PORSCHE GT3 996
The PORSCHE GT3 996
Too right it is. Lets face it, the ordinary 911 Carrera is a wonderful machine (to our minds at least; we know some air-cooled die hards disagree), and the track honed GT3 is, of course, even better.
Look at the facts. In order to create the GT3, Porsche ditched the standard 3.4-litre 996 engine in favour of a brand new 3.6-litre unit based on that of the GT1 race car. Likewise the gearbox is from the 911 GT2, updated to suit the 996 configuration. It’s an impeccable pedigree in anyone’s books.
Unlike the RS and Club Sport 911s of the past, though, Porsche’s latest road-going race car is well, a little on the podgy side. Indeed, it’s actually heavier than the already hefty 996-model 911 Carrera 2 on which it’s based, due in no small part to the more powerful engine and stronger transmission.
In the old days Porsche would have circumvented this minor difficulty by stripping out unwanted ‘luxuries’ such as power windows, sound deadening, air-conditioning and carpets. Apparantly, though, today’s rather more discerning customers don’t want to do without their creature comforts and, as we shall see, it’s simply not feasible to lose the electric windows in a GT3 in any case.
Michael Roock, director of German based Roock Racing, considers the weight of the GT3 to be inexusable. ‘All the truly great track Porsches of the past succeeded because they were so light. Granted, the GT3 is superior to the 911 Carrera in terms of handling and power, but it’s too heavy. Not only does this reduce the car’s performance, but it also affects the high speed handling because the suspension has to work harder.’
Indeed, Roock was so incensed by this that he put his brand-new GT3 demonstrator on a strict diet and slimmed it down by no less than 100kg (the standard car weighs in at 1350kg, by the way). What's even more remarkable is that the car looks completely unchanged. The air-conditioning and electric windows remain, as do the carpets, the soundproofing and the leather-clad bucket seats.
The secret lies in a range of specially developed lightweight carbon-fibre body panels - namely the luggage-compartment lid, the combined engine cover and spoiler, the front and rear bumpers, and the outer door panels.
In fact, the bonnet weighs a mere 2.5kg - you can pick it up with literally one finger. And that's the complete panel with its inner frame, not just the outer skin. A standard bonnet, by comparison, weighs in at a portly 17kg. And the quality of the company's workmanship is such that, once the panels are painted, you'd never know they weren't the original steel items.
Not surprisingly, Roock would have liked to get rid of the car's electric windows in favour of manual winder mechanisms, because this would have allowed him to fit complete carbon-fibre doors - as opposed to just the outer panels - but here he ran into a problem.
'The 996 windows automatically drop slightly as you open either door,' he explains. 'Then they rise again just after the door is closed. This is to ensure the frameless windows make a good seal in their apertures. If we lost this feature it would be awkward to open and shut the doors, and you'd end up with a bad fit and a lot of annoying wind noise.'
As it is, though, each carbon-fibre door skin saves a not unreasonable 8.0kg, and retaining the steel shells means that the doors still shut with that reassuring Porsche-style clunk; the four side-airbags are retained, too. It's worth noting, by the way, that all these weight-saving panels can also be used on the standard 996model Carrera 2 and Carrera 4.
Not satisfied with this weight-reduction programme alone, Roock next turned his attention to the engine. 'This is a superb unit,' he enthuses. 'It's far superior to the standard 996 engine, and much more receptive to tuning.' Indeed, he was able to increase the output by 24bhp to no less than 384bhp with a number of simple and relatively inexpensive changes.
'First of all, we fitted our own equal length exhaust manifolds, plus a sports-type catalytic converter and silencer. In addition, we changed the air-box for one which places the filter element directly above the throttle openings. This significantly improves the breathing.' In order to ensure optimum performance from these changes, Roock has also developed a new electronic control unit.
These engine modifications cost a total of Dm l6,800 (around £5600 here in the UK), which is remarkable value for money when you consider the not insubstantial horsepower increase.
The GT3's handling has come in for criticism, and Roock agrees that some of it is justified. 'Most road cars are designed to understeer, so that they are relatively safe in the hands of inexperienced drivers. The GT3 is no exception, and suffers from understeer when you drive it fast. But people who buy GT3s are enthusiasts, and they don't want a car that is hard to push around corners at speed, especially on the racetrack.'
Roock has addressed this shortcoming - and improved the all-round handling by fitting both shorter and stiffer springs, as well as adjusting the camber and corner weights. This particular car is also fitted with Roock Racing's own so-called Competition 18-inch two-piece light-alloy wheels. These stunning rims are nine inches wide at the front with 225/40ZR18 tyres, and a massive 10.5 inches - with 285/30ZR 1 8 rubber - at the rear.
