Porsche 997 GT3 RS – The Last Pure Manual Track 911

It seems the newer generations of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS have been getting all the attention lately and I can understand that. But if you were a car enthusiast during the late 2000’s to the early 2010’s, the 997 generation of the GT3 RS is what would have been in production and I must say, it is probably one of the best manual supercars around at the time.

The 997 generation is an interesting one in the Porsche 911 history. After the controversial 996 generation, the 997 brought back the iconic circular headlights and also put in great performance improvements over the previous model and because of this, the 997 ended up seeing success.

Moving onto the 997 GT3 RS. It was made to be as track focused as possible, being 20 kgs lighter than the GT3 thanks to the carbon fiber rear spoiler and other slight changes for weight reduction. This also made it faster on the track, with the car capable of reaching a top speed of 310 kmph. And on top of all of this, it was offered with the 6-speed manual transmission which gives a pure driving experience.

The 997 GT3 RS was expected to be the last GT3 to have the 6-speed manual transmission with the following 991 generation offering only the PDK dual clutch transmission. However, Porsche realized the high demand for the manual transmission and they eventually brought it back for the facelifted 991 GT3 and the newer GT3 Touring.

However, the 997 GT3 RS remains the last GT3 RS to have the 6-speed manual transmission, which makes it a highly sought after model among Porsche enthusiasts.

The 997 GT3 RS also happens to be a car featured in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and one I’ve driven. I remember admiring the beautiful combination of the “Gray Black” shade with the red wheel rims and accents, which is why I have put the exact combination in the featured photo.

There is something special about 997 generation of the GT3 RS, being a true manual track car and also one of the more iconic 911s that I can think of in recent generations. Don’t get me wrong, the newer generations of the GT3 RS are great in their own way, but the fact is that we simply won’t see anything like the 997 GT3 RS again.