callipygian 911

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but the Dutch Autoblog channel has subtitled their review of the 993 RS. Last time I watched it, I believe it lacked subs. Click on the "CC" icon in the lower right-hand corner to toggle the subtitles on and off.

Enjoy!

kreeshp

Repost. Closed captioning available in the version originally posted if you click on CC.
https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...rs-review.html

Eurotrio

Now that was good!

callipygian 911

Dangit! I guess I didn't search well enough. My bad!

ilko

Cool video!

lopro

yep, well worth a second watch. Boy I love me a Carrera rs

Top-Gun

What's different about the exhaust on an RS? That thing sounds perfect in that video.

esses

well done

callipygian 911

Below is a link to the translated article from the website the reviewer mentions in the video. The translation is through google translate and is not perfect, but you get the gist. I've also pasted the translated text below that with some slight tweaks to make it more readable ...

http://translate.google.com/translat...724&edit-text=

Today, Porsches with "RS" label are of the type soft enough for your mother to do her shopping list on Sunday but it was not so long ago that it was very different. Mid-nineties was the addition Renn Sport the name meant even more than that: the Porsche 993 Carrera RS is in fact no ***** to be handled without kitgloves. After your enthusiastic comments on this article, I decided to try just that.

When of terms like "****" was thrown in the comments, we decided that it was necessary. Therefore once again drove along Since there are only 1050 copies of the Porsche 993 Carrera RS are built, and only three of them on Dutch plates are supplied by Porsche, you might think that was a pretty ambitious idea. However, Autoblog would not be ambitious if we did not get it done. And so it happened: on a cold December morning, I swivel around idling Porsche 993 Carrera RS on the site of Porsche Centrum Gelderland, who wanted to put this car at our disposal. Apparently was the first owner of this car played it safe because instead of a nice Riviera Blue, Speed Yellow ​​or Guards Red this car is simply Black. It is so far the only downside I can find. The gorgeous three-piece aluminum wheels, beautiful wide hips and slightly more aggressive front bumper set the car off. The big spoiler on the *** would perhaps cause you to confuse it with the 993 Turbo but he's really different, something sleeker and lower.

Let me admit it: I'm a little bit nervous. The details of these cars vary considerably from source you consult, and to find the right source for our video I came across a number of driving tests (online) magazines against. Although the RS 993 is often hailed as the ultimate and final air-cooled Porsche 911 (after the 993 came 996 water-cooled boxer), there are also reports of, well, let's say, near-death experiences. With all the stuff behind the lightweight sports seats and under the monkey bars (in the place of the removed rear) are tucked away I decide to quietly begin. I always begin slowly with an unfamiliar car, but the Renn Sport does not let me. It's a pretty tough and sporty clutch so I ride with more speed than normal, so far no problem. Down into second, but at 2000 rpm at half throttle the RS starts bucking and bouncing. Here the lady is not amused. Back to first gear, a little longer and make sure you are above 2500 rpm before the next gear switch solves this happily, but you still need the gas smooth not shatter. This is not a car for a quiet drive on Sunday, that's already clear to me in the first hundred meters.

This custom gearbox (the first three opposing adapted for sporty driving) and clutch were the RS 993 for the first time at the VarioRam block attached. The old familiar 3.6 of the regular Carrera was replaced by a 3.8, though we have to take that name with a grain of marketing salt. The engine capacity is 3746 cc and so should actually be called 3.7. The block is therefore good for 301 hp at 6500 rpm and a torque of 355 Nm at 5400 rpm. Not crazy in a car that weighs only 1238 kg. That weight was 50 kilograms less than a standard Carrera, the RS also thanks to the removal of the rear seats, headlight washers, airbags and radio and through the installation of lighter elements such as a lid of aluminum, cardboard door panels, lightweight seats and thinner glass. The RS was stripped of almost all soundproofing. If you've ordered the thing as "Clubsport" then there was a total of even a hundred pounds of weight savings as well as the air conditioning (this 993 RS as normal still) it were defeated in the battle against the weight-loss business.

The Carrera RS is four inches lower compared to a regular Carrera and considerably stiffer. Although I was expecting my first fillings to be lost pretty quickly, it occurs to me after the first few kilometers how damn fast the car is. However, the direct response to all of your inputs is astounding. With the current trend of electronic power steering you could almost forget that it can be like it is in this car: you feel every pebble-every autumn leaf-under the front wheels and sending in a curve with amazing ease and addictive precision. Gradually increase the pace a bit and after each turn, the needle of the tachometer little further towards the red. The six-cylinder boxer rumble and powertrain filling time and again the cabin, not hindered by any form of insulation. What I'm saying is this is awfully nice!

