Thanks indeed for the welcome.

 

I am not too worried which way it goes, either flat6 or v8...I am sure Porsche will make the right move and produce a great v8 if they decide to go in that direction.

Everything is JUST speculation right now either way...

 

Well said Rage .... & welcome to the Team.

 

I keep thinking Porsche is doing something out of character (if the rumors are true) by making a new RS before the current RS is out of production, but on further reflection this wouldn't be the first time they did it. In fact, they sort of did this the very first time out . . .

The 2.7 RS was followed by what many people refer to as the racing 2.8 RSR, but actually, there is no official model by porsche designated as such. Porsche, at the end of the 2.7 RS run, wanted to create engine/body options to homologate a newer RS competition that ran a larger engine with 100 more hp, but technically this car was still a 2.7 RS chassis designation, with the M149 option fitted. Granted, this "option" cost 2/3rds the total cost of the "regular" 2.7 RS at the time (plus the cost of a regular RS 2.7), and included a new body with flared arches, new engine, new wheels, new suspension, and an entirely new radiator system. 2.7 RS owners were PISSED at the time, decrying porsche and believing their models had been devalued before the production even ended! The ironic part? Since only 55 examples of the "2.8 RSR" exist in the world, it didn't meet production demands for homologation, so the homologation model was actually not homologated, while the "regular" carrera RS 2.7 had seen plenty of time driven in anger at the racetrack.

Now the values of the 2.7 RS are doing pretty damn well. Although, I guess not as well as the 2.8 RSR's ~500K value.

Maybe the same situation will unfold with the possible "limited edition."

 

Thanks for your article, rjmontoya. Wasn't aware that a street version of that car existed; I only knew about the RS 3.0 that came afterwards.

For those (including me) who want to know more about classic Porsches, I can recommend the car guides on this site: Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

 

^ I'd love to believe that your screen name refers to the German band.

I have to believe that Porsche is going to leave the V8 path to specialized tuners like Ruf. That said, I would love to have a go in that CTR8 when it comes out!

 

According to feedback on the Rennteam site, it was a foregone conclusion necessitated by homologation rules for the 4.0 RSR.

Spyderidol:

...as it had to in order to validate RSR homologation.

ACO Regulations:

ART. 2 - GRAND TOURING CAR "LM" GT2

2.1 - Eligibility :

2.1.1 - ACO is the only authority to judge the eligibility of a "LM" GT2 car.

2.1.2 - Eligibility criteria of a "LM" GT2 Grand Touring car are made out by the ACO.

2.1.3 - The "LM" GT2 Grand Touring car must meet a minimum of the following criteria :

a/ To be regularly produced by a manufacturer approved by ACO ;

• A regular production implies a permanent implementation of the means required to produce a minimum of 1 car per week for the "big manufacturers" and one car per month to the "small manufacturers". If the production is not respected, the ACO will suspend the homologation of the car the year after. The suspension of the homologation will cease once the production delay has been made up. It will be permitted to compete with the car as soon as a minimum of 100 road cars for the "big manufacturers" and 25 road cars for the "small manufacturers" will be produced.


-So this is the actual reason for the rumored 4.0L RS? Although the current RSR race car already displaced 4.0L in 2009/10, Porsche had one year to develop a road version. So it should not be speculation that the car will come since the 4.OL car is mandatory for homologation.
I only wish Porsche released the current RS with the 4.0L from the start. Maybe Porsche was considering a new RSR motor for the upcoming season but decided against it given their new hybrid agenda? Can anyone validate this?

 

Hehe I thought of that too. Saw them live at Wacken in 2003 I think, not bad at all

 

So is the GT3 RS limited edition going to happen? And do we know anything about it other than it's yet another 997 variant?

 

This is just the natural order of things in this day and age. Differentiation sells and the best way to differentiate a premium car is performance and/or numbered editions.

GT3 - Street Performance car that's right at home on the track. Mainstream car

GT3 RS - High Performance Track Day car that's at home on the street. less numbers than a GT3, but not announced as a limited edition.

GT2 RS - Supercar on Steroids. Ultra High performance and numbered for exclusivity. Also big bucks and a Turbo. A lot of GT guys won't go for the Turbo. They want the NA high rev car.

GT3 RS LE - Ultra High Performance NA Supercar for the GT purest. Also "collectable" due to the limited , numbered edition. 4.0L engine also differentiates. I'm also sure that PCNA will price it at $200k + to maintain exclusivity.

The GT3RS LE creates enough separation where the GT2RS buyers don't care at all and most of the GT3RS buyers won't care either. Spec wise, not as strong as the GT2RS. Too expensive for a few extra HP vs. a GT3RS. If you're a track junkie, LE doesn't matter. Do you really want to pay a premium for a limited edition car and then drive the heck out of it on a track? Does a numbered edition really matter if you already own a GT3RS?

So in the end, I think Porsche will build the LE, they will ship 150 or so to the US and they will all sell out. Some current RS owners will buy them and drive them. Others will buy them and turn them into a garage queen. Some new buyers will use the car as an entry point into the Pcar world. I guess some others may get PO'd and stop buying Pcars, but I don't see why. Porsche is just following a pretty standard circle of life in marketing terms. I'm glad we have choices and I'm glad Porsche continues to push the envelope. Think of how boring this forum would be if all we had was a 997 Coupe and Cab, a TT Coupe and Cab and a GT3.