Porsche is one of those marques that you can mention to anybody, and they will understand what you are talking about – from petrolheads to casual drivers, the name projects an image of speed, sexiness, and brutal German efficiency. We’ve already looked at the 918, but today it’s time to look at one of the company’s most defining cars – the 911. Not just any 911, but the GT2 RS. This was a car born for conflict, even the project’s codename, 727, is based on a Nissan GT-R laptime at the Nurburgring.

The Porsche 911 has been around since 1963, and has stood strong against rivals as disparate as the Ferrari F430, the Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Aston Martin DB9. Though rivals come up with entirely new models, Stuttgart’s darling has stood strong. The GT2 RS upholds the legacy proudly.

The RS is 150lbs lighter than the regular 911 GT2, already lighter than the 911 Turbo, and couples this mechanical diet with a twin-turbo 3.6 liter flat-six engine that develops 620 horsepower. This power-to-weight ratio, better than even the Ferrari 599 GTO, lets it reach a top speed of 205mph, and getting to 62 mph from a stop in just 3.4 seconds. If you want to bring the weight down even more, the infotainment and AC systems can also be removed, at no extra cost.

Driving the car is a unique experience, putting your foot down will bring you to 100 mph in less than half a second faster then the far pricier McLaren F1 will. The fantastic steering, carbon-ceramic brakes will make sure you stay in control, even at those speeds. Driving the car from day-to-day, well, could be better. Road noise and an uncomfortable ride mean you probably won’t want to use this everyday, but those who would look at a track-orientated beast like this and think that would be somewhat insane to begin with.

Related: Top 5 Nürburgring Monsters

Oh, and that track performance – it completed a lap of the Nurburgring in just 7 minutes and 18 seconds, faster than almost any other production car at the time.

Inside, you’ll find the standard racing equipment that is bucket seats, and you’ll also notice how Porsche’s serious attitude to weight loss continues on the inside. The cars don’t have regular door handles, but fabric straps.

The car is a beast to drive, and was surprisingly well-priced at launch. Although limited to just 500 units, the car had an MSRP of $245,000; and you can pick one up used at an even more reasonable price these days, just 4 years after its launch. Compare this to the aforementioned Ferrari 599 GTO, which came with a price tag of $450,000 and we think you’ll agree that this lightweight sports car is truly something extraordinary.