What stands out about the new Porsche 911 GT3?
What kind of crazy question is that? Have you ever looked at the new 911 GT3? He’s smurf blue, first of all, and he’s got a racing wing from I got you hanging there on his backside. The immense spoiler is now suspended from above for the first time. And that means that the incoming wind is not hindered in its journey along the most important side of the wing: the underside.
Also not to be missed is the exhaust note of the GT3. You recognize the typical boxer roll from thousands and the hoarse scream as the naturally aspirated engine at 9000 rpm (!) in the limiter also blares. The 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine of the GT3 dominates everything, also because hardly any sound damping has been applied to save weight. The thought that we will have to do without such engines in the future makes us emotional.
What’s good about the new Porsche 911 GT3?
Say, is it over with those stupid questions? Everything is good about the new Porsche 911 GT3. A Porsche 911 Turbo S – we drove it last year – is a better all-rounder, but also a bit clinical and almost too perfect. For experience and drama you have to go to the GT3. That starts with his combative looks. Dutch Porsche drivers tend to order their car safely (not to say cowardly) silver, gray or black, but with a GT3 you will not remain incognito in any color.
In addition, the 3.8-litre six-cylinder Turbo S is muzzled by its two turbochargers. None of that in the GT3. The high-revving competition block in the back growls, snores, saws, screeches, screeches and blares. It reacts hyper-vigilantly to the accelerator pedal and climbs like mad in the revs. If you don’t pay attention you will be in the limiter within two seconds. Which is a good sign, because that means that the PDK box will not switch up unsolicited if you do not want it.
You can also order the Porsche 911 GT3 with a manual transmission, but why would you? The PDK dual clutch transmission does a great job and is faster too (3.4 counts to 100 vs. 3.9 counts). It can be operated with flippers behind the steering wheel and a gear lever on the center tunnel, but you can also leave it in its fully automatic mode.
The GT3’s interior is standard 911, with the exception that a roll cage is fitted in the rear and there are no more rear seats. The carbon fiber bucket seats of our test car are nice, but are a crime to get in and out. From behind the wonderful sports steering wheel, you look out over a perfectly laid out dashboard, with an analog tachometer as the main instrument and an easily configurable (partly) digital instrumentation.
We’ve already put enough syrup on the beard of the powerplant, so let’s talk about the handling of the 911 GT3. Its front wheels seem to know exactly what you want at all times, reacting what you feel a millisecond before you make a decision. The control of the Porsche is so direct and instant! For better stability at high speed and a smaller turning circle in the city, the GT3 is equipped with a co-steering and counter-steering rear axle.
But with a Porsche like this you don’t have to go into town or drive on the highway to work. You get the most satisfaction in the Eiffel, the Ardennes, or perhaps on the Posbank. Places where you can squeeze more out of the new 911 GT3 than just its acceleration. You can only reach the extremes of the car on the race track, but even with half its power, the most exciting Porsche of the moment will enchant you irrevocably.
What’s less good about the new Porsche 911 GT3?
That he is no longer at our door, but again at the importer in Leusden. Oh, and if you use the GT3 a little more often, you might get annoyed by the nagging engine at constant speed and the fact that you have to use the lift system on the front axle for every threshold. Fortunately, the Porsche remembers where you did that and then raises the nose itself at that spot.
When will the new Porsche 911 GT3 come and what will it cost?
As you can see, the 911 GT3 is already here. Porsche wants to have 239,200 euros for the model. But then you’re not there yet. Our test car was packed with about 30,000 euros worth of options and it can be much crazier. For example, we would go for a Paint-to-Sample body color. Costs something, but then you also have something: a unique Porsche in a unique color.
What do I think of the new Porsche 911 GT3?
The Porsche 911 GT3 is one of the very best sports cars I have ever driven. Point!