(Fri 21 Aug 09)

The 911 GT3 RS is the latest in a long series series of Porsches - dating back to the Carrera RS 2.7 of 1973 - whose main function is to provide the basis for race cars. You'd therefore expect it to be quite a hardcore machine, and indeed it is. Its 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine is basically the same as that found in the "standard" GT3, but uprated to produce 450bhp, while the gearing in the six-speed manual transmission has been lowered to improve acceleration.

The body of the RS has had to be widened to accommodate the huge wheels (9" wide at the front, 12" wide at the rear, 19" in diameter in both cases) and it also features a very substantial carbonfibre rear wing. Less visible but more remarkable technically are the engine mounts, which increase in stiffness during hard driving to resist movement of the drivetrain within the bodyshell.

Porsche has confirmed that the 911 GT3 RS will go on sale in the UK next February, priced at £100,760, or nearly £20,000 more than the standard car.

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