WINGLESS GT3 'TOURING' MAKES FRANKFURT DEBUT
The same but different froma 911 R
Long a rumour but now a reality, Porsche has taken the wraps off the Touring Package for the latest 911 GT3. At first glance, the new option package results in a car that looks an awful lot like the recent limited edition 911 R. It packs a naturally aspirated 500hp flat-six motor and a GT3 chassis, but not the GT3'S extrovert rear wing. Like the R, the GT3 Touring is also only available with a manual ’box.
However, the Touring is based on the latest second-generation 991 GT3. That means it sports a heavily revised engine with a stiffer crankshaft, revised air intakes, a tweaked top end, reduced friction throughout and a 9000rpm redline to the R's mere 8500rpm cut out. Porsche says the new model is good for 62mph in 3.9 seconds and will run on to 196mph.
Barring the loss of the rear wing, Porsche says the body is unchanged compared to its regular GT3 sibling. So that's larger air intakes up front compared to a standard 911 Carrera, plus vents in the nose cone. 20-inch forged alloy wheels with centre locking nuts are, again, the same as the regular GT3. Up front are the likewise identical 245/35 ZR 20 boots on nine-inch rims, while at the rear it's 305/30 ZR 20 rollers on 12-inch wheel rims.
Apart from the Clubsport Package and Alcantara interior equipment ranges, virtually all 911 GT3 options are also available in combination with the Touring Package. They include features such as all exterior and wheel colours, PCCB ceramic brakes, front axle lift system, LED headlights, all seat variants, the Chrono Package and audio systems.
The Touring Package option is available to order now at no extra cost and thus is yours for £111,802 including VAT. Porsche has emphasised that this is not a limited model like the 911 R. However, we understand the Touring Package amounts to a new option available for existing GT3 allocations. In other words, the total production run of GT3S will not go up as a consequence of the Touring Package. If you didn't have a UK allocation for a GT3 already, you may find it tricky to order a car with the new option pack.
As for what impact this very R-like new model will have on the stratospheric values of the actual 911 R, only time will tell. However, the R remains an exclusive, limited-production model and if other modern-day 911-based specials like the 997 Sport Classic are anything to go by, R owners probably have little to fear. The Sport Classic is mechanically little different to a 997 Carrera GTS but that hasn't prevented it from appreciating dramatically in recent years. So the fact that the R looks a lot like this new GT3 Touring, on paper, probably doesn't matter much, either. It's exclusivity that really counts, less so the numbers on the spec sheet.