With 620 horsepower
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00:00 This is the Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
00:15 The most powerful 911 ever created.
00:18 It has 620 horsepower routed through the rear wheels.
00:39 Compared to a standard 911 turbo, the GT2 RS is 323 pounds lighter, weighing in at just
00:49 3,177 pounds.
00:50 But like all 911s since the beginning of time, for many drivers, it has had one major Achilles
00:55 heel.
00:56 Its engine is cantilevered off the rear end.
01:00 In a world where weight balance is key, having a heavy lump of metal hanging off one end
01:04 could be a recipe for disaster.
01:07 So how has Porsche counteracted this inherent design anomaly, and in doing so created one
01:11 of the most capable supercars on the planet?
01:14 Listen up.
01:15 A basic strategy for taming a rear heavy car is to proportionately match the front and
01:20 rear tire widths to the weight distribution.
01:22 The GT2's engineers have come close.
01:25 Its weight distribution is 38% up front and 62% at the rear, while its ratio of tire width
01:31 is 43% front, 57% rear.
01:35 And given that the Porsche's stern is accommodating both a flat six engine and rear tires almost
01:40 13" wide, there isn't much extra room to spare.
01:44 No wonder then that the GT2's rear suspension is a particularly sophisticated multi-link
01:49 design.
01:51 Despite clever engineering, with all the electronic driving aids turned off, the GT2 RS remains
01:56 one of the trickiest cars on earth to tame.
01:59 Besides an off-center weight balance, it pumps out a massive 620 horsepower to the rear wheels
02:05 from a turbocharged flat six engine.
02:07 Unleash the turbo when the car is in an unsettled corner and you could easily find yourself
02:12 pointing in the wrong direction.
02:14 If you actually know what you're doing however, the GT2 RS is capable of a pace that few cars
02:19 can match.
02:20 So how does all this engineering actually work in a high speed corner?
02:24 To find out, we coned off a high speed corner on one of the runways at the abandoned El
02:28 Toro Air Base in Southern California, and loaded the car with sensors to record every
02:33 little bit of information we could.
02:35 Viewed in normal speed, the GT2 RS appears to breeze through the high speed sweeper without
02:40 breaking a sweat.
02:42 But slow down the action and the science of the Porsche's speed becomes apparent.
02:46 Approaching the corner at 100 miles per hour, the GT2's rear weight bias actually makes
02:51 it one of the best stopping cars in the world.
02:54 Suddenly its static rear weight bias is dynamically redistributed forward.
02:59 With a combination of those giant tires and front brakes that contain discs formerly used
03:03 at the back of the mighty Carrera GT, the Porsche is generating almost 1.1 Gs of deceleration.
03:10 Slowed to about 60 miles per hour, the GT2's turn in speed is critical.
03:14 The car's capability for speed makes it incredibly easy to charge in too fast and
03:19 wind up understeering.
03:21 But hit the speed target right and the tire's thin tread depth makes the nose wonderfully
03:25 responsive.
03:27 As the Porsche begins to attain a slip angle, maybe just 2 degrees, the fat rear tires are
03:32 starting to generate lateral grip and resist that giant engine's desire to keep going
03:36 in a straight line.
03:37 A combination of a rough surface, a slightly fast early rotation rate, and an indelicate
03:42 throttle foot has caused the tail to step out about 5 degrees.
03:46 That's actually in a good grip range for the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, but not
03:50 for the uncomfortable driver who flicks in a dose of countersteer to halt it.
03:56 And now, the trickiest moment of all, applying the engine's enormous power and torque.
04:01 As with braking and turn in, the key here is patience.
04:05 The worst thing to do is to add power too soon.
04:08 And critically, when it is applied, the steering angle must be simultaneously dialed out.
04:14 Finally, we're left with a question.
04:17 Is the GT2's rear engine actually the villain it's portrayed to be?
04:21 In the hands of an experienced 911 racer, the car's peculiarity is sometimes described
04:26 as an advantage.
04:28 Both ends of the car being manipulatable via the throttle and steering wheel.
04:33 And notably, Formula 1 cars, considered the best handling car in the world, have an even
04:38 greater rear weight bias than this Porsche.
04:40 The crucial difference?
04:42 The GT2, unlike a Formula 1 car, must sometimes do its work on bumpy roads, which can all
04:48 too easily disrupt the grip of those big rear tires.
04:52 However, given a smooth road, the GT2 RS is simply one of the fastest cornering cars in
04:58 the world.
05:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:08 (whooshing)