2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS's Aero Is So Extreme, Even the Suspension Has Wings
With so many wings 'n things, the newest Porsche 911 GT3 RS looks like it could fly. Before you even think about this über-911-GT3 taking flight, let us assure you, all of those spats, spoilers, flaps, louvers, and so on are there precisely so that this sports car stays firmly planted on planet Earth. They have the added side effect of signaling to the world that you didn't settle—if that's the right word—for the already excellent 911 GT3, itself a track-ready missile that so impressed us we awarded it our 2022 Performance Vehicle of the Year award.
Aero, Dynamics
In what could be the most Germanic understatement of the year, Porsche says "The purposeful look of the new 911 GT3 RS is characterized by the large number of functional aerodynamic elements." Yes, the "purposeful look" Porsche refers to is the eye-popping array of body add-ons that regular GT3s lack and the tallest rear wing ever fitted to a production Porsche vehicle. Like on the base GT3, the RS's rear wing is of the swan-neck variety, in which the supports stretch up and over the plane of the wing, mounting to the horizontal surface from above. Unlike the regular GT3, the RS's wing is taller than the roof, with a hydraulically adjustable upper section.
That adjustable piece works in concert with a race-inspired drag reduction system (DRS), which at the press of a button moves the wings to a lower-drag position to achieve higher straight-line speeds. Conversely, under hard braking, the rear wing can flip up into an air brake position. Porsche has made the various splitters and canards on the nose similarly adjustable, a move made possible by sacrificing the front trunk entirely to a lay-down radiator. Air exits that radiator via a pair of huge holes in the hood, flows over the roof, and is directed to the sides so that the engine air intakes in the rear—remember, 911s are rear-engined!—ingest cooler air.
Along with a larger rear diffuser, those meaty louvers atop each front fender (for evacuating wheel-well pressure), and reworked rear fenders for improved airflow, the 911 GT3 RS is altogether more focused than the already sharp GT3. Downforce in the RS is up big time as a result, three times more than what a "normal" GT3 produces at 124 mph (for a total of over 900 lbs). At 177 mph, the GT3 RS generates 1,895 lbs of downforce.
The Mechanical Stuff
Porsche takes so seriously the GT3 RS's aerodynamics, that it didn't stop at adding those wings all over the body. Its engineers turned their attention to the RS's mechanicals, too, reshaping the suspension links with airfoil-shaped profiles, a move that is said to contribute 88 lbs of downforce at "top track speed" at the front axle alone. According to Porsche, these new links increase the GT3's track width by a mighty 1.14 inches in front.
To help overcome some of that extra aero, the 4.0-liter flat-six engine retains the same one-throttle-body-per-cylinder layout as the non-RS GT3 but receives new camshafts and sees peak horsepower rise from 502 hp to 518. It comes mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with a shorter final-drive ratio than the non-RS GT3 and little air intakes under the body that help cool it. Porsche, always conservative, estimates the GT3 RS is 0.2 second quicker to 60 mph than a 911 GT3; given how we recorded a 2.7-second rip in dual-clutch 911 GT3 last year, figure on the RS being mind-bending. Top speed is said to be 184 mph.
Huge brakes help slow things down, with the front caliper pistons growing a few mm larger in diameter than those on the GT3. The front rotors thicken by 2 mm to 36 mm; step up to the carbon-ceramic brakes, and the rotors grow by 2 mm in diameter up front (410 mm) and 10 mm in back (390 mm). Also, as on the GT3, the RS gets a rear-wheel-steering system, albeit tuned along with the rest of the suspension for sharper response, and drivers can independently adjust the compression and rebound settings for the front and rear via buttons on the dashboard. There also is a rotary drive mode dial for selecting Normal, Sport, and Track modes (with the DRS button in the middle) on the steering wheel.
What a Lightweight!
Porsche says the GT3 RS weighs just 3,268 pounds, thanks mostly to the carbon-fiber door skins, front fenders, roof, hood, and seat shells. Want some of that carbon fiber on fuller display? The available Weissach performance package leaves the carbon naked on the roof, hood, rear wing, and door mirrors; the kit also includes forged magnesium wheels that shave 17.6 pounds of unsprung weight from the car.
Also lightweight? Your wallet, after you buy a 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The car starts at $225,250 (about $60,000 more than a normal GT3) and goes on sale early in 2023. Deliveries begin in the spring, and those with reservations can also choose to pay even more and get a Porsche Design Chronograph watch that incorporates titanium and various nods to the RS's styling.
