Which is the ultimate daily driver, weekend warrior, rally car? The two we are comparing… It’s the Porsche 911 Turbo vs the Porsche 911 GT3RS! I think this is a very important debate in the current events world. War, tariffs, inflation… What we want to know is which car will give you that stupid smile as carve the mountain roads with your buddies! Having owned both these vehicles in many different generations, it seems as if Porsche is the IT car right now. So let’s dive in and talk about which is easier to mod, drive, and the better of the two.
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Just so you don’t get confused that I am another 25 year old, self help guru, offering how to get rich selling Amazon dog frisbee classes, let me explain why I think my experience on this topic matters. My Porsche journey started back in 2005 when I got my first P Car, a 996 Carrera that we later supercharged. I moved to a 996 Turbo, then a 2007 997 Turbo that we built to the max and ran it at Texas Mile in 2011 hitting 206.2mph which was a lot for a stock engine back then. I dabbled with a 997.2 Turbo S that I actually took and did the Targa NewFoundland Rally in. I found myself in a 2012 997.2 GT3RS Gray with red stickers which is one of those WHY DID I SELL IT CARS! Later I was able to actually build and order my first new new PCar which was a 2014 991 Turbo. I made the mistake and played with McLaren but then got my mind right and came back to Porsche getting an ultraviolet 2016 991 GT3RS. After 4 years of ownership I scored an allocation for a 992 GT3 which we built up with cool aero and tried 5 different exhausts on. And now most recently I have a 964. So not to swing the meat, but I would say I am a Porsche Enthusiast!
So lets first talk about the Porsche 911 Turbo. If we were going for a bargain or something under $100K, we would look at the 996 Turbo or 997 Turbo. But since this is a shootout with the GT3RS, lets compare the 991 variant as its still affordable and obtainable where as the 992 Turbo S is near $300K and a 992 GT3RS is pretty much unobtainable.
The Porsche 991 Turbo first came out in 2014 to the USA in a Turbo and Turbo S variant. One had 520 horsepower where the S had 560 horsepower. In 2017 the 991.2 came out with some slight changes to the exterior and a bump in 20 horsepower for both models. These cars you could configure with upgrades such as PCCB ceramic brakes, centerlock wheels, sunroof or no sunroof, and about 3000 different options for stitching and colors. Like all water cooled 911 Turbos, this car is AWD. As tested on our Mustang AWD Dyno, running 91 octane, the 991 TT made 450awhp and 485ft/lbs.
So what is great about the 991 Turbo as a daily driver and a weekend rally car. First off the 991 Turbo is easy to drive. The PDK transmission shifts like no other transmission when you are hammering through the gears in Sport or Sport Plus, or nice and smooth in standard for your stop and go freeway commute. As an option, the 18 way adjustable seats are very comfortable for long road trips but have enough bolster to keep you held tight on the mountain roads. Speaking of mountain roads, the AWD handles insane unlike no other car. Its really hard to mess up in a AWD car.
Where the 991 Turbo shines is in the modification world. With a simple ECU flash, the car can get up to almost 650bhp which is 130hp more than stock. There is no other car you can do an ECU flash to that makes this kind of gain and is still safe and reliable. I mean the 991 GT2RS does have 700bhp stock and its essentially the same engine and car! One of the common upgrades to the 991 Turbo is an exhaust. But even if you straight pipe it, the twin turbo 3.8L machine will never sound like a GT3 cup car. Never ever ever. They are not wired the same. A straight pipe Turbo sounds aggressive as hell when flat out passing you. With its active aero on the front and rear, getting more aggressive styling can be challenging. Since the 991 Turbo and the 991 GT3RS have essentially the same shell, sometimes people will actually do a GT2/GT3 RS style rear wing and GT3RS front bumper to make a 991 Turbo Cup. Which I have to be honest is wild to look at it. If you are hitting 150mph somewhere in mexico, I can see the need for more downforce.
