30 Oct 06
Much of the bickering surrounding the price is bound up in the disappointment felt over the engine specification. The 3.6-litre water-cooled flat six produces the same 415bhp at 7600rpm and 298lb-ft at 5500rpm, using an identical set of internals to the stock GT3. Then again, if your unimproved motor happens to be one of the very finest engines ever built then the pill is rather easier to swallow. Lest we should forget: we're talking about an engine that will rev to 8400rpm and which contains more exotic substances than P Diddy's teeth.
There is one specific change out back though. The dual-mass flywheel has been changed for a zippier single-mass item - saving a few kilos in the process - which affords a 0.1sec advantage in the meaningless 0-62mph dash, but does allow the engine to accumulate and shed revs faster. Such things matter on the track.
Wheel and tyre sizes remain the same 19s as on the GT3 - eight and a half inches wide at the front and a whole foot wide at the back. These run the same excellent, bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres as the standard car. Just as with the previous 996 GT3 a Plexiglas rear screen replaces the glass one and saves around 3kg. The brake options are exactly the same as the base GT3: 350mm drilled and ventilated steel rotors or 380mm front and 350mm rear ceramic versions. And yes, it is exasperating to learn that your £94,280 doesn't get you the expensive brakes.
Do we really need to know what this car is like to drive on the road? Will anyone ever use one as an everyday road car? Probably not, but the average RS does clock up surprising motorway mileage between track days and some people just like to knock about in the hairiest gear. Both categories will be delighted with this car's on-road behaviour, because it is remarkably civilised. With the dampers set to soft, the ride borders on the comfortable and the carbon bucket seats pinch in all the right areas. In short, it wouldn't take an especially extreme masochist to use one of these on the road.
