The 911 GT3 is not the answer Which ask? Every generation since the first iteration appeared in 1999 the answerunless you happen to be one of those strange people who denies the 911. Yes, it’s a bit predictable, but it’s not the Porsche 911’s fault for being the world’s best sports car. Marinated in Porsche’s monumental motorsport genius, the GT3 is traditionally the sweetest of the sweet spots and equally devastating on the road and on the track.
However, for the first time since 1999, the new GT3 arrives in unusually hostile territory. The view of this kind of selfish, highly developed hedonism is not as forgiving as it used to be. Then there’s the challenge from within, in the form of the latest Turbo S whose phenomenal pace is now more nuanced than ever. And what about the Taycan, the Porsche that’s exciting in more ways than one?
The 992-era 911 GT3 suggests the game isn’t ready yet. It also confirms that Porsche is willing to go the extra mile to keep the hardcore believers happy. The engine is a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter, has little in common with the engine found elsewhere in the 992 range, and has a lot to do with the engine used in Porsche’s GT3 Cup racing car. Power is up a modest 10 hp to 503 hp, torque to 347 lb ft. That is more than enough. It accelerates to 100 km / h in 3.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 198 km / h. Also sufficient.
Built on the same production line as the competition unit, the engine has six individual throttle butterfly valves and a new stainless steel exhaust system. In other words, this is a 911 variant with its own tailor-made power unit, deliberately avoiding the technology of its siblings, presumably because that’s what 911 GT3 customers prefer. No forced induction. Likewise, you can have it with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed PDK, with the manual for some reason proving more popular in the US than the dual-clutch automatic (it’s 50/50 in the UK). The PDK is 20kg lighter than the one used elsewhere as it has a lower ratio and offers torque vectoring via an electronically controlled differential lock. The manual has a mechanical differential lock on the back and the hardware gives it a weight advantage over the bulkier PDK of about 16.8 kg.
Weight reduction is one of the obsessions that make this car what it is. Some examples: the carbon fiber roof is 1 kg lighter than the regular steel roof, the full-bucket carbon seats are 15 kg lighter than the standard four-way adjustable sports seats, the removal of some of the 992’s sound-deadening material loses a further 1.9 kg, and if you pony up for the ceramic brakes (£ 6,498) you’ll save another 17.7kg. This methodology informs every aspect of the car, ensuring that the GT3 with the PDK that TG drives here weighs 1,435 kg, only 5 kg more than the outgoing car (despite the addition of a gas particulate filter and other regulatory gubbins).
Ask any car designer to name the rival product they most admire and they’ll name the 911. The 992 GT3’s visual makeover is mainly about aerodynamics, most of it borrowed from motorsport. The surfaces of this car, especially the pieces that you can’t see, are very busy with flowing air. There’s a four-stage adjustable front splitter, an intricate full-panel bottom plate, a juicy-looking rear diffuser, and possibly the most elaborate rear wing ever seen on a street-legal Porsche. It sits on a four-way manually adjustable so-called ‘gooseneck’ that improves the airflow along the underside of the wing.
The result is a car whose numbers make the old GT3 look about as aerodynamically sharp as a brick outbuilding; at 200 km / h, with the wing in performance aero setting, it generates 385 kg of downforce (a 150 percent improvement over the previous car). The track width at the front has grown by 48 mm and in general the 911 GT3 is now dangerously losing the maneuverability, which is one of its most important characteristics. Don’t let it get any bigger, Porsche.