Porsche 911 GT2 RennSport

I've never really been an avid fan of Porsche 911s, partly because up to the 996 model, the interior looks dated. Nothing much can be said about the exterior, despite being over five-decade-old the current 997 911 is still carrying pretty much the same outline as the original 911 Classic that was first designed by Ferdinand Porsche. For the record, I've been a huge fan of the Ferrari F40-killer 959 and the 944 for many many years. Up till now.

I was given the chance to test drive the Porsche 911 GT2 RS a few days ago. (P.S: This review is actually long overdue, haven't had the chance to edit it till now.) Yeah. Lucky me. Of course, let's not forget that Sime Darby Auto Performance has just recently showcased the new 911 GT3 RS 4.0 which makes 500 horses. The GT3 4.0 RS is the latest and last (as claimed) incarnation of the 997 GT3. Much like the 'all-new' Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale (STS) that was revealed by Lamborghini at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Anyway, let's get back to the main reason why you're reading this, shall we?

In the recent years, Porsche has been under the spotlight for making performance cars that could be daily-driven, starting off with the Boxster, and then the Cayenne, Cayman, and the 4-door wonder, the Panamera. Apart from the maintenance cost, they are actually pretty hardy. Maybe Porsche is trying to tell the public that they're still producing supercars that may remove every single strand of grey hair on your head once your feet is on the accelerator. Perhaps that is what they are trying to insinuate. Perhaps that is exactly what the GT2 RS is all about.

I was greeted by a familiar interior when I step and sat in the GT2 RS. The dashboard is so very familiar, with cues from earlier 911 models, yet it's a simplified and modernized layout which is pleasant to the eye, of course. Alcantara everywhere, from the bucket seats to the steering wheel. This is to ensure grip on the steering wheel (Trust me, in the 911 GT2 the last thing that you'll ever wish for in your deathbed is the steering wheel to slip while you are powersliding.) and easy-cleanability (is there even such a word?). Weight-shedding effort can be seen everywhere in the car; carbon fibre all over the place. Carbon fibre hood, carbon fibre air diffuser, carbon fibre spoiler.. the list goes on. Even the bucket seats were made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic. And the standard battery is swapped out to make place for lithium ion battery, which is supposed to shed an extra 10 KGs off the car. I had no idea that conventional batteries weigh that much.

Upon firing up the car, the 3.6 H6 boxer engine sounded pretty sweet, but somewhat lacking. It doesn't exactly have the kind of vibe that you'd expect to get from a V8, V10 or V12 (the Aston DBS, in this case) supercar. I can live with that. Especially when there are 620 horses & 700 NM at the tip of my toe to play with.

And yes, I wheelspinned out of the dealership onto the main road. I haven't been driving a manual sportscar for quite some time, but I am proud to say that my gearshifts are still as smooth as ever. Or was it because the clutch is so light and the gearchange is just so precise & quick? I took a turn down to the MRR2, not the smoothest of Malaysian roads to test a car like this, but this is the only stretch of road I could think of as I was so excited by the thought of unleashing the beast behind me. 0-256 KM/h in 18.7 seconds, recorded with the on-board chrono. Couldn't go any faster due to traffic, but I was properly satisfied with the power delivery, although the car twitches a little through corners at high speed (common 911 character, rear wheel drive with the weight of the engine at the rear axle). OK, I wasn't only properly satisfied. I was AMAZED with the power delivery. Tagline: Not a muscle too few, not a gram too much. The car felt as if it was rooted down, and the steering was properly weighted to enhance stability and steering feel, common in Porsches (for those who think that the Persona's steering is heavy, think again. Verify this with unknownhammie as he tried turning the steering on my Cayman the other day). Comfort wise, I know I shouldn't expect that much from a car like this, but I had to point out that the bucket seat wasn't really comfortable, and the lateral Gs from hard powerslidings kills my back (we'll get back to the powersliding part later). The suspension was very hard and the 19-inch wheels made it worse, but again, it's all part of the drama.

Let's get to the handling bit. This is what I love most about rear-wheel-drive 911s. The slight hint of oversteer every single time the RS speed through a sharp corner thrills me (Of course, I did this on an empty private carpark) as much as it wanted to kill me. It's a double ended blade that will slit your own throat if you're not taking it seriously. I never thought both the word 'fun' & 'serious' could exist together in a description, but apparently this applies to the GT2 RS. This is definitely not a car for amateurs. The SA wasn't at all happy watching me literally shredding the Michelin Pilot Sport Plus rubber into bits & pieces, but I assured him that I have a potential buyer waiting for my review on the car (which I lied, of course). Yes, I had plenty of fun kicking the RS' tail out through corners, but at the price of heavy concentration and dexterity. I was mentally tired from that session alone. All in all, the crisp handling and power does go together rather well, and comes in handy especially when you're showing off its' abilities, or just in the mood for some 'serious fun'.

The price? The SA wouldn't tell me the exact figures, but hinted that it is nowhere near the GT3 RS' pricetag (around RM 500k more than that). Which could only mean that it'll sit comfortably around or above RM 2 mil. As much as I love the GT2 RS, I'd pass, even if I do have the money to get one. A bungalow with a grey import (nevermind the recond) Aston Martin DBS in the porch sounds more like an ideal life to me.