Two of the last truly track-spec Porsches sit one bay apart in our Tampa garage. The 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Weissach Package is the rear-engine flat-six that defined the modern 911 driver hierarchy. The 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS is the mid-engine answer Porsche took ten years to release. Both cars are naturally aspirated. Both rev past 8,500 rpm. Both are in our Tampa fleet right now, and which one you book depends less on the spec sheet than on the kind of Tampa Bay weekend you have planned.
The short answer
If you have driven a 911 before and you want to understand what the rear-engine layout does at its absolute peak, the GT3 RS Weissach is the answer. It is the most extreme road-going 911 of the 991 generation and the Weissach package adds the magnesium wheels, the carbon roof, and the lighter componentry that lift it out of regular GT3 territory.
If you have never owned a Porsche but you want to feel why the brand still bothers building track cars in 2024, the GT4 RS is the better introduction. The mid-engine balance, the 9.0 inch screen behind the wheel, the new naturally aspirated 4.0 borrowed straight from the 911 GT3, all of it is more usable on a Tampa Saturday than the 991-generation RS.
POWERTRAIN
Two flat-sixes, two layouts
The GT3 RS Weissach runs the 4.0 liter naturally aspirated flat-six rated at 520 horsepower at 8,250 rpm, with the redline at 9,000. The engine sits behind the rear axle, which is the Porsche layout people argue about and Porsche refuses to abandon. Power runs through a 7-speed PDK dual-clutch. The Weissach package strips weight: magnesium wheels, carbon roof, carbon anti-roll bars, lighter half-shafts. The result is a car that turns into corners with more authority than the standard GT3 and that holds them at speeds the rear-engine layout should not allow.
The GT4 RS takes the same conceptual playbook and moves the engine ahead of the rear axle. Same 4.0 liter naturally aspirated displacement, same family of flat-six, but now derived directly from the 911 GT3. 493 horsepower at 8,400 rpm, redline at 9,000, mounted in the middle of the car with the intake snorkels visible from the driver seat through the rear glass. Gearbox is a 7-speed PDK shared with the GT3. The mid-engine balance changes the entire character. Where the GT3 RS rewards trust in the rear, the GT4 RS rewards reading the front end.
The GT3 RS is the Porsche that proves the rear-engine 911 can still beat physics. The GT4 RS is the Porsche that argues physics should have won years ago.
How each one drives in Tampa Bay
The GT3 RS is a louder, more uncompromising car around town. The half cage delete option still leaves the cabin echoing on Bayshore at 30 mph. The suspension is firm enough that I-275 expansion joints come through cleanly. None of that is a complaint, it is the agreement you sign when you book a Weissach. On a clear stretch toward Sarasota or up the Pinellas Bayway, the engine sound past 6,000 rpm is the experience most guests are paying for, and it does not disappoint.
The GT4 RS is somewhat more livable. The mid-engine layout puts the noise behind your shoulder rather than overhead, which sounds the same on paper and feels meaningfully different. The car parks more easily in Hyde Park, the seats are slightly more humane, and the visibility out of a 718 chassis is better than a 991. None of that softens the car at speed. The GT4 RS will outpace most modern supercars on a tight road and will sound like a 911 GT3 doing it.
Spec comparison
| Spec | 911 GT3 RS Weissach | 718 GT4 RS |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 4.0L flat-six | 4.0L flat-six (GT3 unit) |
| Layout | Rear-engine, RWD | Mid-engine, RWD |
| Horsepower | 520 hp | 493 hp |
| Redline | 9,000 rpm | 9,000 rpm |
| 0 to 60 | 3.0 seconds | 3.2 seconds |
| Top speed | 184 mph | 196 mph |
| Gearbox | 7-speed PDK | 7-speed PDK |
| Package | Weissach + magnesium wheels | Weissach optional |
Tampa scenarios where each one wins
FIRST-TIME PORSCHE RENTAL
GT4 RS. The mid-engine layout is more forgiving, the cabin is friendlier, and the car will not punish a driver still building confidence with the brand. It is also the newer car, with current infotainment and the latest driver aids.
PORSCHE FAN WHO HAS DRIVEN A GT3
GT3 RS Weissach. The Weissach package and the magnesium wheels are the differences that take an already serious GT3 into truly track-spec territory. If you already know what a regular 992 GT3 feels like, the Weissach delivers the next chapter.
WEEKEND TRIP TO SEBRING OR PALM BEACH
Either, but the GT4 RS is the more comfortable 2-hour drive each way. The GT3 RS gets to the destination just as fast and the driver will arrive tired.
CONTENT AND PHOTO SHOOTS
GT3 RS Weissach for the silhouette. The GT2-style aero, the wing, the Weissach decals, all of it photographs as a track car even at standstill. The GT4 RS is photogenic but the shape reads as a Cayman to viewers outside the Porsche community.
FORMULA STUDENT OR TRACK DAY ARRIVAL
GT4 RS. Sebring International, Palm Beach International, Daytona open-track days. The GT4 RS is the car other GT3 RS drivers ask about in the paddock.
The brand-true details that show up in both
- Naturally aspirated 4.0 liter flat-six engine family with 9,000 rpm redline. No turbos, no hybrid, no compromise.
- PDK 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions tuned for shift speed over comfort.
- Active aerodynamics: front splitters, swan-neck rear wings (GT3 RS), large rear wings (GT4 RS), all designed for downforce above 100 mph.
- Half cage delete option, lighter glass, carbon-ceramic brake disc availability.
- Magnesium wheel options on the GT3 RS Weissach; ultralight wheels on the GT4 RS Weissach.
Pricing and logistics
Both cars come above our Tampa fleet starting rate of $399 per day, with quotes tailored to your dates and the drop point. The GT3 RS Weissach is rare enough to require a deposit hold further in advance. The GT4 RS is more readily available on shorter notice. Drivers must be 25 or older with a valid license and our standard insurance review. Both cars deliver to Tampa International, downtown Tampa, Hyde Park, South Tampa, Westshore, St Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, and across the bay.
Send your dates with the buttons below or call our Tampa concierge at (813) 365-7805.
