The 991 years
The shift was seismic. We remember sitting in the press conference at launch with Andreas Preuninger justifying the loss of the manual transmission. “It’s faster,” he said, not looking entirely convinced. The 991 was always going to be a different GT3, but to what degree? A bigger car physically, the 991 adopted the Carrera 4’s wide body, lost the Mezger engine for a 3.8-litre derivation of the Carrera S’s unit and featured electrically assisted power steering over the hydraulic set-up of its predecessors. The loss of manual transmission was its most significant change, one Porsche would rectify with the Gen2.
Does that leave the 991.1 GT3 as something to be overlooked? Not one bit, it bringing more breadth to the GT3’S repertoire yet retaining most of its core appeal. Power is now 475hp from an engine that might not be the Mezger in actuality, but apes its enthusiasm for revs and keenness of response with a 9,000rpm redline. Agility remains sensational, too, though here the 991 shrinks itself by throwing a technical arsenal at the drive, including rear-wheel steering in the mix, Preuninger describing the GT3 at launch as: “Reloaded, updated, but still refreshingly different.”
He wasn’t wrong. The ease by which the 991.1 GT3 can carry its speed is incredible, it retaining all the elementary traits that define the GT3, those being poise, balance, speed, sensational brakes and an engine that’s spine-tingling in its response, feeling directly connected to your synapses. It’s easier though, the digit-flicking, gear-shifting capabilities that the PDK brought adding another dimension to the drive as much as they rob the old-school purists of one of the key differentiators of the cars that preceded it. That’s both a compliment and a
“The Touring needs all of your attention, all of your time, the PDK car allowing you some respite should you require it”
complaint, the GT3 now a more usable car, whether that’s daily or hardcore track use. Grip levels are sensational, traction mighty, yet there’s delicacy and feel, even from the steering, which is quite an achievement with an electronically assisted powersteering system. The PDK allowed the fitment of an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and the benefits it adds elevate the GT3’S ability far beyond what the 997 could achieve.
There’s a ‘but’ with the 991, though, and the silver 991.2 car answers it. Unusually for Porsche, it admitted a mistake, or at least conceded to customer demands for a manual GT3, and perhaps, too, offered a concession to those customers who couldn’t get their hands on the limited-run 911 R. The stick and pedal returned with the Gen2 car, which also saw its power increase via a now 4.0-litre unit to the same heady 500hp of its 991.1 RS relation. That so many still pick the PDK over the no-cost manual vindicates Porsche’s addition of PDK to the GT3 mix, though it speaks volumes about Porsche’s commitment to drivers that the manual made a return.
In Touring guise here – a new, no-cost package for those who specced their GT3 with a manual gearbox – it’s a hugely appealing prospect. It has all the ferocity and incredible response of the bewinged GT3S, but with a visual restraint that lets it fly under the radar. Jumping between the two
991s demonstrates just how much the transmission differentiates the drive: the Touring needs all of your attention, all of your time, the PDK car allowing you some respite should you require it. They’re different, but still good, both incredible, both being pure GT3 in character, performance and, crucially, feel.
It’s a modern GT3, but one that still challenges and astounds whether you’re wringing out every last rpm or using the engine’s mid-range push and short shifting in traffic. The 991 GT3 makes either special, which underlines that at its core it remains an exemplary, and almost uniquely driver-focused car, which despite embracing technology in its current incarnation does so without running out of its analogue appeal. We’ll have to wait and see what the GT department comes up with next, but if history is any nod, then it’s safe to predict more brilliance from the most evocative number and letter combination Porsche makes, now celebrating its
20th birthday.