In five seconds to one hundred and a top speed of 277 kilometers per hour is not otherworldly fast, but it's especially the way this car delivers its power that makes it so impressive. To use a free interpretation of a recent hit song: Gas, revs, shift, repeat. This thing just keeps pushing and keeps going as long as you hold the needle above 3000 rpm. And you do, because underneath the car drives as previously reported not very comfortably. With the growing confidence also come later and later braking points. Porsche decided that this car needed the brakes from a 993 Turbo, despite the fact that the Carrera RS 150 hp is less in the ***, does indicate the potential for speed. If you're braking really hard, you notice that the train which goes to seek, but not really scary. Then you just have to watch carefully.

Besides the fact that I'm pretty addicted, I'll start touching on all the sounds, smells and other impressions that this car makes on me, I must confess that I am reminded of the ghost stories that circulate about this car some may have experienced, especially since it's damp, cold and here and there are wet leaves on the road. Not necessarily the best possible combination, especially with the wide slices in the used summer tires, so I stay on track. Bear out why I'm still using these policies on the throttle because the last thing I feel like, though I'm not long married, the nickname "widow maker" of the ancestors of the 993 could be put into practice. We find a few very slow bends with some high vantage views and Martin the cameraman wants to take some shots here for the video. After two drive bys, I decide not low in second gear but higher in first gear to drive past the bend so slowly that the sound seems better to me as said higher revs and with scenic drive this car makes a more pleasant impression. I turn in, come to the middle of the bend and give it throttle. Almost immediately I feel something slip on the rear wheels, where I don't have traction. On the edge of the grip, it's easy enough to catch, but it's a good reminder that this is a car that can surprise you if you do not stay awake. Utmost concentration is required at what sometimes seem to be the simplest actions.

It was a beautiful day with the 993 RS. Often enough it is my conclusion after driving modern, fast cars that they also have nice quiet ride suitable for everyday use. That is of course very nice as a selling point, especially for a brand like Porsche, it is a terribly good benefit. This car perfectly illustrates the difference between the Porsche mid-nineties and the Porsche now. Porsche was experiencing a rough time back then, and it was in part due to sports cars like these: uncompromising car sales happen less than everybody might think. Therefore we see Porsche (and a lot of other sporting brands) that the focus has shifted to cars that are still very fast but can be driven by almost anyone. There are just a few more cars that require the utmost of your attention, including an above average concentration. Cars that can be used by very experienced and talented drivers only. Driven to the extreme The choice that makes for the romantics (and I admit that I'm one of them) who may not like it but must understand: cars that are above average, often end up wrapped around a lamppost or tree, are not a good advertisement for your brand.

Should you find yourself among the very talented or are like me-you may become very lustful for this car. And if you have the whole misguided feeling that you'll be able to tame the beast with enough practice: the Porsche 993 Carrera RS is scarce and expensive. The cheapest in Germany must yield a small one and a half tons, a good copy goes so quickly towards the € 200,000. Moreover, the prices have shot up in recent years, because seven years back they exchanged still well below the original price. Please note when purchasing as many of the RS's as track cars and therefore have a "colorful" past. Also, there were many imitations on the market, something which is partly due to the fact that the car in America has never had a type, and there so many normal Carrera were converted to RS-like.

After every car I drive I actually always ask myself the same question: Would I want to own this? The answer is yes. It would be very, very welcome, but I think it's also very reassuring for the people who love me that I will never be able to afford one. And to think that the 911 2.7 RS of the early seventies still seems to be even more dangerous, perhaps we should go and give it a try?

lopro

Cams and Cans

clubsport1

Interesting take on the car..

The first time I drove one I was slightly disappointed, it didn't really live up to the hype at all.

I honestly feel it takes quite a while to truly appreciate what the RS is about, which I don't think you can truly grasp in a short test drive review.
It literally took weeks to appreciate and a few months for the RS to work it's magic on me.

I wasn't sure about the tone of fear from the reviewer, in terms of "buzz" the RS is like a quality single malt, with the RS-CS more like absinthe !

jdistefa

callipygian 911

clubsport1: just so you know, all this isn't in response to your comment, but it served as a springboard for me to work through some ideas I've been ruminating on ...

