The new 911 GT3 RS is lighter and more focused than the model it replaces. Everything from the last car has been honed and refined, with improvements in aero, suspension, and a 20 horsepower jump to 520 from the 4.0 liter flat-six.

It's lighter, with weight taken out everywhere, like the rear carpet and even through perforating the alcantara in the seats. The car is all about function and is incredibly serious. But there is one small part of the car that is all about design and makes no functional contribution to the aero or induction in any way.

In a conversation with Henry Catchpole of Carfection at the Geneva Motor Show, Porsche's head of GT cars Andreas Preuninger explained one aspect of the car that looks like it does something, but actually doesn't. On the side, there are intakes for the engine. The 991.2 version adds some strakes in those intakes, which you'd think would help direct or force more air into the engine.

In reality, they are purely for styling. Preuninger explains that those intakes were supposed to have "RS" engraved in them, but he also wanted to bring the decals back to the side of the car. With the decals and "RS" in the intake, it seemed like a bit too much. So the engraving was taken out of the intake, and the design department insisted that something needed to be there.

Hence the strakes that do nothing. The more you know.

For an in-depth look at the car, check out the full video below:

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