Wingless wonder
FOR Mesmerising engine and handling, low key bodywork
AGAINST Is it perhaps too polished? Getting hold of one
Have the manual. There are plenty of other choices to make when buying a GT3 Touring, but that’s the only one that really matters. It puts you more in touch with this incredible flat-six engine, makes you think more, be more involved, use different parts of this engine’s strident, far reaching range. Cracking shift, too. And besides, the pull of the PDK paddles is a bit soft.
Just bear in mind you won’t save a penny. All GT3s, regardless of gearbox or whether you choose the Touring package, cost £127,820. Let’s put money to one side now, as these things are oversubscribed already. Touring package, that’s the key here. It’s a commonly held misconception that the Touring is a backed off GT3, fitted with softer springs, dampers and a more forgiving set-up. It’s not, and hasn’t been since it first appeared in 2017. This is a cosmetic package.
The big wing goes, and in its place comes the pop-up spoiler from the regular 911, the exterior brightwork is aluminium rather than black and inside you have leather not Race-Tex. The aim is a lower key experience, less track focused due to the downforce reduction.
This car is about tactility rather than power and numbers. I can tell you the 4.0-litre nat-asp flat-six has gained 10bhp since the last generation, but that’s not remarkable. It revs clean through to 9,000rpm, which is. Getting in the car, having the rev counter in pride of place and seeing that the 12 o’clock point is 5,000rpm and that’s only halfway round the markings... well, if you still think that petrol has a place, these things matter.
The purity, noise and drama is a vital reminder of just how dull electric is. Two nitpicks. It could – should – be louder inside. The noise is almost too smooth. And the gearing in the manual (as ever with Porsche) is too long. Zero issues with the manual shift though – the cross-gate action from second to third is the slickest I’ve come across in years.
You never forget that this is a hardcore car, very precise in its movements, especially its steering and turn-in thanks to the new double wishbone front suspension, which even at modest speeds has detectably improved the front axle’s bite and grip. It’s more incisive than ever, and firmly sprung (although the way the suspension rounds the edges off even big hits is a delight). Not raw, just perfectly filtered. Not a huge step on from the old one, but still a car you could drive daily. To have this tactility and precision in such a desirable, understated package is unbeatable.