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It's a road-legal 518 horsepower monster, and the most powerful naturally aspirated 911.

There are few luxury automakers that generate such frenzy like Porsche. The German titan is known for creating luxurious vehicles that are also beasts on the Autobahn. And if that wasn’t enough, these powerful sports cars are also leaders in innovation, design, safety, and technology.

Basically, when you buy a Porsche car, you get the complete package. However, there were some models that flopped and got disparaged for their performance or design. The Cayenne first generation with its maintenance issues and the ugly-duckling that was the 914 are the exceptions to Porsche’s success rule, but for a brand that is on the market since 1931, two failures are negligible.

Considering how many spectacular automobiles Porsche has built, it’s difficult to get excited about a new release. Nevertheless, this is happening now with the unveiling of the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. At long last, gearheads get to see the highly anticipated 518 horsepower monster and understand why this sports car is worth the hype and the $225,250 investment.

Related: 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Revealed With Racing Roots And A Six-Speed Stick Shift

In the past, Porsche has mentioned that the 911 GT3 RS will have "approximately 500 PS,” but now, we know the number was seriously underplayed. With 518 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque, this road-legal high-performance sports vehicle is the most powerful naturally aspirated 911. But despite the insane performance, it is still less than the 565 horsepower generated by the 2023 911 GT3 R race car.

To be sure, the 2023 911 GT3 RS has far more than horsepower that gets us so electrified. The 911 GT3 RS is powered by a naturally aspirated flat-six boxer engine with a 4.0-liter displacement. This means that the GT3 RS will probably accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds.

Porsche delivers peak performance even through the design of its cars. No one bends the rules of aerodynamics better than the German luxury automaker. Accordingly, for this model, Porsche came out with various Easter eggs that boosted the performance of the car and helped steer the air flow outside the engine. For instance, Porsche added more vents to the hood. And there are also front fenders with active elements.

Furthermore, the splitters and canards on the nose are flexible. But more importantly, the focus falls on the large wing towers over the rear of the car that offer “enough surface area for an entire spätzle buffet,” says Car and Driver. This active element helps create the 902 pounds of downforce at 124 mph and 1896 pounds at 177 mph. New side skirts and front splitter can also be seen on the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Elsewhere, the overuse of carbon fiber on the body panels improves the aerodynamic performance significantly.

The outstanding aerodynamics is achieved even because Porsche revamped “the suspension links with airfoil-shaped profiles,” as per Motortrend. According to the company's engineers this adds 88 pounds of downforce at "top track speed" at the front axle alone.

With a staggering starting price of $225,250, the GT3 RS is anything but affordable. In fact, the retail price puts the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the same price bracket with truly exotic cars that play in the major league of super-luxury, such as: the 2023 Maserati MC20, the 2022 McLaren GT and the 2022 Lamborghini Huracán EVO. Calculate an additional $14,000, and you can get the 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica. Evidently, the GT3 RS was built for connoisseur and Porsche fans, so for a really niche market that doesn’t look at price and just enjoys the thrill of driving a truly remarkable German car that pushes the limits of aerodynamics, design and technology.

Related: 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic: Costs, Facts, And Figures

There are various elements that highlight the racing soul of the car. For example, the double-wishbone front suspension offers more stability and handling performance even while speeding on the racetrack or at Nürburgring. Also, the wings can be flipped in max-drag mode to behave as supplemental air brakes. Meanwhile, the brakes seem identical to the ones used for the GT3, but the 16.1-by-1.4-inch iron front discs are slightly ticker by 0.1 inch.

The forged aluminum wheels come with the standard package and the tires measure 275/35-20 rubber up front and steamroller 335/30-21s at the rear. But with the Weissach package, buyers can get magnesium wheels. Those interested in the Weissach package should know that carbon exterior panels are also included. Naturally, this will eliminate additional weight from the car, but the fun won't come cheap.

Eugenia Akhim is a luxury car aficionado. She naturally gravitates towards the legendary 911 and the classic Ferrari because they are fun to drive and have a killer aesthetic. In her column, expect to read more about turbo-powered vehicles.