Porsche is expanding the 911 delivery range with the mighty GT3. It squeezes 510 hp from its 4.0 six-cylinder boxer engine and can therefore call itself the sportiest member of the 911 family until the arrival of the GT3 RS and GT2.
Anyone who is not completely familiar with the Porsche 911 will undoubtedly start to get dizzy when all versions of the icon pass in review. The 992 generation, presented in 2019, is already available in numerous flavors. Buyers of a 911 can admire the Carrera, Carrera 4, Carrera S, Turbo and Turbo S in the Porsche showrooms. New is this GT3, the sportiest naturally aspirated 911 you can buy until the arrival of a new GT3 RS .
Porsche 911 GT3
Although the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S with their 581 hp and 650 hp 3.8 six-cylinder boxer engines respectively are the real powerhouses, the new GT3 is the most dynamic of the bunch. It will have an engine derived from that of the 911 GT3 R Endurance racer, a block that is also in the new 911 GT3 Cup racer. In the case of the current GT3, this means that a 510 hp and 470 Nm strong turbo-free 4.0-liter six-cylinder boxer engine does its job in the rear. The power increase is therefore 10 hp and 10 Nm compared to its predecessor. Those figures are familiar to connoisseurs, the limited 911 Speedster from 2019 had the same power. The engine is therefore almost the same as that car, although it did get a new exhaust system, partly to meet all emission requirements. When we speak to Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger, he does indicate that the 510 hp is a modest statement of the actual power, something we are used to from Porsche. 520 is probably more with reality. The redline is again at 9,000 rpm. At this time, a naturally aspirated engine with this power is a rarity and, according to the man, it was also a task to meet all global emission requirements. “We want to continue with a naturally aspirated engine for the GT3 for as long as possible and we will continue to do it as long as we can. The new 2025 EU requirements are a challenge, but here we are used to thinking outside the box. solutions. ” A KERS or hybrid system could help, but then you have a different problem, according to Preuninger. “Something like that creates extra kilos. And if there is one requirement at the top of GT3 buyers, it is that there is no weight gain. So we have a dilemma there.”
Porsche 911 GT3
The new 911 GT3 will have a six-speed manual transmission, but is also available with a PDK automatic transmission. The manual variant puts 1,418 kilos in the scale, the automatic transmission is slightly heavier with a vehicle weight of 1,435. The average fuel consumption, irrelevant in this segment, is 13.3 l / 100 km. A sprint from a standstill to 100 km / h is completed in 3.4 seconds. The top speed is 320 km / h. If you choose the 911 GT3 with automatic transmission, you have to do it with a negligibly lower top speed of 318 km / h. The machine has seven gears vs eight in the Carreras and the 911 Turbo and is based on the gearbox from the previous generation 911. That is why the car does not have a small lever from the 922 Carrera but a large lever for the automatic transmission, so you can the poker can shift and not only with the flippers. “This was a personal requirement”, says Preuninger, who clearly shows that he (like us) is not a fan of the little stick in the 992. “When I drive on the open road in a GT3 with PDK, I prefer to switch with the poker then with the flippers, the latter I only use on the track. And I understand from customers that this also applies to a large part of them. The new PDK with eight gears is also heavier than the seven-speed that we use and that overdrive gear is not necessary on a GT3 anyway. “
Ring buster
Those are impressive numbers, but owners of the previous 911 GT3 are neither warm nor cold. After all, it is the circuit on which the novice showcases his honed qualities, mainly thanks to improved aerodynamics. The 911 GT3 is the first production car with a naturally aspirated engine to complete a lap on the infamous 20.8 kilometer long Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than 7 minutes. Test driver Lars Kern crashed the youngest 911 GT3 over the ‘Ring’ in 6: 59.927 minutes. Kern managed to conquer the slightly shorter 20.6 kilometer long configuration of the Nordschleife in 6: 55.2 minutes. Mind you, the 911 GT3 was on the optional Michelin Sport Cup 2 R tires during these rounds. The same Lars Kern set a time of 7: 12.7 minutes with the previous 911 GT3. That gain is largely due to the downforce, which was the focus of the 992 GT3 development. The special hanging ‘swan neck’ spoiler is a striking feature of this.
Porsche 911 GT3
Porsche Motorsport, the motorsport department of Zuffenhausen, has been very involved in the development of the car. It should therefore come as no surprise that the new GT3 is laced with technology from racing. For example, the suspension at the front with its double triangular wishbones comes straight from the 911 RSR circuit racer. The manually adjustable rear wing and the lavish diffuser also originate from that fierce racing version of the 911. The front cover is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, the windows are made of lightweight glass and the exhaust system is also a featherweight. The complete system with adjustable valves weighs only 10 kilos.
The racing genes are expressed not only on the outside, but also on the inside, albeit to a lesser extent. Porsche gives the 911 GT3 a mode in which the clocks on the left and right side of the centrally located tachometer display information such as tire pressure, oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel level and cooling water temperature. Also on board is a gear shift indicator made up of colored bars.
Porsche 911 GT3
According to Preuninger, it is always a challenge to replace the outgoing GT3, because those are cars that are often described as perfect. “I sometimes worry about that,” he laughs. “But we have a few starting points. In any case, the new 992 platform is of course also better so that we have more room to do our thing. The general technical developments do not stand still. The reason why we opted for the ‘double wishbone’ suspension. for the front axle, we were already at the max of what we could achieve with the old set-up, but with the new suspension we were able to take real steps, the driveability of the car is really a huge the car is better you become even more involved in driving. “
Price and availability
The new Porsche 911 GT3 will be available from May this year and has a starting price of € 236,200 in the Netherlands. That price can still be raised considerably if you order the treats that Porsche Exclusive offers on the 911 GT3. The car can be equipped with a roof made entirely of visible carbon fiber. Carbon fiber side mirror caps can also be ordered, the same applies to darker headlights and rear lights. Porsche may eventually expand the delivery range with a more modest-looking GT3 Touring Package variant. In any case, it is certain that the 911 GT3 will eventually have a rock-hard GT3 RS and an extreme GT2 RS with a blown heart above it. Preuninger also indicates that there will be a Touring Pack of the GT3 again: a version that lacks most of the spoiler work with a manual gearbox, for the most driving pleasure on public roads. Probably before the summer. “This is a concept that now deserves a permanent place in our line-up, it also gives us the space to make the ‘standard’ GT3 with wing a little more hardcore, although of course we have to balance this with the new GT3 RS which, like as you know you will still appear. “