Porsche GT3 RS to be sold in US!!

Keith Vail · **Posted:** Tue May 30, 2006 5:18 pm

I came across this link on the Car and Driver website. Not sure how many of you know about it. I just know how much I have loved the RS models in the past and they haven't been sold in the US so I am happy even though I can't afford one. :lol:

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/11170/news-porsche-997-911-gt3-rs-to-be-sold-in-us.html

Brian Herring · **Posted:** Tue May 30, 2006 6:20 pm

Keith Vail wrote:

I came across this link on the Car and Driver website. Not sure how many of you know about it. I just know how much I have loved the RS models in the past and they haven't been sold in the US so I am happy even though I can't afford one. :lol:

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/11170/news-porsche-997-911-gt3-rs-to-be-sold-in-us.html

Calling Donnie Barnes... we have found your STi replacement

- dow

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Tue May 30, 2006 6:28 pm

steve remchak · **Posted:** Tue May 30, 2006 10:06 pm

Brian Herring wrote:

Keith Vail wrote:

I came across this link on the Car and Driver website. Not sure how many of you know about it. I just know how much I have loved the RS models in the past and they haven't been sold in the US so I am happy even though I can't afford one.:lol:

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/11170/news-porsche-997-911-gt3-rs-to-be-sold-in-us.html

Calling Donnie Barnes... we have found your "Cayman" replacement ;)

- dow

i am as saddened by that as anybody.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Wed May 31, 2006 1:00 am

Hmm. Perhaps I shall pay a visit to Foreign Cars Italia tomorrow.

--Donnie

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Wed May 31, 2006 11:03 am

That is a lot of money for what is basically a track day car. You could get a decent used Porsche Cup car for that much.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Wed May 31, 2006 9:01 pm

I do not understand, Marcus. If I had a GT3 RS, I'd definitely drive it on the street and I'd do it relatively often. I also believe it would be ASP legal, so....

Stopped by FCI today. They have no info yet other than yesterday's press release, but they hope to know more very soon. They will be in touch.

--Donnie

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Wed May 31, 2006 9:45 pm

I hear you. It seems like they are marketing them as a track day car. I was just thinking it would be better to get a proper race car for that kind of money. Why don't you get an Exige? That would be a better autox car than the GT3.

I picked up the latest Sports Car International(my fav car mag) today. It has a good article on the 07 GT3. It says deliveries will start in August 06.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Wed May 31, 2006 9:58 pm

MarcusMcRae wrote:

I hear you. It seems like they are marketing them as a track day car. I was just thinking it would be better to get a proper race car for that kind of money.

Just depends on what you want. I personally don't want a $100k+ race car. I can have just as much fun in a much less expensive car that ultimately you're just gonna tear up somehow anyway. But for something I might do a track day in and will autocross some and have a lot of fun on the street, this is one hell of a car.

Quote:

Why don't you get an Exige? That would be a better autox car than the GT3.

The Elise is a better autocross car than the Exige. BTDT. The footwell is too small for my size 14's. It's too hard to get in and out of at 6'2". I don't enjoy that big cam hit while trying to drive aggressively. I don't like the build quality (or lack thereof). I could go on...

Quote:

I picked up the latest Sports Car International(my fav car mag) today. It has a good article on the 07 GT3. It says deliveries will start in August 06.

Yeah, but the RS won't come until March of '07, apparently. I was tempted on the GT3, but the GT3 RS put me over the top. 44 pounds lighter yet it has a cage *and* a better suspension. Amazing.

--Donnie

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Wed May 31, 2006 10:14 pm

Size 14's?? We need to sign you up for clown school. :shock:

But seriously, I always wondered about the cost to value ratio with the Elise. 50K+ for a two seat 4 banger. Is the build quality really that bad?

I always loved the appeal of the STi's do it all nature. I can dig the idea of the "one" car.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:44 am

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Yeah, but the RS won't come until March of '07, apparently. I was tempted on the GT3, but the GT3 RS put me over the top. 44 pounds lighter yet it has a cage *and* a better suspension. Amazing.

The most recent "Excellence" magazine (August issue if you can believe that) talks about the GT3 and has a short sidebar about the GT2 and GT3 RS. Supposedly the GT3 RS will NOT have a cage in the US due to DOT issues. Don't know if the factory cage can be easily installed post delivery in a US car.

They did speculate (based upon spy photos showing colors of the cage on otherwise flat black cars) that they may come in cool older Porsche colors such as Signal or Tangerine (orange) or Viper (green). Some may not like the Bling factor of those classic colors (they are bright).

Donnie, if you buy one, you have to take me for a ride.

Keith Vail · **Posted:** Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:31 am

Donnie Barnes wrote:

The footwell is too small for my size 14's. It's too hard to get in and out of at 6'2". I don't enjoy that big cam hit while trying to drive aggressively.

Wow, how do you drive the Miata with size 14's?? I have size 11's and they are a good size but I can't imagine much larger be good in there.

Richard Casto wrote:

The most recent "Excellence" magazine (August issue if you can believe that) talks about the GT3 and has a short sidebar about the GT2 and GT3 RS. Supposedly the GT3 RS will NOT have a cage in the US due to DOT issues. Don't know if the factory cage can be easily installed post delivery in a US car.

They did speculate (based upon spy photos showing colors of the cage on otherwise flat black cars) that they may come in cool older Porsche colors such as Signal or Tangerine (orange) or Viper (green). Some may not like the Bling factor of those classic colors (they are bright).

I am sure FCI could install the cage. I remember being up there at somepoint and they had a 776 GT3 RS sitting on the floor. I asked the salesman about it and he said it was just a GT3 fitted with the RS package that they bought from Porsche.

I hope they make it in Viper. I love the old Carrera in that eye catching green. That is if I am thinking of the same color.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:16 pm

I love my STi. Can't imagine life without something like it, at least.

As for the 14's, I have FAR less trouble with the Miata, Spyder, or anything as I did the Elise. I won't say the foot size doesn't occasionally cause a small hiccup, but in the Elise it was all but impossible for me to heal-toe. Leg length was a problem, too...with the seat all the way back, my right knee was basically touching the steering wheel when in first or second gear. Once past second gear I could swing it off the wheel, but in first or second my hand would hit my knee when steering. Bad. Oh, and I didn't *like* having the seat all the way back as I felt like I had to reach too much for the wheel. But moving it forward just made the leg issues worse.

Too bad about the cage. I'm surprised it's only 44 pounds lighter that way, then. I could have sworn the 996 GT3 RS was lighter than the normal GT3 by that much or more, and that's definitely with a cage in the RS.

As for colors, I might could see myself in Viper Green. Maybe even tangerine as long as they did something reasonable with the wheels (like, oh, not making them tangerine).

--Donnie

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:50 am

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Too bad about the cage. I'm surprised it's only 44 pounds lighter that way, then. I could have sworn the 996 GT3 RS was lighter than the normal GT3 by that much or more, and that's definitely with a cage in the RS.

Donnie, it could be that the weight figures you are getting for the RS are for the RoW car with a cage. I wish I had my copy of Excellence in front of me as it may have had more info (such as weight). I think it did go into what they have done to reduce weight. I think it was much more than the 44 lbs you are hearing.

Patrice Bousquet · **Posted:** Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:29 am

Some info on the car and picture on the Porsche site but no number.

http://www.porsche.com/all/911gt3rs/usa/page1.htm

Orange and black wheel look good.

Patrice

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Porsche GT3 RS to be sold in US!!

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