I would love it if you expanded a bit on the magic the RS worked on you. But you make a fine point: it's funny how much weight is given to the opinions of automotive journalists who, quite often, are required to make bold claims after only an hour or two with a car. I love reading and watching car reviews and I tend to just trust what these guys say most of the time without questioning it (I particularly enjoy reviews from Car & Driver, Evo, Top Gear, Chris Harris on Drive, and Jalopnik). Their delivery is slick, the shots are beautiful, the editing is tight: of course I trust what they are saying. Lately, though, I've been re-reading many of the original 993 reviews in my Gold Portfolio article collection, and I noticed that some observations don't quite ring true to my ears as an owner of a 993. It's got me thinking: oftentimes professional reviewers are talking directly out their keester.

I've never had the pleasure of driving a factory 993 RS, but I agree that the pervasive tone of fear throughout the review is curious. Heck, it's the overall theme of the piece. But why?

I think this has to do with two things. First, successful journalists are required to add punch and drama to their reviews, a need that can give rise to embellishment and perhaps, as in this case, more than a little exageration. He plays up how dangerous the 993 RS is in order to create drama in his writing, certainly capitalizing on the car's mystique and rarity. But, the way this revelation is described makes me question how much emphasis he's giving to the car's quality of danger: the guy was buzzing the engine in 1st around a corner and the rear end broke loose ... WHOA! WHAT HAPPENED? Seriously, this shouldn't surprise anyone in the automotive journalism industry.

Second, there is a certain legitamacy to the idea that any car with an extremely favorable power-to-weight ratio demands one's full attention and respect. Doubly so if someone isn't used to driving cars with the weight of the engine slung out back behind the rear wheels, as may be the case with this reviewer (?). Although Porsche has consistently dialed down snap-oversteer through successive generations, beginning with wider tires and the rear kinematic toe in our 993s, the fact is that even the 997s and 991s will swing round tail first in an uncontrolled slide given sloppy inputs (as evidenced throughout this super-fun Swiss hill-climb video below).

Mid-engine cars, such as the 550 Spyder or the Cayman, tend to be more forgiving near the limit, but once they start to spin round, good luck recovering. Relative to the mid-engine cars, 911s have a tremendous traction advantage when it comes to throttle steering once the limit of grip has been breached. This is described beautifully in the next post, where I quote some of my favorite bits from Vic Elford in his excellent "Porsche High-performance Driving Handbook." If you don't already own this book, by the way, you should. It's one of the best.

callipygian 911

In a front engine/rear transaxle car the pivot point is right in the middle, but the mass at each end makes the rotation very predictable and controllable.

With a midengine car, the pivot point is again right in the middle, but the lack of weight at each end means that it can rotate very quickly.

Finally, the rear-engine car, which today means quite simply the 911, has its pivot point more or less on the center line of the front wheels. So much weight at the rear causes a pendulum effect as the car rotates and can create problems for inexperienced drivers. As there is so much mass to get moving, it starts off almost imperceptibly and slowly builds up as the momentum increases. Drivers who get into trouble with a 911 usually do so because they have not developed a sufficient sense of balance and feel for what is happening. The first moment when the pendulum starts to swing goes unnoticed and by the time the driver realizes it is under way it has accelerated to such a point that it is too late to control it.

Now you can see the need for balance and smoothness. The instant the rear of a 911 starts to move it must be controlled. During over twenty years of teaching high-performance driving, I have noticed that virtually every single person I have taught--even those who have had some competition experience--start with one basic fault. They are simply unaware that the car will accept rapid steering or other inputs. Often it is because they simply are not sufficiently "at one" with the car to feel its balance and are afraid that a rapid movement will upset the equilibrium.

Wrong.

... later in Chapter 11, Vic describes how he learned to exploit the unique balance of the rear-engined 911 to out-drive pretty much everything but a Renault Alpine A110 ...

The first time I saw this technique used was in the Chartreuse mountains in France, doing tire tests for the Monte Carlo Rally at night. It was in my early days driving for Ford, and I was due to drive a Cortina GT in the rally. Ford had also entered three monstrous American Ford Galaxies, one of which would be driven by one of the great Swedish exponents of winter driving at that time, Bo Ljungfeld. Having heard about the legendary ability of the Scandinavians on ice and snow, I volunteered to ride with Bo as I hoped to learn something from him. He knew by heart the few miles of road we were using, up one side of the mountain and down the other, so there was no need to read "pace notes;" I could just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment was somewhat limited, as I had never been so frightened in my life! Going up was not too bad, although the speed at which Bo approached and took the corners left me breathless. Once over the top and on the way down to the first series of corners, I was honestly convinced that he had suffered some sort of attack and was about to take the car and its occupants to oblivion. But after a few corners taken as above, I started to relax a little, realizing that he did, in fact, know exactly what he was doing, even in the big unwieldy Ford.

