Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2010) bows in

The 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS will be at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Hot on the heels of the new 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo comes the announcement this morning from Porsche of the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. A subtle looking Porsche.

As you can probably guess, the first thing the latest GT3 RS gets is a hike in power, courtesy of the move from the old naturally aspirated 3.6 litre to the 3.8 litre you get in the new 911 Turbo, minus the turbos. But that still gives you 450bhp – up 15bhp on the regular GT3 – all of which gets shoved through a shorter ratio six-speed manual box. No nancy-boy paddles shifters here.

Porsche has also had a play with the electronics, and the new GT3 RS sports a remapped PASM, together with a wider track and a set of trick engine mounts that can adjust their stiffness according to the way you’re driving. And to accommodate the wider track the GT3 RS gets more bulbous wheel arches. Just to keep the looks subtle, you understand.

Outside the GT3 RS gets the same revisions to the bodywork as all recent facelift 911s, but it gets graced with a very understated colour scheme with muted graphics in a very low-key orange. Couldn’t they have made it shout a bit louder?

As is always the case with cars like the GT3 RS, weight loss is an obsession (they could even teach Mrs Beckham a thing or two). You even get the option of a lithium-ion battery to save 22lbs. Honestly, who in their right mind is going to do that for a road car. It’s just a good lunch!

But Porsche has done some of the dieting for you without hitting your pocket on top of list, with a light titanium exhaust system and a new carbon fibre rear wing on aluminium mounts.

As you would expect, there are more details in the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Press Release. The GT3 will turn up at Frankfurt in September for its official début, before going on sale in January 2010. Porsche hasn’t bothered to give us a Sterling price for the GT3 RS, but it does say €122,400 in Germany. Plus tax. Which at today’s rates makes the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS £105,000 plus VAT. Which would be a shade over £120,000 when the RS lands in the New Year.

Unless of course our illustrious leaders bugger around with the VAT rates again, which they doubtless will. Back to 17.5%? Or maybe up to 20%? Who knows. They certainly don’t.

Update: Porsche has now given us UK prices for the Porsche GT3 RS – £100,760. But that is plus VAT, so it’s still anybody’s guess.