The brutal GT2 RS is the chainsaw of the 911 lineup compared with the scalpel-like GT3. Its 700-hp twin-turbo flat-six drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic for a claimed 2.7-second zero-to-60-mph time—conservative, we think—and powered this fastest-ever 911 to a record lap at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Steering is laser direct, and the rear slides—controllably—if directed; the brakes are amazing, with no fade present during repeated high-speed stops on track.

The name isn’t hard to decode, and we understand if your first instinct is to feel that this will be a familiar story. While GT3 versions of the 911 use high-revving naturally aspirated engines to give what is almost a perfect balance between performance and grip, GT2s use turbocharged engines to deliver a more brutish appeal and a generous excess of power. The RS addendum stands for Renn Sport and indicates this car’s track-centric mission. Whereas the previous-generation GT2 had an already gratuitous 620 horsepower, this new 991 edition moves that number up to a credibility stretching 700 horses, courtesy of a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six with a water-spraying system to cool its intake charge. Peak torque, a modest 553 lb-ft, is delivered to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle (PDK); unlike the GT3, there is no manual option.

That’s because the GT2 RS is built for speed, both in a straight line and around road-racing circuits. Its statistics are as eye popping as you would expect for the fastest ever factory-built 911. Some obsessive trimming of mass extends so far as to include both lightweight carpets and extra-thin glass closely related to that used in cellphone screens. The optional weight-trimming Weissach package shaves 40 pounds at the cost of an extra $31,000, with Porsche claiming a curb weight of just 3241 pounds, although that means forgoing both the infotainment system and air conditioning. Small wonder that Porsche claims a 2.7-second zero-to-60-mph time and that we estimate the car can burn a quarter-mile in 10.3 seconds. The top speed is—get this—limited to 211 mph, in the interest of keeping the track-biased tires in one piece.

All such figures are subsidiary to the one number that Porsche’s Motorsport engineers are proudest of, the one that defines the car’s core purpose. That would be 6:47.3, the lap time the car recently posted around the Nürburgring Nordschleife to take the production-car record there. That is a dizzying 31 seconds quicker than the previous 997-generation GT2 RS and 10 seconds inside the time set by the 918 Spyder, a previous record holder. Meaning the $294,250 GT2 has the legs on a model that, when last sold new, cost nearly three times as much. It’s a bargain!

While the acceleration is astonishing, lateral-grip levels are at least as impressive, certainly on dry pavement. Previous GT2s have struggled to find traction, but the GT2 RS’s Dunlop Sport Maxx Race tires of our test car (265/35ZR-20s at the front, 325/30ZR-21s at the rear; some GT2s will come with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s instead) find the sort of adhesion that normally inspires reference to Velcro; this is a rear-drive 911 that feels grippier than its all-wheel-drive siblings. The RS’s steering feels lighter than the usual “sporty” German tune but is perfectly proportional and has outstanding feel. At street speeds there is no understeer, even on the tightest of the many Portuguese roundabouts we had to navigate (an active rear-steering system helps it rotate at lower speeds and improves stability when moving faster). As with the GT3, traction control can be deactivated separately from the stability management system, but even with all the sentinels on guard it is possible to edge the GT2 into slight oversteer with too much throttle.

Technical Specs911 GT2 RS

Engine	PDK
Engine layout	Rear engine
Number of cylinders	6
Bore	102.0 mm
Stroke	77.5 mm
Displacement	3,800 cm³
Power (kW)	515 kW
Power (hp)	700 PS
RPM maximum power	7,000 r/min
Max. torque	750 Nm
at rpm	2,500 – 4,500 r/min
Maximum engine speed	7,200 r/min
Max. output per liter (kW/l)	135.5 kW/l
Max. output per liter (hp/l)	184.2 PS/l

Fuel consumption/Emissions	PDK
Fuel consumption* urban	18.1 l/100 km
Fuel consumption* non-urban	8.2 l/100 km
Fuel consumption* combined	11.8 l/100 km
CO2 emissions* combined	269 g/km
Energieeffizienzklasse (Germany only)	G

Chassis and suspension	PDK
Front axle	McPherson front axle with lightweight springs (including helper springs), anti-roll bar, all suspension mountings ball-jointed
Rear axle	Multi-link rear axle with lightweight springs (including helper springs), anti-roll bar, all suspension mountings ball-jointed
Brakes	PCCB six-piston aluminium monobloc fixed brake calipers (front and four-piston aluminium monobloc fixed brake calipers at rear, Ceramic composite brake discs diameter 410 mm (front) and 390 mm (rear)
Steering	Electromechanical power-assisted steering with variable steering ratio and speed-sensitive steering force adjustment
Stability program	Porsche Stability Management (PSM) including ABS, with two switchable stages (SC OFF and SC+TC OFF)
Wheels: Brief description	911 GT2 RS forged alloy centre-lock wheels in White Gold Metallic (high-gloss)
Wheels front	9,5 J x 20 ET 50
Tires front	265/35 ZR 20 sports tyres
Wheels rear	12,5 J x 21 ET 48
Tires rear	325/30 ZR 21 sports tyres

Performance	PDK
Top speed	340 km/h
Acceleration from 0 – 100 km/h	2.8 s
Acceleration from 0 – 160 km/h	5.8 s
In-gear acceleration (80-120km/h) (50-75 mph)	1.5 s

Body	PDK
Length	4,549 mm
Width (without mirrors folded)	1,978 mm
Width	1,880 mm
Height	1,297 mm
Drag coefficient (Cd)	0.35 cW
Wheelbase	2,453 mm
Unladen weight (DIN)	1,470 kg
Unladen weight (EU)	1,545 kg
Permissible gross weight	1,830 kg
Maximum load	360 kg