Porsche scored another production-car lap record for its trophy case, announcing Wednesday that a 911 GT2 RS lapped Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in 1 minute, 24.88 seconds. Porsche also unleashed a GT3 RS on the track against the stopwatch, with that car posting an impressive time of 1:26.24 minutes. Both of those times beat out the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which in 2018 lapped Road Atlanta in 1:26.45.
Porsche enlisted racing drivers David Donohue and Randy Pobst to put the two RS cars through their paces at Road Atlanta, but it was ultimately Pobst who posted the two aforementioned times. The cars wore road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 tires and, according to Porsche, had "no non-factory safety modifications fitted." The GT2 RS was equipped with its optional Weissach package, as well as lightweight magnesium wheels, a front-axle lift function and an extended-range fuel tank. The GT3 RS, for its part, was equipped with the extended fuel tank and magnesium wheels. To ensure objective measurement, Porsche asked Racelogic to provide timing, telemetry and in-car video from the record laps.
Both cars had magnesium wheels, but Porsche didn't add any non-factory safety equipment.
PorscheThe Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta lap times only further emphasize the heroic performance of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. In 2017, the car set a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record, with its 6:47.03 time beating out the prior production-car champ, the Lamborghini Huracan Performante. Its twin-turbo 3.8-liter flat-six engine delivers 690 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, enough for Porsche to claim a 0-to-60-mph sprint of just 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph.
Not that the 911 GT3 RS is a slouch either, with the latest model having lapped the 'Ring in 6:56.40. That made it only the third production Porsche to set a sub-7-minute Nordschleife time, joining the aforementioned GT2 RS and the 918 Spyder. In terms of raw specs, the GT3 RS weighs in with 520 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque from its naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine. The sprint to 60 mph is dispatched in a claimed 3 seconds flat and top speed is pegged at 193 mph.