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It's been a busy recall time for the Blue Oval in the past couple of months. In May, 2020-21 Ford Expeditions were recalled and owners were told to park them outside due to fire risk; Mustang Mach Es were welding their contactors; and Bronco 2.7-liter engines were put under NHTSA investigation. While Ford is correcting the Expedition fire issue, a new fire risk recall is hitting the popular Ford Maverick hybrid just as the lineup is about to expand with an AWD hybrid version. Here's a recap of what's going on with the affected Fords:2020-2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Fire SourceAs mentioned, the 2020-2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator are under recall for a fire risk and, because the SUVs could go up in flames even while parked with the engine off, it was strongly recommended that owners park those vehicles outside, away from garages or structures, until a fix could be performed. Ford has found the cause and it's a common theme of 2021 that continues into the middle of 2022: a supply chain issue. In this case, it's not the lack of a part but because a part was made by a different manufacturer to alleviate the supply issues.According to Ford, it looks to be related to the cooling fan ground wire, relay, and the battery junction box, and the fix mostly depends on what wattage the fan system uses. First, as part of the recall, where there is evidence of melting at the battery junction box, the box is replaced. For the 800-watt cooling fan system, the grounding wire for the cooling fans that leads into the battery junction box is removed. The relay is redundant on the system, so removing the ground wire doesn't render the cooling fans non-operational. The 700-watt cooling fan system is the same except it needs a relay to work, which is why the repair for it uses an auxiliary relay box with a jumper wire to connect to the system.The cause is related to the circuit board of the battery junction box, which was susceptible to a "high-current short" and made by the facility Ford used to offset issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ford, "Printed circuit boards produced at this facility are uniquely susceptible to a high-current short and were supplied to Ford and installed in Expedition and Navigator SUVs produced during the recall window." The parts required for the 700-watt cooling fan system that are part of this recall are supposed to be in dealer hands by "early" September, according to Ford, but the 800-watt system shouldn't require any additional time. Regardless, Ford continues to advise owners of those Expeditions and Navigators to keep these vehicles parked outside until the repair is made.2022 Ford Maverick, 2020-2022 Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair PHEVs and HybridsOn the heels of that fix for the Expedition and Navigator comes word of potential fires in 2020-2022 Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair, and 2022 Ford Maverick models equipped with the 2.5-liter I-4 hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains.According to Ford, via Reuters, in the event of an engine failure, there might be enough oil and fuel vapor accumulated to cause a fire near ignition sources. Unlike the Expedition and Navigator, there isn't a risk while the vehicle is parked and there also is a repair available. The fix uses an "under engine shield" and active grille shutter that dealers will install to prevent this flare up. While this will affect 100,000 vehicles, Ford isn't aware of any accidents, injuries or deaths related to this fire issue.
Once upon a time, from 1995-1999, there was a two-door Chevrolet Tahoe. It was square 'n boxy with its stacked headlights and 1990s Chevy truck demeanor, riding on a GMT400-based platform shared with GM trucks of the era. The Tahoe name came about for the 1995 model year, essentially a rename and relaunch of the simultaneously discontinued full-size Blazer. As in, the death of the big Blazer resulted in the Tahoe. (On the GMC side, the Yukon replaced the full-size Jimmy a little earlier, for 1992.) The Blazer name lived on, of course, but not as a full-size.Interestingly, the debut of the Tahoe for 1995 brought with it the introduction of a four-door version (late availability, though, which is why the four-door Tahoe was eligible to win—which it did—Motor Trend's 1996 Truck of the Year award). That means the Tahoe technically debuted as a two-door 4x4 SUV, which, ironically, only lasted through the 1999 model year. (Yukon lost its two-door in 1997.) The four-door was 11 inches longer and had a wheelbase 6 inches longer than the two-door.In addition to the standard 250 hp 5.7-liter "Vortec 5700" V-8 engine, there was a diesel 6.5-liter "L56" V-8 option. According to our Of The Year writeup, the "torquey 6.5-liter/180-horse turbodiesel V-8 [was] optional in two-door, four-wheel-drive models." Yes, the rare two-door had an ever-rarer diesel option.Fast-forward nearly 30 years, and the Tahoe name persists in the form of a vibrant, technologically-advanced SUV that's as popular now as it ever was. It's pretty easy to spend $75,000 on a new one. That's crazy, but wanna know what's even crazier? It's possible to spend more than half that on one that dates back to the previous century. A pristine two-door 4x4 1999 Chevy Tahoe (with the 5.7-liter, not even the super-rare 6.5-liter) just sold for $42,900 at a Mecum auction in Harrisburg.What could it have