From it's inception as a 993 based racecar, the GT2 established itself as the ultimate turbo version of the 911, and even after the racing class that spawned its name changed the rules and vanished, Porsche realized there's a place for a rear wheel drive Turbo that lifts a little DNA from the glory days of endurance racing 935's with big power and that familiar shape. With two-time World Rally champ and Porsche test-ace Walter Röhrl working the wheel, the new GT2 has lapped the Nurburgring's Nordschleife loop in an astounding 7 minutes and 32 seconds. That's 14 seconds faster than the previous GT2 and 10 faster than the current GT3RS. When I got the call from Excellence Magazine editor Pete Stout, he mentioned something about the GT2, and twisting my arm with 530 horsepower, launch control, and six pounds per horsepower. He had me at GT... and within minutes my bags were packed for Germany. Needless to say, the car is phenomenal (it should be at $191,000) -the power delivery is intoxicating, and it's hard to keep from cracking the throttle open just to feel the shove back into the seat and accompanying howl of the motor. The variable steering boost is identical to the GT3 and Turbo, and has the same laser precision. The scary thing is how stable it is at speed-250kph (155mph) feels like 65mph. Helping matters further was the quality of the German roadway - silky smooth and nothing like our freeways around the Bay Area. Traveling over 300kph (186mph) it's just as planted, and the speed of the scenery whipping by is the only indication that we were really hauling. On one clear section it pulled right past the advertised 329kph (204mph) top speed. The motor still had a few revs left and was happily pulling with an indicated 1.4bar. Even at ridiculous speeds, there was no drama, no light feeling at the front, nothing to indicate only 38% of the weight of the car rides over the front wheels - just the same peripheral vision blur you get while riding the high speed German ICE trains and the added responsibility of not running over other drivers traveling over 100mph slower. The PCCB brakes were more than up to the task of scrubbing 120mph quickly without any signs of fade, a necessity with these speeds.
Driving quick on the autobahn is one thing, but it's not every day you get to ride with a two-time World Rally Champion - and that's what I did on

this trip (for Excellence Magazine) with Porsche test-ace Walter Röhrl in wet conditions on an impromptu former Luftwaffe airfield circuit. From the outside watching him streak down the main runway with a plume of spray behind the car, it looked like a full blown land speed record attempt on a dusty salt flat. More impressive than the sight was the sound of the 911 literally tearing and compressing the air around it in a shriek louder than the measured wail flowing from the exhaust pipes. Röhrl came around closer on a short straight, tail out 30 degrees in a perfect drift. Riding with Röhrl was a treat, amplified by the iffy weather. Through puddles with PSM (Porsche Active Stability Management) on, it sounds like early 90's Formula One traction control, with the car cutting out but still leaping forward. It's the first use of the system on a GT model, and the yaw parameters that activate stability control are bumped up accordingly. To demonstrate Röhrl started out with PASM in normal, and Traction Control in the on position, where it limits the slip angle of his slides and keeps the car accelerating across puddles on the slick roadway. "It seems pretty stable" I remark as we hurtle down the straight. He replies by simply taking both hands off the wheel as we pass 250k (155mph). Just before he touches the brakes we cross 300kph (186mph) in the wet, which explains why it looked like a Bonneville run, or the Space Shuttle landing. With the electronic aids turned off, he demonstrated his rally winning techniques by sliding the GT2 effortlessly around corners while explaining that it was ultimately easier for him to catch and drive quickly than the Carrera GT. Needless to say, riding with Röhrl was a treat I won't ever forget.
- jeff glenn