Lucky Plane Passengers Are Getting A Ride In A Porsche 911 GT3 RS ‘Shuttle’

The current Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a monster. With 518bhp, a 3.2-second 0-62mph time and the ability to produce up to 860kg of downforce, it’s a machine unashamedly designed for the circuit.

Really, you need a big, open space to get the most out of it. Somewhere like a race track. Or maybe an airport. Porsche and American airline Delta clearly agree, because, for a limited time, some lucky passengers catching connecting flights through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are getting whisked from plane to plane in the passenger seat of a new GT3 RS.

The limited opportunity is the result of a long-standing partnership between Porsche and Delta. The airline does in fact already offer a paid Porsche transfer service, known as VIP Select, at certain US airports, although this costs $500 at a minimum and is a semi-secret thing that Delta doesn’t openly publicise. Furthermore, this service tends to use either a Panamera or Cayenne.

The limited-time opportunity to be whizzed across the tarmac in a GT3 RS, on the other hand, is being randomly offered to passengers with tight connections between Delta flights at LAX, which should relieve at least some of the stress of the connection process.

Whether the 911’s driver is utilising all of its performance isn’t clear - probably not, given that LAX is the fifth-busiest airport in the US and driving a high-performance track car on the limit amongst taxiing 777s probably isn’t the wisest idea. Still, not too many people will have the chance to ride shotgun in a GT3 RS, so for the lucky ones who are selected, it’s likely to be a highlight of an otherwise stressful experience.

This isn’t the first time Porsche and Delta have teamed up to give unsuspecting passengers rides in something exotic - last year, a similar service was briefly offered at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport with a 918 Spyder. Presumably, in both cases, anyone with more than a single carry-on bag is out of luck.