2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Track Drive

You can, with little effort, divide the world's most powerful and exclusive cars into two groups. The first prioritizes the theatrics of speed, like pretty sounds and startup sequences that require flipping a safety lever to thumb the ignition. The second group is all about function. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS falls into the latter.

If you don't have your Porsche decoder ring handy, RS stands for rennsport, or racing. The GT designation follows the DEFCON scale, where seriousness grows as the numbers decrease. Take, for example, the already wicked GT3 RS. It makes 520 horsepower and costs $188,750 (destination included). The GT2 RS? It steps up to 690 hp and a $297,930 base price.

That makes the GT2 RS the most powerful 911 ever. To experience it, Porsche invited us to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, a 2.5-mile racetrack that sits about an hour northeast of Georgia's capital. There we'd drive the very GT2 RS that had just set a new production car lap record at the track.

Why Does It Look Like That?

The GT2's exterior is a study in air management. It's less pretty but more functional. Its array of enlarged vents, scoops and ducts feed air to brakes and heat exchangers. The front splitter and adjustable rear wing sacrifice top speed and acceleration to improve cornering speed. But, when you've got so much power to work with, why not? Porsche still claims 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds and a quarter-mile pass in 10.5 seconds. Top speed? 211 mph.

This particular GT2 in our pictures is outfitted with the Weissach package ($18,000), which utilizes additional lightweight materials, including carbon fiber, for reduced weight. This package also permits the ordering of optional magnesium wheels ($13,000) that reduce weight further. For the price of a nicely equipped Honda CR-V, the GT2 RS' Weissach package and wheels shave off 40 pounds.

Settle in the carbon-fiber bucket seats and you won't find much in the way of adjustment or comfort. There is just electric height and manual sliding. Porsche does make 18-way power-adjusting seats optional, however.

The interior layout is similar to that of lesser 911s. Even the seven-speed PDK transmission's shifter looks normal. Then you notice small details that signal the weight-savings effort, such as carbon-fiber shift paddles and fabric door pulls instead of levers. There's less sound deadening throughout as well, but that's something your ears pick up on after twisting the key to the left of the steering wheel and firing up the flat-six engine sitting behind you.

What's It Like to Drive?

You'd expect the sheer thrust being routed to the rear wheels to stand out first on these initial exploratory laps, but it's actually the steering. The wheel is light and quick, which at first seems odd. The lightness means you don't have to muscle the wheel, enabling smooth and controlled steering adjustments instead. There's minimal kickback, too, so bumping a curb on apex here and there doesn't come with an unwanted steering input. And because you aren't muscling the wheel to keep it straight, there's a significant reduction in driver fatigue. That's a good thing considering the g-forces this car throws at you, which are enough to make your neck sore the following day.

At idle, the twin-turbo 3.8-liter sounds dull but also a little intimidating. Start testing your bravery on the gas pedal and you're rewarded with an otherworldly shove. The seriousness of 690 hp sets in when you shift into fifth gear at full throttle and find that the sense of acceleration is the same as if you were still in second. Only the speedometer is rapidly approaching 155 mph, and there's a big downhill braking zone ahead.

Though the GT2 RS' thrust is immense, it's delivered in a deceivingly smooth rush to the 7,200 rpm redline. You get used to it and trust that the rear tires will accept even more power exiting high-speed turns. But then in the low-speed, second-gear corner leading out to the back straight, the GT2 RS surprises you with power-on oversteer that twists the car sideways. Afterward you think, "Oh duh, 690 hp." And next time you roll on the gas pedal smoothly and make sure the wheel is pointed straight before going to full.

You'll appreciate the 911's traction and stability control systems. Their intervention is seldom noticeable until a slide gets big; a blinking light on the dash is an occasional reminder of their existence. It's also an eye-opening one when it blinks on the approach to 100 mph over a crest.

It's not that the GT2 is traction limited. There are gobs of grip through the wide and super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires (265/35 ZR20 up front, 325/30 ZR21 in the rear). It's most noticeable during the big braking zones when the carbon-ceramic brakes (six-piston calipers and 16.1-inch rotors front; four-piston calipers and 15.4-inch rotors rear) grab hold and keep the car stable as you drop 100 mph from your speed. The brakes and tires do it again and again with zero complaints.

The joy of driving the GT2 RS is that it's up to you, the driver, to mete out its absurd power from corner to corner. Even though it has a bunch of enhancements, including the electronically controlled locking differential, brake-actuated torque vectoring, rear-axle steering, and extra downforce, the driver has to match the RS' capability and keep his or her own impulses in check. Wielding this kind of control is what makes it so satisfying to drive.

Want One? Us, Too

Beyond the performance, the GT2 RS is a special car for Porsche and its customers. It's special enough that when a cargo ship ferrying four new examples caught fire off the coast of France and sunk in March 2019, Porsche announced it would build replacements for the customers. There will be just 1,000 in existence after Porsche is done. Each one is sold.

The GT2 RS also serves as the swan song of the Porsche 911's 991 generation that ends production in the 2019 model year. Considering the performance and satisfaction it provides, it's maybe less of a swan song and more of a victory lap. So maybe the GT2 RS has some theater after all.

Note: While this article features a 2018 model-year 911 GT2 RS, it is identical to the 2019 model.