After a series of exhaustive evaluations that pitted the best cars released last year, the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS has emerged triumphant as EVO Car of the Year 2023. The victory solidifies the model’s status as a performance icon and a true standout in a highly competitive field.
The EVO Car of the Year award handed by EVO — a UK automotive publication dedicated to performance cars — is renowned for recognizing vehicles that excel in handling, innovation, and overall driving experience. In selecting the Car of the Year winner, the experts at EVO gather what they consider as the best cars released within the past 12 months, and repeatedly drive these until they narrow the field to nine contenders. Finally, the seven-member EVO jury assigns each of the nine contenders a score, and the winner is determined by which one receives the highest.
“This isn’t a conventional group test. Neither is there any circuit work or lap timing done. Instead, this is all about how the cars make us feel when we drive them, and how successfully they nail their original design briefs in their specific niches. Remember, there are no bad cars in the field. But there is only one that is named EVO Car of the Year,” EVO editor Adam Towler explained.
The EVO judges added they were already aware that the Porsche 911 GT3 RS’s capabilities have set new standards on the track. Yet they were still “astounded” by its performance over wet and twisty roads, citing the sports car’s ability to be tuned on the fly and the “genuine magical work in the way it appears to have very little in the way of wheel travel, yet could cope with any bump or ridge.” This, the evaluators said, generated sheer confidence from them.
Combining a naturally aspirated engine with a lightweight structure and track-focused cooling and aerodynamic systems, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is directly linked to the 911 GT3 R racecar. Powering it is a 4.0-liter engine outputting 525 horsepower, thanks to new camshafts with modified profiles, and motorsports-derived single-throttle intake system and rigid valve drive. Matched to the engine is a seven-speed PDK with a shorter gear ratio. These let the model accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, and to reach a top speed of 296 km/h in seventh gear.
Contributing to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS’s performance are advanced aerodynamic features. Chief among these are continuously adjustable elements in the front wing and on the two-part rear wing, which generate twice the downforce compared to the previous model. The swan neck-supported rear wing is made up of a fixed main wing and another hydraulically adjustable one. A front splitter divides the air flowing over and underneath the car while side blades direct air outward.