When the new 911 GT3 RS rolled out onto a brightly lit stage at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, a heavy black sheet clinging to its curves, there was a brief moment of hush before the cloak lifted and the loud beat of a carefully selected soundtrack kicked in. The GT3 RS is about to make a proper entry.

Cue the Isle of Man: a curious possession of the British crown in the middle of the Irish Sea that’s home to seaside towns, sweeping mountain roads and the world-famous TT motorbike race. Spanning just 572 square kilometers, the Isle of Man – or Mann, has been home to the world famous Tourist Trophy since 1907, each year drawing crowds of around 45,000 to watch one of the most fiercely contested events in the global racing calendar. The 60.73 km course pits man and bike against some of the most demanding roads on earth, requiring nerves of steel and an almost unimaginable amount of trust in the wheels beneath each rider.

Little did we wonder, that Porsche has chosen this magical isle for the dynamic debut of the latest version of the 911 GT3 RS. The bikes’ attributes over less-than-perfect roads, and the trust they engender in their riders, are qualities shared only with the GT3 RS.

Joining the pair of 991.2 cars is a mouth-watering line-up of historic Rennsport Porsche, ranging from the direct predecessor, the 991.1, all the way back to the first RS, the car that started it all!

None are wrapped in cotton wool and left standing idle. Despite often horrendous weather conditions typical of an island half way between Ireland and the mountains of the British mainland, the priceless convoy makes its way out onto the TT course. While the streets and hedgerows aren’t packed today with spectators, locals stop in their tracks to offer admiring glances and thumbs-ups. And so the convoy find themselves threading their way through famous landmarks like the Ballaugh Bridge or Parliament Square in Ramsey, the precision of the GT3 RS all the more obvious to the driver as the roads narrow and twist.

On the mountain course, the speed limit no longer applies and the proximity of the grassy verges demands concentration, confidence and respect. Experience, on these roads, is crucial. Which is why the pack of 911's is accompanied by Mark Higgins and Steve Plater.

Three-time British Rally Champion, Higgins was born on the Isle of Man and in 2016, set a new TT lap record for four wheels, beating his own previous record and averaging 207.171 km/h. Riding a Ducati Panigale V4 S sportsbike for this event, Plater has won two TT races during his career, including the Blue Riband Senior event. His sector time between Ramsey Hairpin and the Bungalow remains a record nearly a decade after he set it. Higgins and Plater know what it takes to be fast at the TT, and the importance of the right machinery.

The devil is in the details, when it comes to the new GT3RS. In this new iteration of the sportscar, there are more rose joints on the suspension compared to the previous model. In fact, only one link (for the rear axle steering) doesn’t have a rose joint now, and that’s because it works better without. There are also new forged alloys that are 100g lighter than previously. And in combination with an additional 20 hp and 10 Nm over the 991.1 GT3 RS, this 991.2 feels like a previously impossible to imagine step on from the last generation.

There was satisfaction of a kind in the crowd’s reaction amidst the glare of Geneva’s motor show lights. But it is from the look in the eyes of the people coming back from driving the GT3 RS on the fast, greasy and legendarily challenging roads of the TT course, that the engineer knows that he has created a legend.

With a rich racing heritage, derestricted roads and as home to one of the most technically challenging courses in the world, the iconic Isle of Man is a motorsport Mecca. Watch the debut of the 911 GT3 RS on this intriguing island.