In the 29th season of the British motoring television show Fifth Gear, the one and only Jason Plato drove two very similar yet also different cars on a circuit that Plato knows like the back of his hand. Enter the road-going Porsche 911 GT3 RS and its Cup-specification sibling, which is not meant for public roads.
From a visual standpoint, a non-car person would have a hard time differentiating between these vehicles. Both come with centerlock wheels, and both pack crazy aero for improved high-speed stability and cornering. However, once you notice the racing slicks on the 911 GT3 Cup, it becomes crystal clear that one is a wholly different animal from the other GT3-branded Porker.
Powered by free-breathing sixers with 4.0 liters of displacement to their names, the 911 GT3 RS and 911 GT3 Cup develop in excess of 500 ponies. Fifth Gear lists 525 and 510 horsepower, respectively, although those are metric horsepower. Converting to mechanical gets us 518 horsepower for the GT3 RS and 503 horsepower for the GT3 Cup racecar.
The Cup rocks a sequential transmission with different gearing from that of the road-going car, which is only natural because fuel economy is not as important in a racing application. Because of the more aggressive gearing, Porsche quotes a respectable 175 miles per hour (282 kilometers per hour) as the top speed of the 992-series Cup. The PDK-equipped GT3 RS tops 184 mph (296 kph).
Hopping inside the race-prepped Neunelfer reveals the biggest advantage of the Cup over the GT3 RS, that being curb weight. Tipping the scales at 1,260 kilograms (2,778 pounds), the Cup is noticeably lighter than the 1,450 kilograms (3,197 pounds) of the GT3 RS.
Photo: Fifth Gear on YouTube / edited
That being said, it should come as no surprise that Jason, who is a seasoned racer, lapped the Anglesey circuit in Wales much faster in the Cup. The best time of the racecar was 1 minute and 8 seconds, with the GT3 RS clocking 1 minute and 12 seconds. From said numbers, it appears that Plato used the Anglesey Coastal configuration of the circuit rather than the longer Anglesey International GP setup.
The BAC Mono R currently holds the Coastal lap record for production cars with a 1:06.94 time, whereas the Ferrari SF90 Stradale is listed with a 1:09:99 lap time. Plato barely speaks during his time in the Cup, for the racecar requires more concentration on hitting the braking points, corner entry approach, loud pedal modulation, and all of that jazz.
Be that as it may, Jason could not help but compliment the Weissach Package-equipped 911 GT3 RS for how amazing of a driving experience it offers. Described as beautifully neutral, Plato singles out how good the steering of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is.
It's not exactly affordable, though. Over in the United Kingdom, the Zuffenhausen-based automaker charges 192,600 pounds sterling from the outset. Add £29,600 for the Weissach Package, along with dealers that mark up pre-registered cars with delivery miles, and you'll understand why the no-nonsense GT3 RS isn't a common sight on British roads.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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