What better way to compare these two cutting cheeses than driving them to my favorite proving ground, the Top Gear Test Track? After my failed attempt to break the real-world record the 911 GT2 RS set at the Nurburgring yesterday, I think it will be the ideal time for me to take a stroll around the Top Gear track with the new king of Porsches while comparing against the old 911 GT2 RS to see how much it evolved since I first encounter it a few years ago.
When I tried my luck around the Nurburgring with the new 911 GT2 RS, this car unravels the balance between the things that are right with the things that are wrong. Sure, it's got that power steering that effing me out like wrestling a grizzly bear and the seven-speed PDK which remains a disdain among purists everywhere so it's not what you called a purist's 911 but with all that power, all that motorsport knowhow, and all the best bits from this generation, it comes full circle and it starting to become the king of 911s as I know it.
However, in terms of fun factor, I'm starting to think that the old, 997-spec GT2 RS is more fun to drive than the new 991.2-spec GT2 RS because like most purists, it has some character, some soul, and the rush that flows into your veins every time you drive it on the road and on the track. I know that this old GT2 RS has its faults such as the turbocharged engine's incapability to sustain high temperatures, a fault the new one resolved thanks to its additional cooling system, but when it comes to having fun, it still minces the new one in every single way because even though both these models are real drivers' cars, the 997-spec GT2 RS remains an all-time great and a real collectors item that will fetch a high price when it was auctioned in a couple of years.
Okay, enough with the sentimental steps because let's see how much the 911 GT2 RS evolved with a quick lap round the Top Gear Track. This will be the battle between the past and the present and an ideal opportunity to see if Porsche really pulled it off when it comes to create the 911 to end all 911s. Of course, both of these cars crushed the records of their hypercar siblings at the Nurburgring but right here, it's a different story because while these two machines have the potential to outclass their lesser siblings' lap times, it's the evolution that matters and it's time to get the film rolling to see if the 911 GT2 RS has grown from hypercar slayer to Nurburgring slayer, a feat that I failed to achieve yesterday.
And now the results...
997 GT2 RS - 1:17.495
991.2 GT2 RS - 1:15.989
Well, both of these cars barely beaten the lesser siblings' lap time set at the track in real life but in the end, despite being heavier than its predecessor and lacks the enjoyment from it, the 991.2 GT2 RS really has evolved. Guess what, if Top Gear's back, Mr. Chris Harris will have his word on this and I predict that this will be the fastest round the track, faster than the McLaren 675LT, so I have high hopes with it.
So, now that I have proof that the new model did evolved from the previous model, there's still more work to be done with the hero car because next time, I want to compare the new 911 GT2 RS against the world's best and this is going to be a continental clash of the titans. This is going to be epic, I can tell.
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