1st Porsche 911 GT3

In terms of pure driving pleasure, the extreme Porsche continues to set the standard

THE GT3 tag was born out of Porsche’s motorsport involvement, where feedback and feel are key to speed and the limits are pushed further than in the already brilliant standard 911.

This is the driver’s car; it’s the vehicle that manufacturers such as Audi aspire to with the R8 RWS. And when you turn the Porsche’s key and that flat-six thrums into life, it’s easy to see why. Its engine settles to a busy, bassy and purposeful idle, and does without the theatrical flare of revs the R8 performs when you prod its starter button. However, once the 911 GT3 is rolling, it’s anything but plain.

The motor is a masterpiece. Apart from a few concessions to road use, the 4.0-litre unit is basically carried across from Porsche’s one-make GT3 race series. It produces 493bhp and revs to 9,000rpm. It shrieks to the red line with such ferocity, accompanied by an all-encompassing howl, that you’ll be glad of the dual-clutch box. Unlike the Audi, there’s also a manual option for the GT3, but this PDK model delivers sharper straight-line performance, slicing through the ratios with speed and savagery to equal the R8.

With that rear engine location, traction off the line is fantastic, so in slippery, wet conditions and wearing semi-slick Michelin Cup 2 rubber, the Porsche accelerated from 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds, helped by its launch control function. It either matched or bettered the R8 over our in-gear acceleration tests, but the GT3 is leagues ahead in areas you can’t measure with data.

Its steering offers more detail and feedback, relaying exactly what’s going on at the road surface. Apart from a Caterham, nothing is much purer in the world of sports cars.

It mixes this with simply sublime suspension damping. There’s no denying it’s firm, but so is the R8, yet in its Normal chassis setting and on 20-inch wheels, the GT3 filters out the worst most surfaces can throw at it, so it’s actually surprisingly comfortable on the road.

In the Sport setting and on the track, it generates staggering grip, and it’s made more exploitable by the Porsche’s beautiful balance and great agility, changing direction with even more aggression and precision than the R8.

The connection with the chassis is so deep and detailed that you instantly feel a slide, and it’s so responsive that small inputs with the steering, throttle and brake keep things in check. Yet the GT3 doesn’t feel nervous or flighty, with all that grip giving a wonderfully planted feel.

Which gearbox suits you?

IF want a 911 GT3 you’ll have to make one big choice: manual or PDK automatic. We’ve listed deals for both here, and while the manual offers that extra level of involvement many drivers buying a GT3 crave, for ultimate track performance, we’d go for the PDK.

With a £15,000 deposit, based on a three-year PCP deal limited to 10,000 miles per year, you’ll pay £1,086 a month for the manual model. As the PDK auto version we’ve tested here costs exactly the same, your monthly payments will be identical. Porsche offers this as a no-cost option, giving customers an extra element of choice when compared with the Audi.

Over three years this means you’ll pay £21,528 less for the GT3 compared with the R8 RWS. Given it’s the better car overall, it cements its position as the winner in this head-to-head test.