It's not exactly unusual for high-performance cars to return to the test track a few months after being revealed in production guise, but the 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS' recent comeback to the Nurburgring->ke999 track raises more questions than it answers. Is there something wrong with the new GT3 RS? Is Porsche->ke1 working on a few updates or, and this would be the most spectacular scenario, maybe testing a new model altogether?

The actual answer is still a mystery, but word has it Porsche is either attempting to fix a calibration issue that was discovered while the first cars were being prepared for their customers or testing some drivetrain software upgrades that may be introduced in the future. It could also mean that Stuttgart might have commenced testing for the much-rumored 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, but it would be a bit too early for such a prototype given the hyper 911->ke282 is reportedly scheduled to arrive three years from now.

Testing aside, the GT3 RS, which was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show,->ke228 should be ready to meet its first customers later this year. As a brief reminder, the most powerful naturally aspirated 911 on the market right now uses a 4.0-liter flat-six engine rated at 493 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. It needs only 3.3 seconds to hit 62 mph and hits a top speed of 193 mph. Sounds like this road-legal race car->ke148 doesn't need any upgrades...

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Why it matters

Whatever Porsche was doing at the "Green Hell," it's quite obvious that we have yet another mystery on our hands. Personally, I'd like to believe that Porsche is actually working on a manual GT3 RS, but the Germans were adamant that such a thing isn't going to happen on many occasions. If Porsche did discover any issues with the car, I can understand the need for additional testing.

As some of you may remember, Stuttgart had plenty of trouble with the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3, which had to be recalled after several examples caught fire out of the blue. In early 2014, Porsche recalled all 785 units sold in 2013 to replace the 3.8-liter flat-six engine, which turned out to be the main cause of the fires. I'm not saying this will happen again, but I'm positive Porsche is now a lot more careful with its new, high-performance products.

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Find out more about the Porsche 911 GT3 RS in our review here.