Gorilla Glass Makes its Way Into the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
High-tech composite shaves weight off of Porsche’s ultimate track toy.
The 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is coming. And as fans of Stuttgart’s finest know, when it comes to track-focused racers, they’ll do anything in the name of performance. That’s why the new car will use “Gorilla Glass” instead of conventional safety glass.
That’s right, the new GT3 RS will use the same glass you’ve got on your smartphone. And at the outset, this move makes sense. The ultra-thin composite glass is as strong as conventional automotive glass, but lighter. Like, a lot lighter.
For example, Porsche says the rear window on a base 911 weighs 12.8 pounds. The Gorilla Glass piece weighs just 8.2 pounds. Apply that to the entire greenhouse, and you have significant weight savings.
Of course, the new track-slaying 911 isn’t the first Porsche to use lightweight composite glass. The 918 Sypder Weissach used a similar material for its rear window. For that matter, it won’t be the first car to use it all around either. That honor goes to the Ford GT.
Still, Porsche is almost fanatical about shaving weight off the new GT3 RS, so the move makes a lot of sense. It will join carbon fiber decklid panels, a magnesium roof, and polyurethane front and rear fascias. With a curb weight of around 3,200 pounds, it’s some 400 pounds lighter than heavier 911 models.
So to sum things up: The 911 GT3 RS is a 520 horsepower track-day assassin. Its naturally-aspirated flat-six screams to a 9,000 rpm redline. It’s finished in a wild yet gorgeous Lizard Green paint. And thanks in part to technology found on your phone and TV, it’s incredibly light. PDK transmission or not, this thing just keeps getting better.
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