Sublime car control, huge commitment, and a snarling flat-six soundtrack. There aren’t many videos on YouTube which have this sort of visceral energy, but watching Ruben Zeltner spank that classic, 996 GT3 through a narrow rally stage beats any cup of coffee. The rally purists will cite this particular video when appealing to the FIA to try and make rally more appealing to the everyman, since not every gets their jollies from watching sedate four-wheel drives whiz by. This man and his highly-strung Porsche show that speed and spectacle are not mutually exclusive, and if necessary, a minor reduction in overall pace would make the show twice as stunning.

The 996 GT3 was the first of Porsche’s normally-aspirated, water-cooled sports cars to make a mark in the racing world. While it was generally confined to the world of road racing, a few clever men, including former WRC star Frenchman Francois Delecour, saw the potential of a lightweight, responsive car like the GT3. With that rear-engine layout aiding traction, four-wheel drive was not necessary for stellar performance on loose surfaces, and the trend began. Since then, groups like Tuthill have taken the GT3 and developed it specifically for rallying, but German privateer Zeltner did this himself.

The beauty of the GT3 production car is that it isn’t far from a real racing machine. Delecour noted that an off-the-shelf GT3 RS would be ready for big-time rallying with a paltry list of improvements. “They need [a better gearbox], good shocks, clutch, brakes, and ok. You don’t need to touch engine, it’s fantastic. You don’t need anything more,” said Delecour, a former WRC Group A driver.

Clearly, Zeltner knew this and has added a six-speed sequential not only for improved shift times, but for better shift precision. Having a sequential box makes it nigh-impossible to miss a shift, which is convenient when sliding a rear-engine monster around on the rally stage — there’s already enough to concentrate on without having to find the right shift gate.

As the old 3.6-liter Mezger engine really needed revs to perform, the powerband is expectedly narrow. Besides, it’s a rally car and it’s optimized for acceleration, so to better give the driver an indication of the right gear without having to take their eyes off the rapidly-changing scenery ahead, a bold gear counter on the dash. Again, it’s a matter of allocating all of one’s focus to the shrubs, ledges and people lining the stage, and not on the minutia inside the cockpit.

The canny observer will take note of how much steering lock Zeltner needs to get the mid-sized 911 through many of the corners. One could assume it’s merely retained the street steering rack, but a rally stage is demanding in many ways. On one hand, a rally car ought to be nimble and responsive, but on the other, hairpin corners are abundant and a racing rack will force every hairpin to become a three-point turn. To facilitate some of the rotation needed to get through the tightest bends, a hydraulic handbrake was installed.

It’s a lairy handful of a machine, but with the German’s quick reactions, cautious judgement, and a predictable chassis, it’s a real performer — and Zeltner’s considerable success in ADAC rallies proves it. Now, if only Porsche would get the message and start a WRC campaign.