997.2 GT3 RS: The Benchmark
There’s a story to tell at every car,
and not just in terms of nuts and bolts
and numbers. The orange 997.2 GT3
RS is the ver y car in which Preuninger
brought his newly born son home from
the hospital. And the GT3 RS 4.0, which
made its debut in 2011, remains the
GT3’s lodestar, the car that captures
the very essence of what that fabled
badge stands for. “In some ways it’s
still a benchmark,” Preuninger says.
“We try to make improvements with all
our cars but not lose our virtues.”
Favorites and the Future GT3
Although we’re here to talk GT3s, when Preuninger asks me which three cars in this garage I would take
home if I could, the GT2 RS with the Weissach package is at the top of my list. Tales of the legendary
930 Turbo terrifying white-knuckled drivers in the ’70s and my own experience reporting on the 934
and 935 race cars in the ’80s forever embedded in me the idea that the ultimate performance 911 had
a big-horsepower turbomotor and rear-wheel drive. I’d also take the 991-series GT3 Touring with the
six-speed manual, a stealth GT3 I’d happily use as a daily driver. And the third car? It’s the 2021 992 GT3
lurking under wraps at the back of the room. But we can’t tell you more about it for a few months yet.Here it is, hiding in plain sight: the
next Porsche 911 GT3. And we got
a ride-along. We’d love to tell you
more, but you’ll just have to wait.APRIL 2021 MOTORTREND.COM 69