I spent the next couple of years learning to drive like that on slippery surfaces so that when the opportunity came to exploit the possibilities of the Porsche 911, I was ready for it.

I mentioned earlier that the 911 has an evil reputation for its handling ability on slippery surfaces. But this reputation is entirely undeserved.

The Porsche 911 is the best handling two-wheel drive car in the world on slippery surfaces, providing it has the right tires. Because the pivot point is so far forward, you can literally steer it with the throttle, but as I said in chapter 2, you have to move and react very quickly so as to always keep the rear end under control.

Neither steering from the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions nor shuffle steering works in these conditions, because neither is fast enough. You have to literally spin the wheel with one hand, then catch it and stop it with the other at the right moment.

In the cornering situation described above, one of the reasons the Porsche 911 is so good is because there is so much weight over the rear wheels, giving it a great pendulum effect and tremendous traction when it is time to apply the power.

The only other car capable of challenging the 911 was the Renault Alpine A110, but the Alpine was small and had few of the creature comforts of the Porsche. It was strictly a sports car whose primary function in life was competition, whereas the Porsche was built as a fast, comfortable, long-distance Grand Touring car for two with all their luggage.

...

Once you understand the principle and have mastered the technique, you can use this skill to adjust the angle of the car even when the corner opens or tightens.

(end quote)

callipygian 911

This classic article from AutoWeek by Paul Gentilozzi also illustrates the unique character of a rear-engined sports car versus the more traditionally set up mid or front-engine variety:

Ready for the rocking chair?
You can drive a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup like it was a Trans-Am racer, but you won't win that way
BY PAUL GENTILOZZI
HOCKENHEIM PRO-AM
• Professional fast guy Paul Gentilozzi tests the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car

Here's the deal. You're flat on the gas down the pit straight at Hockenheim, approaching 150 mph. When you get to the "2" marker before the Nordkurve, hard on the brakes, you downshift from fifth through second. You feel the front end hunting while the ABS selects the best loading as you turn toward the apex, then you roll off the brake to the throttle and upshift to third just as you cross the outside curbing at the exit. That's how we do it, isn't it?

If you're driving a 2001 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup using that technique-a technique I've used for 20 years in sedan racing in the United States-you're going to be near the back of the Porsche Pirelli Supercup field. How do I know this? I've been there.

When I went to Indianapolis last year to do the Porsche Pirelli Supercup race during the Formula One weekend, there was no coaching of any kind. Like Al Unser Jr., Mario Andretti and all of the other Porsche neophytes participating, I drove like I knew how. But after five laps around Hockenheim with former World Rally champion Walter Roehrl it became painfully evident that the required technique for Supercup driving is much different from what I'm accustomed to.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a real race car, but it's a race car with the engine behind the transaxle. Its polar moment and weight bias don't match the 50-50 norm we're accustomed to in Trans-Am; moreover, it changes all intuitive driving techniques for front- or mid-engine race cars. The 911 GT3 Cup requires a special finesse that starts when you pick that brake point at the end of a straightaway. Being the last guy to brake for the corner makes you the first victim. The rear weight bias inherent in all 911-type Porsches becomes an enemy.

I noticed Walter was two car-lengths earlier with his braking than I had been during my reconnaissance lap, but four car-lengths earlier on his throttle application. The key to driving the 911 GT3 quickly is initiating acceleration as early as possible after brake application. Think of it as a rocking chair. If you lean too far forward, the weight is on the front of the legs and you have very little control or balance if you leaned the chair laterally. If you just roll a little bit back in the rocking motion, you have the weight centered. Lateral balance and stability are much better.
We can't do anything about the rear weight prejudice in the 911. Early throttle application means longitudinal acceleration to help propel the car forward without the inertia at the back of the car trying to pass the front in a lateral sweep.

For you Porsche owners who have hustled your cars around the streets or a racetrack, this probably seems basic. Yet to the uninitiated, it's a 100-watt bulb shedding light on the dark mystery of driving Porsches fast. Once adapted to the style, you can really enjoy the 911 GT3. With Walter's driving lesson, and a little mental discipline, I almost forgot where the engine was. The 911 GT3 Cup became a well-balanced, pleasurable race car.

I drove the car hard on the brakes and the gas, using all of the engine, and it never faltered or complained. Heck, they even let real journalists drive it. If they couldn't break it, it must be bulletproof.

(end quote)