Comes as a surprise
New Porsche 911 GT3 breaks with tradition
Porsche is revamping the GT3 series of the 992. Although performance remains at the same level as its predecessor, a number of measures are intended to make the new version more precise on the track and more enjoyable for everyday driving.
Suffice it to say GT3 and everyone in the motorsport scene probably knows what is meant: the Porsche 911, and in a form that cannot be bought from any other sports car manufacturer. A highly emotional road car with a large portion of racing technology under the bodywork. The 911 GT3 is one of the icons among sports cars. No other model sweeps around the world's racetracks more often.
Enduring success and guaranteed value
When the GT3 first appeared 25 years ago as the successor to the legendary Carrera RS, even Porsche did not believe that it would be the success story that it has become over the years. After all, the GT3 was originally only intended as a homologation car for racing. Today, customers are queuing up to get their hands on one as early as possible. Used cars are often sold for more than the original price. Men are fulfilling their childhood dreams.
Porsche's engineers have continuously improved the GT3, from generation to generation, always with the aim of making it even more dynamic and precise on the track, while at the same time not losing sight of its suitability for everyday use. The power output increased from an initial 360 hp to 510 hp.
No extra power for good reasons
This will remain the case with the latest version that Porsche is now launching: The engine engineers have deliberately refrained from turning the power screw even further on the GT3 992.2. Future emissions legislation would no longer have permitted this. Increasing performance via a turbocharger would also be a no-go. Turbocharging would undermine the naturally aspirated engine principle, which is popular with customers, as well as the high-rev concept.
And electrification would ultimately add more weight to the car, which speaks against the traditional lightweight construction principle. "We think that with 510 hp and 1420 kilograms, we have hit the sweet spot where everything fits best," says overall project manager Andreas Preuninger.
The design team did not have an easy task. After all, the predecessor 992.1 already looked perfectly shaped and coherent. And Porsche is the last car manufacturer to give an icon like the 911 any fashionable frills. Everything follows the motto "form follows function".
But the new GT3 should be a little different from the previous one. The front and rear have been revised, the light functions in the headlights have been designed in such a way that the additional lights in the front apron are no longer necessary, which in turn makes larger air intakes possible. At the rear, the diffuser and wing were redesigned. It was given angled side plates. The gooseneck brackets, already the subject of much internal debate on the predecessor, remain and have established themselves as a cool racing element.
Fine-tuning the chassis
The trailing arms were given an aerodynamic profile for better downforce and more efficient brake cooling. Pitching under braking was reduced by moving the ball joints (anti-dive). The GT3 adopts this modification from its racing brother, the GT3 RS. The same applies to its camshafts to enable better power delivery at the top.
In addition, both the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission and the manual six-speed gearbox have been given an eight percent shorter final drive ratio. This may have little significance in everyday driving, but on the track, racing driver Jörg Bergmeister confirms that the new GT3 has better driving dynamics out of corners, especially as the damper characteristics have also been adjusted. With PDK, the GT3 manages the zero to 100 discipline in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 311 km/h.
The first GT3 with rear seats
With the GT3 model change, Porsche is also offering customers new equipment options. For the first time, the popular Touring package is available directly from the market launch. This package does not include the large rear wing. The aerodynamic balance is then provided by a retractable spoiler, which Porsche calls the Gurney flap.
In the previously exclusively two-seater interior, Porsche is breaking with tradition: rear seats can be ordered for the first time, provided the Touring package is included. Another new feature is a lightweight bucket seat with folding backrest and carbon-fiber seat shells. There is even electric adjustment and seat heating. The developers have also thought about the rider's head position when wearing a helmet on the circuit. The support is then usually too close to the back of the head. So the headrest padding can now be removed in the GT3.
Apart from a few details, the cockpit has remained the same. For a better overview, the virtual round instruments have been grouped closer together. Previously, the outer ones were partially concealed by the steering wheel rim. The rev counter scale - traditionally positioned in the middle - can be rotated on request so that the limit of 9000 rpm is exactly at the 12 o'clock mark.
Weissach package as the ultimate
What the Touring package is to one person, the Weissach package is to another. For the first time, Porsche is offering this for the GT3, intended for those who occasionally test the limits of their car on the track. The stabilizer bar, coupling rods and thrust field on the rear axle are made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), as are the roof, the sideplates of the rear wing, the upper part of the exterior mirror and the airblades at the front. The top of the dashboard is covered with a low-reflection Racetex. A CfK roll cage and magnesium forged wheels are also possible, but cost extra.
Speaking of costs: as always, the prices are pretty "Porschey". As long as the customer goes along with the game, the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer's calculations work out perfectly. At least that has been the case so far. And there is nothing to suggest that this will change. People with gasoline in their blood and a well-filled bank account don't even flinch at a starting price of 300,967 euros (the previous model was around 20,000 euros cheaper). And the list of extras seems endless. The Weissach package demands a further 30,000 euros or so. Porsche also has a lightweight construction package for around 50,000 euros in its quiver. Orders can be placed from the end of the year.
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