Does the designation “RS” have any relevance in 2008? It sure did in thirty six years ago, when the Porsche Carrera debuted in 2.7-liter renn sport spec to a stunned global audience, and went on to become one of the iconic 911s.

In the early 21st Century, something of an over-regulated police state, is a mil-spec weapon with limits this high is more about profiling and showing off than anything else?

Yes, insofar as the GT3RS just looks so damn badass. It’s the way it is seems almost to be smeared over its huge tires by massive downforce—even sitting still. That ginormous wing. Those slats and splitter. It all adds up to one of the meanest looking machines extant. So mission accomplished if standing out in L.A. or London is all that matters.

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But it also does the business. It rockets to sixty in four seconds dead, tops out at over 190mph. But you in an age when even a Cadillac sedan can do that, there’s gotta be more. And here the RS delivers as well. Take all the basis Porsche goodness, turn volume knob to 11 in terms of sensory overload, and you’ve got the idea. Transcendent ceramic brakes that have incredible bite and a level of modulation that is without peer. Linear, richly detailed steering that talks you through turn-in; shifts in fore-aft loading that signal when to roll on to the minutely adjustable throttle; and a level of tractive ability (thanks in part to a competition-developed traction control logic) that makes the RS a ferocious trackday toy.

So we know it’ll wring you dry on a tight back road, serving up all the clothes-on thrills anyone could possibly handle. What does it loose in terms of touring ability compared to its more pedestrian—if you can say that about any Carrera—stablemates? Thanks to the use of Porsche’s adjustable ‘active’ suspension, the ride is tolerable, though rear tire noise isn’t, at least over porous roads. It has no back seats (not that many can fit in the rear pews of any 911), and is stressful to drive in traffic, what with its ultra-low ground clearance and wide rear haunches.

But that’s the beauty of it; if you want the ultimate ‘all around’ 911, get the regular GT3. The extra work that’s gone into honing the renn sport—things like a single-mass flywheel and titanium con rods that allow an 8400rpm redline, the bespoke Cup tires, the obsessive commitment to mass reduction seen in things like a composite rear window and plastic engine cover—result in a singularly pure driving experience.

Thanks to the breadth of the Carrera lineup, something as organic and pure as the GT3RS can be built and offered up to a couple hundred lucky individuals, many of whom will want to feel like they’ve turned a new lap record at Spa—even if they never venture beyond 7/10ths—and are willing to spend for the privilege. For the rest of us, the RS model sets the standard for driver involvement and feedback, which is no small feat.

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