been worth new? According to our article: "The two-door, 4x2 Tahoe starts at $22,886, the 4x4 version at $25,136, moving up to the four-door models at $28,264 for the 4x2 and $30,460 for the 4x4. That prices even a heavily optioned Tahoe a few thousand dollars less than a comparable Suburban, and about on par with fully equipped (yet lighter-duty) smaller sport/utes like the Explorer and Grand Cherokee." Our Mecum example, with 86,770 miles on the odometer, sold for much more than new—even if pricing changed a tiny bit for a 1999 versus this 1996 data.Was this $42,900 two-door 1999 Chevy Tahoe Mecum specimen an anomaly, or are two-door Tahoe prices becoming outrageous? Our quick research leads us to think that this is probably the most expensive two-door Tahoe ever sold at Mecum. The handful of four-door Tahoes that have sold for more were much, much newer variants that have special reasons for demanding mega-money. Interestingly, the next-most-expensive two-door Tahoe was a custom slammed red one featured in Truckin Magazine that sold for $38,000 way back in 2014. (Two-door Tahoes, like this Classy Hoe, have been ever-popular in the custom truck world. ) After that, a lifted blue two-door went for $35,000, followed by a pair for $29,700, then a pair at $28,600. We could go on and on, but do we need to? All of these examples outpace what they were new.To be fair, not all two-door Tahoes are worth top dollar; don't go buy one as a sure-fire investment. A bulk of Mecum examples fall into the $10,000 range, with some two-doors even falling under $5,000. A rare diesel variant, which you'd think would demand top dollar no matter what, only went for $11,000.So has the two-door Tahoe turned classic, or did this buyer just throw down a modern man's salary on it for some reason known only to them? Perhaps it's a sentimental vehicle. There's no clear-cut answer. With each year that clicks by, old square-body GM trucks and SUVs become less available and more sought after. Arguably classic, arguably rare (1995-1999), the two-door Tahoe market seems to be taking on a life of its own.
Stellantis, the new brand formed after the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, is on the verge of transforming itself into a technology and mobility company. And the message is coming through loud and clear. Carlos Tavares, CEO of the company, opened his 2022 CES press conference by saying, "We are reimagining the future of mobility for generations to come as we quickly shift to a tech company, providing our customers with safe, sustainable and affordable mobility solutions."While the transformation will take years, the company has already started outlining its plan. Stellantis' global chief technology officer, Ned Curic, told MotorTrend in an interview the work starts by simplifying. Currently, the big automaker has many different platforms it supports, and focusing on a couple will help lead this new transformation."If you look at traditional tech companies, or new technology companies, they don't have many platforms—maybe one, two, or three—but then there's software to differentiate," he said. "What we have to do is to simplify our technology dramatically."Simplifying the hardware and using the software to differentiate its components will be the starting point in the transformation. Along with creating an immersive cabin experience, Stellantis plans to gain customer satisfaction as it starts to roll out the new technology.Partnering with the right people to help a transformation is key in any industry, but particularly in the automotive sector. Stellantis announced a partnership with tech giant Amazon to use its software to bring over the air updates and use Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its cloud-based technology in Stellantis' future vehicles. Curic, who was vice president of Alexa Automotive at Amazon before moving to Stellantis, said both companies have a similar culture, where the customer comes first."My focus is on the simplification and software and Amazon knows really well how to do that, so we learn from them, they learn from us and it's a good marriage," he said. "We learn from them on the software side of the vehicle, because that's where they do exceptionally well."While it's still unclear what kind of product the customer will be seeing from Amazon in Stellantis' cars, Curic said the Uconnect infotainment system will probably evolve into something else, but customers can expect a more diverse experience. One change where Stellantis will focus on is reducing the digital noise in the cabin, meaning smaller cars will not see screens all over the place."We're trying to be digitally quiet but precise in what customers want to do and remove friction. If you want to subscribe to an application in the vehicle, you should be able to acknowledge it with one tap or voice controls," Curic said.The Chrysler brand will see a turnaround in the next few years as it enters a new era to become Stellantis' first technology brand, but that will quickly replicate to the rest of the group. The new cabin experience with Amazon, dubbed STLA SmartCockpit, will arrive in 2024, and will bring artificial intelligence and cloud solutions to the interior.Transforming into a technology mobility company will not be an easy task, but a future roadmap of the products that it will use in the next eight years will be presented by Tavares on March 1, when the company will announce its plan for 2030.
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