The 10 Best Porsche RS Models Ever Made!

Intro

Ranking the ten best Porsche RS models might be my most difficult Rennlist assignment yet. I found it like trying to rank the best Avengers. Each one is different, but all have incredible abilities. There are no losers in the list. Every Porsche RS car is extra special. Over the years about a baker’s dozen have been produced and I would be thrilled to put any one of them in my garage.

But what if I was forced to rank the top ten? How would it shake out?

To be clear I am talking about the road-going Porsche models here. The 718 RS 60 Spyder that won at Sebring in 1960 is not included. Nor is the 2008 Boxster RS Spyder special edition. No RSR cars, no ST cars and not even the 911R is included here. RS only.

I also realize that top ten lists are not comprehensive. I had to cap the list at ten which meant making some tough decisions. Excellent cars like the 1992 964 Carrera RS didn’t make the list. (I told you this was difficult.)

What follows is how I would rank the top ten Porsche RS cars today. They are all amazing and if you asked me to re-rank tomorrow, the order might change. But here we go, the ten best Porsche RS models of all time.

10. 2018 911 991.2 GT3 RS

You know you are dealing with a list full of special cars when the 991.2 GT3 RS is ranked last. But again, we are splitting hairs of greatness here. This car is an astounding 24 seconds faster around the Nürburgring Nordschleife than the 991.1 GT3 RS, which was no slouch. Not only that, it beat the time of the 918 Spyder hyper car as well. The sound, the performance, the style, the 991.2 GT3 RS is one of the best Porsche RS cars of all-time for good reason.

9. 2011 911 997 GT2 RS

This car is just bonkers. 620 turbocharged horses controlled by you, a 6-speed manual transmission, and not much else. It is slower around the Nürburgring Nordschleife than the 991.2 GT3 RS but lap times aren’t everything when you are ranking road cars. Even the RS cars. It is about the way they make you feel. At the time it was the most powerful Porsche street car ever made. The engine was derived from the GT1 Le Mans race car. It tops out at 205 mph. It makes 172 horsepower per liter. It weighs just over 3,000 pounds. The price was nearly double what a 911 Turbo of the day would cost you. The car is simply insane in every way imaginable. It is a terrific Porsche RS.

8. 2010 911 997 GT3 RS

Red wheels, flamboyant stickers, what the heck was Porsche doing with the 997.2 GT3 RS? Well, they were building one of the greatest road cars in the world, that is what. You could option your car with a more conservative color scheme, but the mechanicals were the same no matter what. A screaming 450 horsepower 3.8L naturally aspirated flat six sings beautiful music on the way to the 8,500 rpm redline. The crisp shifting 6-speed manual is one of the greatest and you will shift it often so you can keep the engine on song all the time. The car is fast, capable, raw, and exciting.

7. 2022 Cayman GT4 RS

Yes, a non-911 made the list. The Cayman GT4 RS is too brilliant to keep out of the top ten. For years people complained that the Cayman was held back so the performance would not eclipse the iconic 911. Well, here is a 493 horsepower middle finger to that argument. The 4.0L from the 911 GT3 now rests comfortably in the middle of the Cayman. It revs to a spine tingling 9,000 rpm. Around the Nürburgring Nordschleife the GT4 RS was faster than the 991.2 GT3. The GT4 RS also crushed the regular GT4 by nearly 24 seconds around the same circuit. This is the greatest Cayman ever made. And with the switch to electric power coming soon, it may never be topped.  

6. 2024 Boxster Spyder RS

Yes, I ranked the Spyder RS higher than the Cayman GT4 RS. This may send some of you into blind range but hear me out. The Spyder has a slightly softer suspension than the GT4 RS. It is not quite the track weapon that the Cayman is. How can it be ranked higher? Simple. It is an open sports car. Only the very best drivers will be able to extract any extra performance from the GT4 RS compared to the Spyder RS. However, everyone can enjoy that open air experience that the Spyder offers. It is the only open top Porsche RS car ever made, and that makes it just a smidge more special in my eyes.

5. 2022 911 992 GT3 RS

Race car for the street. I know, I hate that term as well. But the 992 GT3 RS has DRS like a Formula One car for Pete’s sake. The frunk is filled with a cooling system. The rear wing is the first production wing on a Porsche to be higher than the roof of the car. At the full downforce setting the car produces the same amount of downforce as the Le Mans 911 GT3 Cup cars. Frankly, this car is a bit ridiculous on anything other than a racetrack. But as a technical achievement the 992 GT3 RS is tough to beat.  

4. 2003 911 996 GT3 RS

This car was never officially sold in the U.S. but that doesn’t make it any less brilliant. In this car you get the 3.6-liter flat-six Mezger engine mated to a six-speed manual. The regular 996 GT3 is great, but the RS takes things to another level. It is essentially a homologated street version of the GT3 RSR race car. The hood and wing are carbon fiber, and the rear window is not glass but polycarbonate. The suspension is adjustable for both rebound and compression. Only 680 of these were ever built. Still not special enough for you? Remember that this was the first car that Andreas Preuninger, the Director of the GT Product Line, was fully responsible for.

3. 2018 911 991.2 GT2 RS

This car was born to smash lap records. The 3.8L flat-six gets help from a couple of turbos and as a result makes 700 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. All that power is directed to the rear wheels via the 7-speed PDK transmission. 0 to 60 is dispatched in just about two and a half seconds. Keep going and the quarter mile is done in 10.3 seconds. Got enough road and bravery and you will hit 211 mph. It took only 6:47.3 to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This is not a refined cruiser that you want to drive across the country. This is a beast that is still among the fastest around any racetrack in the world.

2. 2011 911 997.2 GT3 RS 4.0

I debated this one for a long time. I really wanted to make this the number one RS car of all time. Why is it so good? For starters it is that 493 horsepower naturally aspirated flat-six engine out back. The 4.0L engine shares its block, long-stroke crank, and titanium rods with the racing GT3 R and RSR of the era. It was also the final of the famed Mezger engines ever used. This is a greatest hits RS car. All the best bits are here, the engine, the carbon fiber everywhere, the manual transmission, the fanatical weight reduction, the aerodynamic aids, all combine to make a damn near perfect car.

1. 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7

The RS car that started it all takes the top spot. By a country mile this is the slowest car on the list. But again, it is not always about speed. Even the newest 992 GT3 RS pays homage to this original RS 2.7 in the form of the limited 911 GT3 RS Tribute to Carrera RS model. The Carrera RS 2.7 not only started the RS line, but it played a part in making the 911 the legend that it is today. Porsche needed a competitive 911 race car back in the day. They put wider fenders on the car, and reduced weight by using thinner steel and glass. Stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bars were fitted. The rear suspension saw upgraded control arms. And of course, the 2.4L flat-six was bored out to 2.7L to produce 210 horsepower in a car that weighed just over 2,100 pounds.

It hit 60 mph in less than 6 seconds and topped out over 150 mph. It was one of the quickest road legal cars in the world back in the day. A legend was born and the 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 is the greatest Porsche RS car of all time.