Forget Corvette ZR1X and Mustang GTD, the 911 GT3 RS is Still the King of the ’Ring

We chat with Andreas Preuninger, Porsche’s Head of GT Cars, about the future of Porsche performance and the new 911 GT3 S/C.

Back on October 13, 2022, Porsche’s Newsroom released a statement that the 2023 911 GT3 RS had lapped the Nurburgring Nordschliefe in 6:49.328 minutes, making the it one of the fastest ever road legal sports cars around “The Green Hell.”

Mustang GTD Goes Faster…

On December 10, 2024, Ford’s media site released a statement that the 2025 Mustang GTD had made history as “the first car from an American brand to complete a lap [of the Nurburgring] in under seven minutes.” It’s time of 6:57.685 made it the fifth fastest time in the stock production sports car class, the same class as the 911 GT3 RS.

Corvette ZR1X Goes Faster Still…

On July 31, 2025, GM’s media site released a statement that its Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X were now the fastest American cars to have lapped the Nordschleife, at 6:49.275 for the ZR1X and 6:50.763 for the ZR1—albeit in the Nurburgring’s prototype/pre-production vehicle class, as neither vehicle are sold in Europe.

Here Comes the GTD Competition…

And finally, on April 17, 2026, Ford announced that a new, higher performance variant of the Mustang, the GTD Competition, lapped the Nurburging Nordschleife in 6:40.835, beating both the 911 GT3 RS and ZR1X by over 11 seconds.

Impressive performances by Ford and GM for sure, but when you dig into the specs of the Mustang GTD and Corvette ZR1X, you have to why it took so much time, power, and downforce to beat the ’Ring king GT3 RS.

To wit: The Mustang GTD Competition’s supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 makes more power than the 815 horsepower of the Mustang GTD. The Corvette ZR1X’s hybrid powertrain utilizes a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 and front axle electric motor that combine to generate 1,250 horsepower, which is sent to all four wheels.

Since its release in 2023, the 992 generation 911 GT3 RS has made due with 518 naturally aspirated horsepower from its 4.0-liter flat-six engine driving the rear wheels. That’s 297 fewer ponies than the Mustang GTD (let alone GTD Competition) and a whopping 732 less than the ZR1X. Put another way, you’d need two 911 GT3 RSes and a 2026 Nissan Leaf to equal the output of the ZR1X.

911 GT3 RS Still The King?

Which is just one reason why, actual lap time aside, the current 911 GT3 RS should still be considered one of the undisputed kings of the ’Ring. Sure, it may not be as fast as the GTD or ZR1X on the Green Hell’s straightaways, but it’s still hugely impressive everywhere else—and all with “only” 518 horsepower.

Can Porsche go faster and take the crown back from Ford and GM? With a new GT3 RS? Or will it have to go forced induction and bring back the 911 GT2 RS? Jonny Lieberman and I put all of these questions, and more, to Andreas Preuninger, Porsche’s director of GT vehicles, on this special episode of The InEVitable. We also discuss Preuninger’s first visit to California’s famed Angeles Crest Highway and his newest baby, the roofless 911 GT3 S/C.

Why a convertible GT3 and does it live up the motorsports bloodline? Tune in for AP’s impassioned defense, right here or on our YouTube channel. If audio is your thing, download the podcast here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Like us? Please tell your friends, share us on social media, like the video, and don’t forget to give us a five-star review.