Two Porsche 911s with big wings and stickers. You call that progress?

Don’t judge a car by its decal package, young Padawan. Admittedly, the Top Trumps cards don’t make for progressive reading. See, the 2010 997.2 Generation GT3 RS possesses a 3.8-litre flat-six with 444bhp that revs to 8,500rpm. The 2022 equivalent, the 992 GT3 RS, has a 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six revving to 9,000rpm and produces 518bhp. The newer car is also nearly 100kg heavier. So, not much progress you’d think. But you’d be wrong. In the 12-year gap between these two RSs Porsche has managed to carve 44 seconds out of a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time. Which is a lifetime in Ring speak and sensational progress. 

Point taken. But how’s it got so much faster?

Well, they both stick steadfastly to the Porsche GT Division’s rulebook of using motorsport as the guiding light for hardcore road cars; with RS’ being harder and faster versions of the already hard and fast GT3s. The 997 arrived on the scene with standard centre-lock wheels, track-ready aero package, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, carbon brakes and the decals. The 992 has all of those things, it’s just been refined, honed and a made a hell of a lot more complicated. Especially when it comes to the aero department. You might have noticed the wing (hard to…