TRACK & RACE
It’s billed as a road car, but Porsche’s latest offering would shine best at Brands Hatch or Spa
THIS is a car that is crying out for a race track. My driving licence would also like it if we were at Brands Hatch, Spa in Belgium or anywhere else where you are applauded for going fast, rather than thrown in prison.
This is the latest Porsche 911 GT3 and it is all the high-performance car you will ever need. Granted, £123,100 is a serious amount of money, but spending double that on a McLaren, Ferrari or Lamborghini would be throwing cash away because you wouldn’t have any more fun or go much faster.
The engine is the same 4.0-litre flat-six naturally aspirated motor that was used in the previous generation GT3, except that it has an extra 10bhp. That means a total of 513bhp which is more than enough for the road and track. It’s not the engine’s power that’s so exciting, it’s the feel and sound of the motor.
That maximum power is produced at 8,400rpm but the crankshaft will keep spinning to a 9,000rpm redline.
It sounds amazing and if you’re in anything above second gear when all that drama is happening you’ll be above the national speed limit. Talking of gears, the GT3 is available with either Porsche’s double clutch auto or a six-speed manual gearbox. Our car has the latter which explains why the smile on my face is wider than ever.
Porsche are masters of keeping weight in check and while most cars get heavier with each new generation, this car has managed to put on only 4kg. I can put on more than that on a two-week holiday. Engineers have saved 6kg in the engine, 10kg in the exhaust system and another 10 by using a lithium ion battery. Thinner glass loses another 4.7kg and carbon reinforced plastic saves 2.5kg.
There’s even more weight to be saved if you spec your car with ceramic brakes but that will also seriously lighten your wallet. This is the first road-going 911 fitted with double front wishbones rather than McPherson struts. Put simply, with double wishbones it is easier to keep more of the tyres’ surface in contact with the road. Or track.
The biggest improvement that has come with this new front suspension is in the steering. It’s a bit lighter than
I’d choose but you can feel exactly what is happening at the front of the car. I’d say it’s about the best steering fitted to a modern sports car. I suspect it feels even better when you’re at speed on a circuit because, unlike on the public road, the 385kg of downforce that the rear wing and front spoiler generate will make a big difference to how the car corners.
With those wishbones come springs that are double the stiffness of those on the previous GT3. You might expect them to have turned an already stiffriding car into a teeth loosener but although this new car has a quite hard ride it isn’t uncomfortable.
Certainly you won’t regret driving this Porsche to a foreign circuit (again, I’d recommend Spa in Belgium) for track excitement.
Those who want to retain the drama but travel in a bit more comfort might want to wait for what is called the Touring version of the GT3. Porsche hasn’t confirmed that it is making this car but it’ll probably arrive by the end of this year.
That car would be my choice because even without the wings it’ll still be amazing on a track. It’s pretty likely that the next generation 911 GT3, if there is one, will have some form of electrification. If it does, even Porsche won’t be able to keep its weight in check. For this reason I suspect that anyone who buys this car will have a very keen investment.
But it would be a waste to keep it under a blanket and never use it. This remarkable car deserves to be driven hard on a track.