The cats out of the bag!. Porsche has been teasing us for sometime now with their motorsport inspired GT3 and we have waited patiently. The wait is finally over and now we can see the new 911 GT3 in all its glory. With those striking wings, vents and swollen haunches you know it means business. For those that don’t know the GT3 line of 911’s is basically their racecars for the road. Porsche engineers basically take what they have learned from their racing program and build it into their road cars. Starting with the aero package.
The new larger fixed-wing and not so subtle rear diffuser do an amazing job of pushing this car to the ground. This was proven in a recent outing to the “Green Hell”(Nuerburgring-Nordschleife) where the new GT3 lapped the full 20.8km track in under 7min. 6:59.927 to be exact which is a full 17 seconds quicker than the predecessor. Although the car has grown a little in size the boffins at Porsche managed to keep the weight similar to the previous car. 1418kg for the Manual and 1435kg for the PDK version.
Boxer outback.
The engine, as with all GT3’s is a naturally aspirated horizontally opposed 6-pot. Still measuring 4.0l the uprated engine which now features things like titanium conrods and ITB’s yet is still Euro 6 compliant. This free-revving lump is good for a solid 375kw at 8400 rpm(redline is 9000rpm). While torque is a maximum of 475nm at 6100rpm. These figures equate to a car capable of hitting 100km/h from a standstill in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 320km/h. although both power and torque figures are more than adequate they are quite peaky but it is in line with the purpose of the GT3. This car is made for the track but you can drive it on the road. This brings me to the chassis details that make it a GT3.
Under the Skin.
Starting with ground contact the GT3 rides on newly developed lightweight wheels with the option of wrapping them in sticky Cup 2 R tires from Michelin. Porsches brilliant PCCB carbon-ceramic brakes are now also an option as well as the half cage on the inside. Once again taking hints from the racing cars the front suspension is now a double-wishbone setup. This should make for a precise driving machine while still being compliant on the road. Although not strictly performance-orientated I am loving the new Shark blue paint hue. its also going to be available in Guards red which has been quite a popular colour for Porsche recently. Overall the new GT3 is going to be a brilliant racecar for the road as its always been. Now we wait for the RS version.
The Cacoon.
On the inside, the new GT3 is pretty much the same as any new 911 albeit with a couple of unique touches. A new feature is the track screen: at the touch of a button, it reduces the digital displays to the left and right of the central rev counter, which reaches up to 10,000 revs, to information such as tyre pressure indicator, oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel tank level and water temperature. It also includes a visual shift assistant with coloured bars to the left and right of the rev counter and a shift light. Shifting on the new GT3 can be done either by a 6-speed manual or Porshe PDK dual-clutch but if it where my money I would have the manual thanks. The new GT3 goes on sale from May 2021 and starts at 152,416 euros but will vary depending on where you are from.
