*This is the car that went on to support the 4.0-liter RSC-based racecar at the Tuner Grand Prix. Just weeks after our drive, it went on to storm the Coupe/Cabriolet class and give Cargraphic a perfect record. Although the company specializes in slicing understeer from the base set-up to produce a razor-sharp nose that turns in like a ninja, it wanted a soft-top version with the Carrera's creature comforts.
This car comes with Power Kit 2, taking it all the way to 404 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque with the help of RAM air. It gets a sport exhaust with a high-flow tri-metal catalyst set. That feeds a sport back-box with twin tailpipes leading to the central exhaust outlet. RS Tuning does the engine mapping, hence the credit in the name, and horses are found throughout the range. It hits 62 mph in 4.8 seconds and tops out at 190 mph-just shy of the Turbo's terminal velocity.
Cargraphic has fitted a short shift kit to the gearbox and a Bilstein suspension set-up that drops the front end by 1.4 inches onto massive, 20-inch center-lock wheels. Yet, to its credit, the car feels as finger-light as a standard Carrera.
Of course it's loud. And Cargraphic has one of the sweetest-sounding kits on the market-every rev seems to reverberate around the can like an angry swarm of something dangerous. It even carries the warning colors, with orange RS-style graphics applied liberally to the body kit.
A GT3-look front bumper with a visible carbon-fiber vent frame comes married to a carbon-fiber lip spoiler (that might need replacing now and again, but it looks stunning with the lip curling around to the sides) giving the front end a touch of snarling aggression. A few squared-off edges have taken the base model's marshmallow-styling approach and toasted it
Door mirrors come covered in more carbon fiber and there's a whole rear bumper assembly to convert the Carrera's squat look to a more muscular GT3 aspect. And it's all topped off with another blade of carbon fiber that borrows heavily from the GT2 and is sexier than thigh-high PVC boots. This is all skin deep, though. There's so much more.
Racing up to 140 mph (before braking heavily) shows a rev counter almost too eager to spin up. It's a case of keeping track with the six-speed gearbox and landing it back in the sweet spot for a constant surge of power. With the added acoustic power from the exhaust buzzing through the open air, it feels even quicker.
The suspension kit is backed up by a carbon-fiber strut brace. While this can't compensate for the extra weight in the cabin compared to a real GT3 or recreate the ultimate rigidity of a closed-top machine, this car still feels keener-thanks to a sharper set-up at the nose and that all-around height drop. With the lightweight, forged 'Star' alloys covered in 8.5x20 Michelin Pilot Sports on the front and 12x20 at the rear, there's serious mechanical grip too.
Apart from a couple of splitter-scraping moments when turning the car around on slopes, it is perfectly composed over bumps and furrows, a soar in revs (indicating a wheel letting go for just a microsecond) being the only indication of the car working hard.
With more grip and less understeer (dialed into the Carrera S as a straightforward safety measure by Porsche), it inevitably cuts into bends and achieves quite outrageous speeds as long as the driver is smooth and precise. While you actually have to try to crash the Carrera S, though, this one will fight back in bends if you get cocky, switch off the electronics and push too hard. Do that, and it becomes a GT3 in spirit.
Cargraphicrsc 3.8
*Layout
Longitudinal rear engine, rear-wheel drive
*Engine
3.8-liter flat-six, cast exhaust manifold and headers, tri-metal catalytic converter, MC air filter, RS Tuning ECU software, twin 3.5-in. tailpipes
*Transmission
Six-speed manual, Cargraphic short shifter
*Suspension
Bilstein adjustable sport suspension kit in Cargraphic set-up, carbon fiber strut brace
*Wheels and Tires
Cargraphic Racing, 8.5x20 (f), 12x20 (r)
Michelin Pilot Sport, 245/30 (f), 325/25 (r)
*Exterior
GT3 carbon fiber front bumper with top air vent, carbon fiber lip spoiler, GT3 rear apron with central exhaust outlet, GT2-look rear spoiler, carbon fiber mirror housing
*Interior
Alloy pedal set, optional color-coded seats
*Performance
Power: 404 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 331 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
0-62 mph: 4.8 sec.
Top speed: 190 mph