911 GT3 RS

Make
Porsche
Segment
Coupe

At this point, it's quite peculiar that the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS hasn't yet had an official unveiling. After all, we've seen so much of the hottest 992-generation 911 already, with Porsche hardly making an effort to conceal its design. Following a recent sighting in California, new pictures of what appears to be an entirely naked GT3 RS have been shared on social media. Besides giving us out best look yet at the RS, the new images have revealed two things we haven't seen before: an unexpected brand of tire and new steering wheel controls not present on other 911s.

Whereas the previous GT3 RS was shod with Michelin Cup 2 tires, the new one has clearly visible Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber. Pirelli already has a P Zero Trofeo R tire that is designed for racetrack driving in dry conditions and found on high-performance models like the Audi RS3 and McLaren 620R. The ones on the Porsche are, therefore, likely a bespoke design for use on this 911 alone. We reached out to Pirelli to confirm the new tire compound and will update this story as soon as we hear back from them. Either way, the new 275/35/R20 tires (335/30/R21s at the back) should go some way to helping drivers fully exploit the GT3's talents on the track.

A single spy shot of the interior reveals not only Porsche's feeble attempt to hide the crest logo, but a steering wheel featuring a quartet of circular controls. By contrast, the normal Porsche 911 GT3 has only one of these controls for the drive mode.

As the text on each dial is too small to make out, we assume that the all-new RS provides even more customization of the car's suspension, steering, and other systems via these easily accessible dials. Although the shift lever looks like that of a manual, the RS is expected to come only with the fast dual-clutch automatic. Elsewhere, we can see the analog tachometer exactly where it should be, as well as a yellow 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel of this particular example.

Other than those new tires, the exterior is highlighted by the excessively large wing. The central exhaust outlet lower down should emit a wonderful roar from the expected 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six. We expect the new GT3 RS to have its official release later this year.