GT2 RS vs GT3 RS vs GT4 RS: Which One Should You Actually Buy?

Three 911s, one obsession: the lap time. But the GT2 RS, GT3 RS, and the GT4 RS get there from almost opposite engineering philosophies, and the gap between their approaches says more about Porsche's priorities than any spec sheet does.

Img. Source - Top Gear

Start with the GT2 RS takes the opposite route. Its 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six sends 700 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels alone, making it the most powerful road-going 911 Porsche has ever built. It's faster in a straight line than the GT3 RS and demands more respect at the limit — power compensates for downforce, and the margin for error shrinks accordingly. Porsche pushed that formula further with the 2018 GT2 RS Clubsport, a widened, closed-underside, track-focused build with 691 horsepower and an extensive amount of weight reduction and carbon fiber bits — less a road car with a track mode and more a factory racer that happens to be street-adjacent.

Img. Source - Drive.com

Then we have the GT3 RS. Its 4.0-liter flat-six is naturally aspirated and tops out at 518 horsepower — modest next to its turbocharged sibling. What it lacks in peak power it makes up in everything else: rose-jointed suspension borrowed from motorsport, aggressive aero that generates real downforce at speed, (901LBS at 124mph!) and a curb weight Porsche's engineers fought for ounce by ounce. The payoff shows up on track, not on paper — around a benchmark lap, the GT3 RS has run nearly a full second quicker than the GT2 RS, winning on mechanical grip and downforce rather than brute force.

Line them up and the takeaway isn't which one is "best" — it's that Porsche treats lap time as a problem with more than one right answer. Downforce or power. Compromise or none at all.

Img. Source - Car and Driver

Finally, we have the GT4 RS, the mid engine track weapon sharing the same 4.0L as its bigger brother, the GT3RS. However, the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine produces slightly less horsepower at 493 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque. Paired exclusively with a 7-speed PDK transmission, it launches from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds and hits a top track speed of 196 mph. The 718 Cayman weighs in just under a 100LBS less than the GT3, however, the 0-60 time is still a bit higher at 3.3 seconds. Compared to the GT3's 2.7s time. The GT4 also sports MacPherson Struts front and rear for suspension, and produces 357LBS of downforce at 124mph. 

For anyone who'd rather own a piece of that GT2 RS bloodline than just read about it, BIDR has a 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport edition coming soon, but if you are reading this, you are the first to know that. Keep an eye out for it!