Roock is happy to admit that the standard GT3 brakes are superb, but he believes that they can suffer from poor cooling. 'The front ones can overheat quickly, even under relatively gentle braking. We fit our own cooling system to overcome this.' This consists of a carbon-fibre duct from the front spoiler, and two carbon-fibre deflectors that ensure the air is directed onto the discs.
Roock on the Road
To be brutally honest, I’m most relieved to get behind the wheel of the Roock Racing RSC 380 GT. Not only am I itching to drive the car, but I am also more than happy to relieve Michael Roock of his command.
Don’t get me wrong. I know that Roock is an accomplished driver, with an enviable competition background, but I’m not a good passenger at the best of times, and when it comes to four-wheel drifts on a wet and very busy slip-road, I’m afraid I simply can’t cope.
Even now that I’m in control, though, my first impressions are not good. At tickover the engine sounds as rough as diesel-powered chainsaw with misfire. Now the standard GT3 motor is no sewing machine at low revs, of course, but this modified engine is worse ans sound if it’s likely to stall at any minute. Still, if you’ve got 384bhp + on tap you don’t generally worry about rough idle, so let’s go and have some fun.
This, however, is not as simple as I’d hoped. Germany’s autobahnen, at laest those in the vicinity of Düsseldorf, are not the limit-free dream we Brits have been led to believe. Indeed, the roads Roock directs me to could just as easily be England’s M4, if not the M25.
Not so with the RSC 380 GT. Below 5000rpm the car feels almost sluggish (well, relatively speaking anyway) and Roock is soon encouraging me to drop a couple of gears to get the revs up, something which I consider to be more in keeping with a hot hatchback than a big engined Porsche.
But I dutifully do as I am told and watch the revs rise. And just as my co-pilot promises, once we reach 5000rpm the power comes in with vengeance. And it just keeps on coming, too, even at 7200rpm peak that Roock urges me to explore (that’s exactly the same as that of a standard GT3, incidentally)
This really is extraordinary, and soon I’m wishing that we’re on a track rather than a commuter-packed public road. The hordes of diesel Mercedes and ubiquitous people carriers respectfully make way for the silver bullet, but it’s a far from ideal situation and I am unable to better 200km/h (that’s about 130mph).
Even that’s a speed you would be mad to try and achieve on UK roads, of course, so I enjoy the sensation and relish how civilised the car is while Michael and I conduct a relaxed conversation.. That’s something you would certainly be unable to do at such a velocity in the RSs and Club Sport of old.
At these speeds my natural inclination is to change up into sixth gear, but Roock insists that I hold fourth to maintain the revs. This keeps the rev counter firmly within the power band and gives me the most incredible throttle response to make use of the all too infrequent gaps in the traffic. The gear change, incidentally, is as notchy as a race car’s, and the clutch is appropriately stiff.
Another misconception that we Britons have of Germany autobahnen is that they are as smooth as the proverbial billiard table. They are not. The RSC 380 GT, however, takes them all in its stride. After seeing the lowered suspension and hearing about the stiffer springs, I was expecting the car’s ride to be bumpy, but again it’s not.
In fact, Roock explains that he went to great lengths to maintain a good ride and not just for the benefits of the car’s occupants. 2We developed the suspension for road as well as track use. Most of our customers want to be able to use their cars on a daily basis. Also, we’ve found that the 996, unlike some older Porsches, actually handles better if the ride remains relatively compliant”.
Sadly, our urban environment - and a predominantly wet one at that - prevents me from testing the handling in earnest. Suffice to say that pushing the RSC 380 GT around the aforementioned slip-roads suggests a competence way beyond that of a standard 911 Carrera - and almost certainly beyond that of a standard 911 GT3, too. Michael Roock seems to understand my frustration though and later promises to bring the car to England so that we can test it on a circuit. I can hardly wait!
Roock Racing Brothers
Brothers Michael and Fabian Roock formed Roock Racing in 1984. In 1990 they moved to a 2000 square metre site in Leverkusen, near Cologne, and poached a number of tecnicians from the local official Porsche dealership in order to set up a repair and service center.
During the same year the brothers were approached by a customer to maintain the Porsche which he used for club racing. At the end of the season the car finished fifth in the championship, and Michael and Fabian were hooked on racing. Not only were they excited by the competitiveness, but they could also see the business opportunities for the future.
By 1996 the company was competing in the BPR global Endurance Championships, and the team’s drivers, Bruno Eichmann and Gerd Ruch, won the GT2 class in their Porsche 911GT. In the same year the team also won the GT2 class at Le Mans.
For 2000 the company has moved its racing activities to the USA, overseen by Fabian Roock. The team has set up in Atlanta, Georgia, in order to campaign in the so-called American Le Mans series.
One of the many projects Michael Roock has on the drawing-board for his year is a 996 engine transplant for a Boxster. And that, judging from his company’s success at transforming the GT3, should be well worth waiting for.
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