The new Porsche 911 GT3 inherits its flat-six forebears’ genes to become the pinnacle of its progeny.
Since its introduction in 1999, the Porsche 911 GT3 has become a benchmark sports car over the years, much like its spiritual predecessor, the Carrera RS, was before it. For the first generation, the German marque took the performance and engineering of the then-new GT3 race car in the Porsche Supercup series and transferred it to a road car. To prove a point, iconic racing driver Walter Röhrl cemented the 991-generation model’s place in history by making it the first road-legal production car to break the eight-minute barrier at the Nürburgring back in the day when we cared about such a thing.
The seventh edition of the GT3 has arrived on local shores, its ferocious flat-six now howling on the southern-most tip of Africa. We’ve been fortunate to drive both the winged and the slightly more subtle Touring versions before it landed here.
Even though many elements are carried over from the previous generation, including the 4.0-litre boxer motor, there are enough changes to make a significant difference. But let’s start with the 992 generation’s horizontally-opposed heart.
Although a straight drop-in from the old one, the rear-mounted flat-six has been tweaked to produce more power and torque and lift the peak power point by 150 r/min to 8 400. The red line sits at an atmospheric 9 000 r/min. The option of a six-speed manual gearbox has returned. However, many will opt for the dual-clutch transmission, which provides near-imperceptible shifts for a zero to 100 km/h sprint time of 3.4 seconds (the manual variant reaches the three-figure marker from a standstill in 3.9 seconds).
To give you an idea of how good the engine is, Porsche has barely changed anything for its use in the 911 GT3 Cup race cars. This is how it should be if your race car were developed to reflect its road-going sibling and vice versa.
So if the big news isn’t the engine, then what is? The answer is suspension. Gone are the MacPherson struts upfront. It has been replaced by a double-wishbone arrangement almost identical to that used in the 911 RSR. This set-up keeps things more level over bumps and during hard braking. It also reduces lateral forces acting on the shocks to stabilise the car in the corners.
Add in revised fore and aft springs and new ball joints to replace the former rubber components, and you have a car that is more communicative than ever. When you consider that the previous generation was already one of the best driver’s cars available, that’s saying something.
The 20-inch alloy wheels up front are surrounded by 255/35 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup rubber. Within their circular domain sit six-piston brake callipers that clamp down on 408 mm (up by 28 mm) diameter discs. The rear benefits from 21-inch items with 315/30 rubber and 380 mm discs. There’s the option of fitting carbon ceramics all around.
Then there’s that swan-neck rear wing. Depending on how much speed and downforce you need, it can be adjusted to one of four positions. When all the aero bits are set to Performance mode, the total downforce increases by 150 per cent at 200 km/h.
Talking of adjustment, we drove a GT3 with the optional Clubsport package, including a seat whose back can only be altered by using a screwdriver. If you’re going to Woolies, you’ll need to take your pit crew. The package also includes a roll cage, fire extinguishers, six-point harnesses, and a cut-out switch, but it’s still very comfortable despite all the track items.
It even retains the infotainment system so you can stream your best tunes while tackling the corners of Kyalami or Killarney. There’s a new Track Screen button that switches off all non-essential info to focus on tyre temperatures and the like if you are on track.
As you’d expect, there are multiple driving modes from Normal for the school run (no back seats, though, even in the Touring version) through to full-on Track mode. They all allow you to have more fun or, if you are brave enough, more thrills depending on your point of view and your level of skill. Normal mode can be a little over-sensitive, but anything from Sport onwards will make you feel properly engaged and incrementally remove the nanny aids to allow outright hooliganism if conditions are perfect.
Play with the paddles or leave the PDK to do its own devices and the gear changes are rapid at peak revs. The front end can feel a little light on occasion. Still, the new suspension fulfils its promise, keeping things flat in the corners and allowing you to focus on the steering, which in typical Porsche fashion is surgically precise.
The new GT3 is most at home on the track, where its ability to almost telepathically interpret the driver’s demands is incredible. A constant level of communication from the GT3 proves that every piece of engineering and software has a purpose, to get the most out of the car, the conditions, and the driver.
You can add a few things if you like. These include a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic roof, the Clubsport package or other items from Porsche’s Exclusive Manufaktur catalogue, but you won’t find much that you really need. That’s because the GT3 has been created by people who get it, who know what makes a great performance car and, even better, a great performance car that can deliver on track and then deliver you home.
The latest-generation GT3 has been enhanced in all the right places without any gimmicks. It’s a truly great sports car, made even greater.
Wingless wunder
Before you order your 911 GT3 in full-wing spec, hold on one second because, as with the previous generation, there’s a Touring version, and it’s the one we’d have. It still has all the character of the winged GT3 and the same performance, but it’s a little more civilised, a little more proper GT, and, dare we say it, a little more classy. It’s the GT3 for those who want to be at the receiving end of a subtle nod from those who know as you pull up to valet parking at the Saxon or the One & Only.
None of this means it’s any less exhilarating a drive. On country roads, it not only met our expectations but completely obliterated them. It relished every power demand, delivered every brake request, and provided a level of grip that made us demand more in the next turn and then the one after that.
It still doesn’t have any rear seats, however. But it has a few more creature comforts, the kind you might like to have for a tour of the Garden Route or while cruising into Stellenbosch as the brakes cool after a blast through Franschhoek Pass.
It could very well be the most perfect car ever made. Besides, you can always put the kids in a taxi.
At a glance
Porsche 911 GT3 PDK
- Price: R3 109 000
- Engine: 4.0 L, flat-6, petrol
- Transmission: 7-spd dual-clutch
- Driven wheels: R
- Power: 375 kW @ 8 400 r/min
- Torque: 470 Nm @ 6 100 r/pm
- 0-100 km/h: 3.4 seconds
- Top speed: 318 km/h
- Fuel consumption: 12.4 L/100 km
- CO2: 283 g/km
Published in APEX issue 05.
