The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Is Here For 9000rpm N/A Thrills

The mighty GT3 is back for the 992 generation, and there's still a pleasing lack of turbochargers
The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Is Here For 9000rpm N/A Thrills

The 992 Porsche 911 is set to be spun off into myriad derivatives. We’ve already seen a great deal of them, including the versatile Targa and all-powerful Turbo, but Porsche has now revealed what’ll arguably be the best of the lot - the 911 GT3.

The 992 version was long-rumoured to adopt a turbocharged powertrain, but as confirmed by Porsche late last year, it’s sticking with the same 4.0-litre, naturally-aspirated flat-six as the 991.2 model. This 9000rpm-capable screamer, derived from the GT3 R racer, develops 503bhp. That’s an increase of just 10bhp.

The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Is Here For 9000rpm N/A Thrills

Consequently, the 0-62mph time remains stubbornly static at 3.4 seconds. No faster than the old one, and just a tenth faster than a PDK 911 Carrera S, but acceleration figures have never been the point with the GT3. Where it matters, there are some dramatic changes.

Chief among these is the adoption of a double-wishbone front suspension layout. It’s the first road-going 911 ever to feature anything other than MacPherson struts at the front, taking the lead from the similarly configured 911 RSR LM-GTE machine.

The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Is Here For 9000rpm N/A Thrills

Also inspired by the GTE car is the ‘swan neck’ top-mount rear wing, and the new rear diffuser. Both of these parts have manually adjustable elements.

On the subject of the bodywork, compared to its predecessor the GT3 uses a wider shell housing bigger wheels, yet weighs roughly the same at 1435kg. Helping trim the fat, Porsche has fitted a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic bonnet, lighter glass windows and forged rims.

All of this contributes to a car that’s rather brisk on track. Porsche development driver Lars Kern took the car around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in just six minutes and 55.2 seconds when measured by the 20.6-kilometre layout - 17 seconds quicker than the old one and over a second faster than the outgoing GT3 RS. As with the mightiest 991.2 RS, optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres were used.

The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Is Here For 9000rpm N/A Thrills

Also on the configurator is a six-speed manual gearbox. What it loses to the PDK in acceleration (there isn’t a figure yet, but expect a drop of about half a second for the 0-62 time) it gains in top speed bragging rights. Well, just - its 199mph top whack is 1mph higher than the auto. It’s also 17kg lighter.

The 992 GT3 is priced from £123,100, which is ridiculous value for money considering how much some of the car’s rivals cost. First deliveries will begin this May.

Comments

Markus Walker

“The mighty GT3 is back for the 992 generation, and there’s still a pleasing lack of turbochargers”.

This kinda defeats the purpose of GT3 (RS).

02/16/2021 - 16:52 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

That’s one hell of a car for the price tag compared to competitors

02/17/2021 - 11:00 |
0 | 0

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