Surprise US debut for new Porsche 911 GT2 RS

By topgear ,

Porsche 911 GT2 RS 2017 3

Ladies and gentlemen, the most powerful Porsche 911 ever built has been unveiled… at a gaming event in California. Meet the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

Yup, a gaming event. Not at a motor show, nor at a race or similar event, but presented instead in front of an audience at the highly anticipated E3 expo in Los Angeles. Dan Greenawalt, Forza’s creative director, introduced the mad, bad, bewinged Porsche on stage: “For the first time in history, a flagship supercar is making its world debut here, at E3, in front of you.”

Porsche 911 GT2 RS 2017 2

The reasoning is simple: the GT2 RS is one of the headline acts in the upcoming Forza Motorsport 7. “It’s a monster,” Dan said of the GT2.

That, it most certainly is. Barely a week has passed since TopGear.com.my got a passenger ride in a prototype 911 GT2 RS, and this is our first look at the final car. At the time, Porsche told us that its most powerful 911 will get in excess of 650bhp and 750Nm of torque.

The engine is a tweaked one from the 911 Turbo S – hardly a car you’d consider in need of a boost – and gets such things like water injection cooling, new internals, unique turbos and plenty more.

It’s also rear-drive only, so only the finest Rohrl-smiths need apply. For the first time, you can spot all the motorsport-inspired addenda: the huge front splitter, exposed carbon fibre and huge rear wing. Oh, and the bonnet ducts.

Porsche 911 GT2 RS 2017 1

Performance? Final specs have yet to be finalised, but expect a 0-100kph time of under three seconds, 0-200kph comfortably under nine, and a top speed in excess of 340kph.

Click here for our first ride in the GT2 RS, and start practising your oversteer correction now…