The Porsche 997 GT2RS: Supercar Slayer

A few days ago, I was watching some videos about the new 911 GT2RS, and what a car. With a 3.8 liter twin turbocharged flat 6 making 700 ps (690 hp) and 553 lb/ft of torque, the new GT2RS skyrockets to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds…and it’s rear wheel drive! 100 mph comes in 5.5 seconds and before you know it, you’re bouncing off the rev limiter at an ELECTRONICALLY LIMITED top speed of 211 mph, mindbogglingly fast. That’s just in a straight line with a massive rear wing slowing you down. It’s even faster on the track. The GT2RS has set the Nurburgring lap record twice (6:47.3 and then 6:40.3). However, it’s not all that surprising. It seems that every supercar nowadays has 700+ hp-you can buy a 707 hp Dodge for $50,000. These straight line figures would have been biblical 5 years ago, but now are just a part of the norm. Competitors like the McLaren 720S and the Ferrari 488 Pista can easily give the GT2RS a run for its money, and sometimes even pass it, if conditions are right. We are now at a stalemate in the supercar world, I’m afraid to say it but I think this new generation of supercars are too fast, and they’ve all lost their “zing” compared to their predecessors.

Back in 2011, there were the big 4 that determined the gold standard of what a supercar should be. There was the Ferrari 458 Italia, an emotional, passionate, and strikingly beautiful beast, a classic. Then, there was the Lamborghini Gallardo, the little brother, the Ferrari’s evil all wheel drive twin. Next to the Italians were the British in the then called McLaren MP4-12C, a computer on wheels. The McLaren was the poster child of the future, an engineering masterpiece, stuffed with electronic witchcraft and wizardry. The McLaren wasn’t as loud or as fun as its Italian rivals, but it was no less special in its own regard. And last but not least, zooming past them all, was the Porsche 997 GT2RS, a true monster.

The new 991 GT2RS is no slouch in any way, it can easily keep up with and beat all its rivals, including the big 4. But it was nothing compared to what the 997 GT2RS did back in its heyday. It was only a few days ago that I realized just how fast it really was. Back then, the 458 had 570 hp, the gallardo packed an impressive 552 hp, and the McLaren was pushing an impressive 600 hp. The Porsche however, had 620 hp AND weighed significantly less than all of them. Power came from, a then new, 3.6 liter turbocharged flat 6 engine mated to an old school 6 speed manual which enabled the Porsche to demolish the competition, with twice the fun.

The prime of the 991 GT2RS is living on borrowed time. It’s only a matter of time before Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, or even Porsche themselves make something faster. It is VERY fast, but it’s sadly not an icon. With the 997 however, it’s a completely different story. Not only did it dominate the competition back then, it continues to do so to this day. I was thinking about this a few days ago and decided to do some calculations. From these calculations, I realized that the 997 GT2RS has a lower weight to power ratio than: a Lamborghini Huracan, a Lamborghini Huracan Performante, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Lamborghini Aventador SV, a Ferrari 488 GTB, a McLaren 570 S, and it’s within 0.03 lb/horsepower of a McLaren 650 S. For those of you that don’t know, a lower weight to power ratio means a faster car. In terms of handling, the 997’s 7:18 Nurburgring time is faster than: a Ferrari 488 GTB, a Lamborghini Huracan, a Lamborghini Aventador, the list goes on and on. And the one thing all these cars have in common besides being slower than the 997 GT2RS, they are also ALL newer than it.

Point proven, the 997 GT2RS is a “good old-fashioned beast,” the Space Captain as Porsche calls it. Like the Porsche 959, it was truly ahead of its time. With only 500 of these monsters ever having been made, values are climbing through the stratosphere. If you think about it, it’s kind of a shame how fast supercar technology is progressing due to the fact that beasts like the 997 GT2RS will likely never be seen again.

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