave an official explanation: due to layout reasons, the manual transmission on the GT3 model cannot be used directly, the manual transmission on the GT4 cannot withstand the more powerful engine, and if you want a manual version of the GT4 RS, you must re-develop the gearbox. At the same time, the RS series has not provided a manual transmission version since the 991st generation GT3 RS, in order to achieve the driving experience closest to the car, which is also the original intention of the RS car series. And we all know that gt4/GT3 racing cars, where is the manual transmission?
99.9, which is the score I gave to this GT4 RS. It's really, really a car with a perfect score, but allow me, with an insignificant 0.1, to go and present my tribute to the manual version that won't appear.