997 GT3 RS 4.0 versus 991 Carrera S
Teamspeed takes another look at the best of the 997 series and the all new 991 Carrera S
Text by Jesse Taylor - Guest Contributor

As I write this, it’s exactly six months since a simple twist of a key silenced one of the greatest production engines of all time. And despite the passage of time, the memory of that enveloping silence remains vivid. As does every run to the engine’s 8500rpm redline, every throttle-blipped downshift and every time the speedo needle stormed past 300km/h (187mph)

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 is seared into my memory like no other car in my 15 year career as a motoring journalist. It is simply the best car I’ve driven.

My love for the RS 4.0 stems from a 1200 mile blast through Germany and France – much of it at very high speed. In fact, on German autobahns, the 368kW (493hp) GT3 whipped me to 300km/h on at least 20 occasions, peaking at 313km/h (196mph) on the nav-based testing equipment while the speedo claimed 325km/h (202mph). Of the Porsches in my top speed back catalogue, only the 331km/h (206mph) achieved in a GT2 tops it.



I knew the guys back in the office were keen for an early verdict so after my first full throttle run through to 300km/h I pulled over. I didn't need Twitter's 140 characters. A simple two-word, six-letter Tweet carried plenty of meaning. Can't guess the two words? Second word 'me', first word rhythms with luck.

I love the 3.8 RS Mezger engine, but the 4.0 is something else again. For a five percent increase in capacity over the 3.8 RS, the 4.0 produces 37kW (49hp) or 11 percent more power and seven percent more torque.

Around the Nurburgring, the ultimate performance car benchmark, the 4.0 recorded a 7:27 lap - faster even than the 5.7-litre V10 Carrera GT (7:28) making it the fastest NA Porsche road car around the Ring and second only to the 456kW twin turbo GT2 RS (7:17).



In the six months since I drove the 4.0, another 100 or so cars have passed through my garage – some great and some forgettable. The greats have included Ferrari’s 458 and 599, Lamborghini’s Aventador and Gallardo, and Mercedes’s E63 AMG and SLS. None have resonated with me like the RS 4.0.

Perhaps the new 991 Carrera S can change that. While Porsche says the new 991 is the seventh generation of 911 since the 1963 original, it’s actually only the third all-new model in those 48 years. This is a big deal.



Aside from the RS 4.0, the 997 generation 911 (launched in 2004) has spawned some of the greatest ever Porsches. Before the RS 4.0, the last 911 I drove was the Carrera GTS. Respectively, these two models represent the pinnacle of Porsche’s track and road car development. The 991 had better be good, then.



But one chapter in the press kit has me worried. The 991 adopts electro-mechanical assistance for its steering. Along with the rear-mounted flat-six, steering feel is a 911 trait and electric steering nearly always ruins feel. At a reveal event at Porsche’s Stuttgart museum back in September, August Achleitner, development boss of Carrera models, suggested we would not be able to pick the difference in steering feel, because the 52mm wider front track and 100mm longer wheelbase makes the car so much more stable.



The truth is that while the front end is amazingly sharp with huge grip, the tingles through the wheel have been diluted. You no longer need to settle the nose as much into a corner, and the old bobbing motion has been largely banished. Again, though, these were 911 traits many of us loved. Obviously it all works because the Carrera S has recorded a 7:40 lap time around the 21km Nurburgring, matching the 997 Turbo and GT3. Note that the RS 4.0 is 13-seconds farther up the road.

Why adopt electric steering in the first place? Because it saves 0.1L/100km. This, along with myriad other fuel saving technologies, has contributed to consumption reductions of between 10-16 percent.



The Carrera S keeps its 3.8-litre capacity but it now makes 294kW at 7400rpm (up 11kW and 900rpm) and 440Nm at 5600 revs (up 20Nm and 1200rpm).

If those numbers sound peaky, the seven-speed PDK or world-first seven-speed manual, have got you covered. The PDK remains its brilliant, fast-shifting self. The manual’s shift is slick if lacking a fraction of the mechanical grit of the 997’s six-speeder (I drove the 991 back-to-back with a Series One 997 Carrera S supplied from Porsche Museum). To engage seventh you need to be in fifth or sixth, but you can skip-shift from seventh to any gear so long as the road speed matches the ratio.



The interior is more mature and very well appointed – however, the electric park brake is an unwanted addition. Though the 991 is just 45mm longer overall and no wider, the base of the A-pillars are 100mm farther forward creating a deeper dash and giving the impression of a larger car. But extensive use of aluminum has actually reduced weight by around 45kg depending on model and spec. Vast improvements have been made in reducing rear tire roar (one of the few bug bears of the old car) and a pleasant side effect is that the engine now sound even more manic as you chase the redline.



After several hundred miles over twisty mountain passes, concrete freeways, urban streets and coarse chip back roads, it’s obvious the 991 is a better, but very different, car. It’s quicker than a standard 997, quieter, rides better, and has a more luxurious interior. But I did ask myself if it’s a better 911.

So while I respect the 991, I don’t ache to own it like I do the RS 4.0. One is a great car, the other is a legend.

 

My favorite quote from the piece:

"The Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 is seared into my memory like no other car in my 15 year career as a motoring journalist. It is simply the best car I’ve driven."

A few larger 4.0 images from Jesse's testing, enjoy:

















For more 991 images and our other review on it take a peak here:
https://teamspeed.com/forums/991-997...carrera-s.html

 

Never get tired of looking at the 4.0!

 

The 997 GT3 RS is a engineering masterpiece. Where the chassis, precise steering, and manual shift make man and machine become one. And the NA engine revs to the sky producing a sound that sends shivers down your spine. Great review of both cars!

 

This would make an epic wall scroll...!!!

 

Good read, thanks.

 

Great article.

 

This quote puts these two into perspective:

"So while I respect the 991, I don’t ache to own it like I do the RS 4.0. One is a great car, the other is a legend."

 

Interesting article but apples and oranges as far a comparison. Sure you're not going to ache to own a 991 Carrera S like you would an RS 4.0. But then again few ached to own a 997 Carrera S like they did a GT3. Not taking anything away from the 4.0 but let's wait to see what Porsche does in the final iterations of the 991 GT3 series before calling the death-blow to real driving.

 

Well said.

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