2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS

BEIRUT: My best friend and I have had a long-running difference of opinion. He has always extolled the virtues of performance cars, while I’ve championed style, comfort and luxury, mostly because I didn’t see the point of blisteringly fast automobiles when it’s neither legal to drive at 300 kilometers per hour nor are our roads suitable for such an exercise.

Last weekend all my preconceptions went out the window.

Just days prior to that, I discovered to my astonishment that another close family friend happened to own a 2010 997 GT3 RS. Oh, I should’ve mentioned, you’re not reading a 6-year-old review – we thought it might be fun to talk about some very select cars that are no longer in production, so here you go.

Anyway, back to this GT3 RS. This is a 911 few people ever get to drive, let alone own, especially as a total of 1,600 units were ever made, and when our friend suggested we take it for a test-drive the following Friday, I was ecstatic – it felt like Christmas, and Friday couldn’t come soon enough. However, it finally did, and I made my way down to his place, where I caught sight of the GT3 RS, a glorious dream machine gleaming in the sun, its gray/black finish adorned in red livery like badges of merit.

Keep in mind that this RS is based on the Generation II 997, and more specifically the wide body version. Closer inspection of the car reveals the flared front wheel arches, designed to accommodate the wider front track while in the back resides a massive carbon fiber rear wing, and protruding from beneath the rear bumper are the dual tips of the weight-saving titanium exhaust – in a 911 every bit of reduced weight in the back matters.

Peeking in through the rear windscreen, I could see the red roll cage, the best indication yet that this was not a car made for the masses but bred for the track. My anticipation knew no bounds, and I couldn’t wait until we tried out this beast. But my friend had other ideas – apparently, we were going for lunch first. Now I vaguely remembered that he had indicated as much earlier but, come on, it was a GT3 RS, I should be forgiven for completely forgetting that bit of minutiae!

OK. Hop in VW Golf. Go to lunch. Eat lunch. Done. RS time. Yay!

As we got in the car, my eyes feasted on that interior. The front bucket seats are covered in Alcantara and there are no seats in the back. Remember that roll cage I mentioned? Yeah.

Although this car has been bred for racing, the materials used in its construction remain exquisite and the fit and finish is pure Porsche, meaning no compromise has been made in construction quality. Everything is impeccable, covered in black leather and Alcantara, including the dashboard, the gear shift, and the side and center armrests. Seat belts are bright red, as are the straps poking out of the door interiors that act as door latches. It’s just endearing. 

As you start the car, the glorious 3.8-liter flat six engine springs to life with the characteristic 911 chunter. By the way, if you can’t or refuse to drive a stick, don’t even think about a car like this because it only came with a motorsport-derived six-speed manual. You know, for REAL drivers. Everyone else please go drive a Prius.

So we eased the car out of its bay and headed toward the Bsalim road, which has surprisingly well-maintained if not very sticky pavement and excellent bends. But first we had to deal with physics.

The semi-slicks the RS was wearing on its 19-inch red Cup rims were still cold, and it was best that we rolled on them for a while at a relatively sedate pace until the rubber warmed sufficiently to stick to the tarmac. Once they did, it was time to go nuts, and my friend floored it.

As the revs rise, it feels as if the engine clears its cylinders, and the clatter gives way to exquisite resonance as the RPM flies past 4,000. The engine’s note then grows more intense until it becomes a howl, inviting you to push the flat-six all the way to 8,000 rpm again and again because it sounds oh so good.

This went on for quite a while, and as the car pounced from one corner to another, the acceleration pinning me to my seat, I marveled at the car’s incredibly rigid chassis and extremely firm suspension. The RS felt planted on the ground, refusing to roll. But it’s an extreme 911, and though my friend was concentrating on the road he was also offering tip after tip, which proved priceless.

And timely, seeing as he stopped the car and invited me to take the wheel. Holy hell!

Now there’s an unspoken understanding among car enthusiasts: You have to respect another person’s car regardless of whether it’s a Honda Civic or a Porsche 918 Spyder, (if anyone wants to let me drive his 918, I’m ready!) or whether you’re a passenger or the driver, so I’m sure you can appreciate my anxiety as I hopped out and walked over to the driver’s side of the GT3 RS.

I slid into the bucket seat very carefully because I refused to scuff any part of this magnificent machine’s interior, not even the door sill. I don’t know what I was thinking, because I had already been sitting on the passenger side for half an hour, but something changes when you’re driving. Anyway, I finally collected myself, facing the steering wheel with its yellow centering stripe at the top and wondering how on earth I ended up in the driver’s seat of one of the world’s most fearsome machines.

Sure, I frequently drive exquisite sports cars and they include Porsches and Ferraris and whatnot, but the GT3 RS is not your average sports car, nor is it your average exotic. This is a car for the purist, for the driver who wants no electronic aids, no distractions and certainly no PDK transmission. Anyone can “try” to drive it, but few can master it.

I slid the car into first gear, released the clutch and took off timidly – I was worried about embarrassing myself and screwing up a priceless Porsche. As anyone familiar with any version of the 911 can tell you, the engine is in the back, as is most of the weight. That means if you hit a bend at high speed and expect the car to plow through like a Golf would, you’re headed for a rude awakening. Initially you will encounter understeer, which will quickly become oversteer as the car’s rear end slides out, and if you don’t know what you’re doing you will likely either crash into a concrete barrier or incoming traffic. Probably both.

But this was more daunting, considering there were far more ponies driving those rear wheels than a regular 911. And seeing as the GT3 RS is not a car that any self-respecting Porsche purist drives with aids, you have to be prepared, and my friend, having mastered the car’s capabilities and idiosyncrasies, was ready with advice: Take the bend on the inside, braking just  before to bring down the car’s nose and shift the weight to the front, then floor the throttle halfway through the bend to take off like a bat out of hell.

Seriously, while I consider myself a fairly decent driver, my skills pale in comparison to his. When he drove, he handled the RS with the skill and confidence that comes with familiarity, demonstrating the aptitude of a professional driver. As for me, it was mortifying – half the time I missed third gear and slipped the car into fifth. Yes, I feel ashamed, but the clutch is heavy and the gates are really, really close. That’s my excuse, so let’s move on. Thank you.

Keep in mind that the GT3 RS, producing 444 bhp at 7,900 rpm and 430 Newton-meters of torque, is a harder and more potent version of the already ridiculously quick 429 bhp GT3, which itself sits in elite 911 territory. However, the RS comes with revised transmission ratios so top speed is actually about a mile less than the GT3 (like anyone cares) but the acceleration is far more voracious.

This car is intoxicating to drive, even at low speeds, with controls that feel so precisely weighed, so exquisite. There’s exceptionally detailed feedback from the steering, and the ceramic brakes that quickly dispel velocity leave as much of a lasting impression as the car’s magnificent torque. 

In fact, save for the GT2, or Widowmaker, with its extra 167 bhp, I can’t imagine a better 911 variant. But considering the GT2 comes with a turbocharged mill and lacks the aural deliciousness of this one, as far as I’m concerned the GT3 RS is the ideal 911 for the purist.

As it turns out, my best friend was right. You drive over-the-top performance cars because they make you feel alive, even if the opportunity doesn’t always present itself. And if they’re hard to handle, well that’s the challenge, and what separates the men from the boys. I can’t believe I spent years arguing with the guy without trying a car like this first.

A version of this article appeared in the September 30, 2016 edition of The Daily Star.