The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Dressed Up as the Original 911 Carrera RS for Monterey Car Week
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a tribute to the original, to the iconic 1972 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7.Photo: Porsche
Porsche is debuting a modern interpretation of the first 911 Carrera RS at this year’s Monterey Car Week and showcasing what 50 years of development can achieve. Now, with the recent release of the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the 1972 911 Carrera RS 2.7, Porsche is honoring the “Ducktail” with a new show car clad in white and Python Green.
The new 911 GT3 RS nodding to the original 911 Carrera RS was custom-built by the carmaker’s GT Model Line and Style Porsche, but the finished car was so stylish Porsche decided to make something similar available to buyers with the U.S. exclusive “Tribute to Carrera RS” package. No word on price yet.
Photo: Porsche
President of Porsche Cars North America Kjell Gruner said, “So many of us idolized the original 1972 car. We want to create a special experience that combines exclusive options on the new GT3 RS with a one-of-a-kind list of accompanying items.”
Just what those accompanying items are exactly is unclear, but it’s probably mostly an appearance package. In any case, it’s not like the new 911 GT3 RS is wanting for performance. The 911 RS has certainly come a long way in 50 years.
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In 1972, the homologation special 911 Carrera RS 2.7 was Germany’s fastest sports car, with its raucous air-cooled flat-six engine making around 207 horsepower and 188 lb-ft of torque. German car magazine Auto, Motor und Sport claimed it was the first production car that could sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.
And, of course, it was stylish as hell. It featured side and rear side-swept graphics in bold colors and an iconic aerodynamic add-on for stability and reduced drag, the ducktail.
Photo: Porsche
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS tribute model matches the energy of the original with non-metallic white paint and color-matched air intakes. It wears its model name along the sides and rear in Python Green graphics, and the bold color is splashed onto the wheels as well. I’m usually a strict five-spoke fan, but this tribute 911 shows that modern wheels can look good! All it takes is some color.
The tribute car’s taillights and third brake light omit the red accents of the production 911 GT3 RS to highlight its green-on-white livery, and the headlights have a white pinstripe that’s only available on the Tribute to Carrera RS package.
Photo: Porsche
Where the modern tribute car differs from its predecessor is in the appearance of the wing, but the goal is still the same. The active aerodynamics of the GT3 RS wing will reposition on command, acting as an air brake to cut drag and increase downforce for a total of over 900 pounds at 124 mph, or 1,895 pounds at 177 mph.
To propel the most extreme 911 yet, there’s a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine making 518 HP and 342 lb-ft of torque mated to a seven-speed PDK automatic transmission, exclusively. No manual. The power bump over the 2023 911 GT3 (non-RS) is small, but the RS has always been more about aero, anyway. With this tribute model, it’s as much about style, too.
Photo: Porsche