But these cars look mean as hell with some upgraded wheels and being lowered. Although the stock 20″ wheels are light and great with their Michelin or Pirelli tires, its pretty common to upgrade the wheels to a 21×9 and 21×12 setup. The suspension is where the fun can be had for the utlimiate rally car. Having PASM which allows you to change the car from soft to stiff and the push of a button can be further enhanced with coilovers from Bilstein or adding a set of H&R Springs to the stock struts. But in some cases other coilovers such as KW Suspensions really outperform the stock so you can delete PASM and just run these. With a nice ride height and suspension setting, the AWD car can really carve. Other suspension options are things like sway bars to help induce more under or over steer, new toe links, control arms, and bushings.
Getting a 700HP 911 Turbo that looks great, handles great, and is comfortable for all types of use is very easy to do. For a vehicle that sits in the $150K range and you might spend another $25-$30K on upgrades is a good deal. No the doors don’t go up and down or a girl cant scream and call it a Lambo when its a mclaren as to most all Porsches look the same. But you will not find another car as comfortable and road worthy as the 991 Turbo.
But is it the answer…
For about $50K more you can have Porsche’s race car in the box. The Porsche 991 GT3RS is exactly that. Made specifically in 2016 as the 991.1 or 2018-2019 as the 991.2, the GT3RS offers a world of entertainment outside of its roots on the track. For the layman, the Turbo and the GT3RS look the same side by side. They both have funny ducts in the rear fenders and one has a big tall wing. If you come across a non car guy they will say, “That’s a nice 911 Carrera”.
The 991 GT3RS in my opinion is the best damn car you will ever drive. Having owned one for 4 years, I personally put 10000 miles on one driving through some of the most amazing roads in the western USA. But this car has kinda become an “influencer” status symbol which would enrage the purists of the day who got allocations to take these on the track. But why is it so damn good! Well for the the car is rear wheel drive opposed to the the Turbos AWD. This means the car is lighter. Along with other weight saving materials such as a carbon hood, carbon trunk lid, magnesium roof, reduction in sound detonating, this car saves XXXXlbs for the Turbo. The car has Porsche Active Stability Management or PASM suspension giving you the option for hard core track or semi comfortable street. This also includes for the performance. A valved exhaust that can be quiet or loud and 2 settings of Sport Mode. In fact the GT3RS is only available in a PDK because Porsche knows you cant drive it faster with a manual.
Sitting inside the GT3RS compared to the Turbo is identical. Literally they are the same car. One of the big differences would be the seats. 90% of the GT3 and GT3RS have the Sport Carbon Buckets. Which coming from racing seats are not that bad. These save a ton of weight compared to the Turbo reclineable seats. Long drives are not bad at all. You have all the same comforts as the turbo with the infotainment system. Maybe your sound system is not as good as Speaker choices for the RS really were not Porsche’s concerns. But you should be listening to is something else…
The sound of the 520 horsepower GT3RS through its 8000rpm is absolutely insane. And that is just with the stock exhaust. Upgrading the exhaust system not only saves weight but makes this car sound like you are at the Streets of Long Beach watching a Porsche Cup Car race. With a set of full race headers, the sound in my opinion rivals a V12 Lamborghini. Unlike the turbo though, adding power mods are not going to net you a ton of power gains. Full exhaust system you might see about 30 horsepower in the rpm range. The car already has high flow BMC filters, and you can do an ECU flash to actually gain low end power and even faster throttle response. Of course if you want to shoot big flames, something like Pops and Bangs is in order. With mods your GT3RS might be at around 550hp compared to a bolt-on upgraded 991 Turbo with 700 horsepower. However the handling and weight savings of the GT3RS will blow away that straightline power. Through the turns you can push a GT3RS to almost a point you feel unsafe and you still havent pushed it enough.
In the end, if I am looking for the ultimate daily/track/weekend rally car, Im going to go with the GT3RS. The Turbo can get you the horsepower you want, but eitherway you can still get to 150mph really quick. The handling and look of the RS is far superior and what you get for the money is something you can build, but will never out do its pedigree.
So that’s my take on which is the better car to mod and own. What’s your opinion? Leave me a comment below and tell me what you would do.
