“There is no such thing as the perfect car… But… we have to do everything in our power to approach this ideal.” – Ferry Porsche
I confirm they did. Trying to approach that holy grail of the perfect car. And here it is, the brand new Porsche 911 GT3. Text : Luca W. Images : Porsche, Damien W. ©
Porsche has made stripped out, race breds, versions of the 911, since the 1972 2.7 Carrera RS. The 2.7 RS is surely the most desired Porsche for the moment. The 2.7 litre flat-six engine power plant, which is the heart of the Carrera “Renn Sport”, develops 210 hp, which was a big number at the time. In addition to it, the car is very light (only 1075 kg), so the power/weight ratio is 195 HP per tone. Basically, the production of the RS had to be limited to 500 cars, but the demand was so important that Porsche extended the production to 1525 cars (1308 Touring versions and 217 Sport versions). It’s not as rare as a Ferrari 288 GTO but it is perhaps as desired. It’s style is simply unique : its duck tail and the colored “fuchs” wheels and stickers distinguish the RS from the other 911s. This legendary car – and its duck tail – is surely the first I’ll buy if I had the money to afford it. Yes, it is expensive : in 1972, you could buy it for 25.000 USD. Now, you can buy the 1972 legend for 400.000 USD; 1600% of plusvalue.
Then, the 1991 964 RS followed the movement and in 1995 with the 993 RS, until the 996 GT3 appeared in 1999. It was seen as the replacement of the RS, but Porsche showed it was not with the 996 GT3RS, which is more radical than the “normal” GT3.
Be carefull with the GT3s : if you can’t master it, it can be dangerous. In fact, they are racing cars for the road, which is quite scary because not everyone can drive it. But how did Porsche engineers design them ? To do so, Porsche found three words which perfectly summarise the task : weight, power and agility.
Historically, Porsche wanted to make a car that can give a man the opportunity to explore the extreme.
With the new 991 GT3, Porsche proved us they had absolutely no limits to built a car. The most impressive part of this new monster is the engine. In fact, the 3.8 litre aluminium flat-six power plant can reach 9000 RPM, due to the connecting rods made of titanium, because the titanium is lighter and reduces inertia. 475 hp for 1430 kg which drive us to an incredible weight/power ratio of only 3.2 kg/hp. That is a great piece of engineering, but still, the flat six delivers 475 HP and can reach the 100 km/h in only 3.5 seconds, a bit slower than a Ferrari 458 (3.4 seconds), which as 95 HP more than the GT3. The Ferrari 458 has a better weight/power ratio (2.9 kg/hp) but the GT3 made a better time lap on 3 different tracks.
Nevertheless, the engine isn’t the only improvement : the rear wheel steering is also a new technology on that car. Does it make a difference ? Surely, yes… The speed in curves is phenomenal and it’s dangerous because the car is faster than your mind ! At low speed, the rear wheels turn to the opposite position of the front wheels and to the same position of them at high speed. Parking is simple, and stability at high speed in curves is increased. It sticks so much to the road… I mean, you can’t reach the GT3’s limit on the road : you need a proper race track to discover the GT3s’ amazing possibilities. It is so happy with curves and revs that you just don’t smile when you drive it for the first time : you are speechless… or you stand there gapping.
In addition to this, Porsche chose to use an electric steering : it is stunning. The steering is incredibly soft and the car really goes where you want to, so you don’t look something else than the road. The steering is really effective and precise, which adds so much monstrosity to the car. The only worry I have with the electric steering is that if there is a contact failure in the cables, you might end in the wall.
I almost forgot the big thing about the GT3. The PDK isn’t an option anymore : the 991 GT3 is not available with a manual gearbox. When I’ve heard this I was really mad at Porsche, since I’ve driven what they made : it is fantastic ! This gearbox was actually made to suggest you two driving styles : the normal one or the sport one. Yes, you can drive a 911 GT3 as a normal 911 or any car. In fact, when you drive normally, I mean not in a sports manner, the maximum revs are around 2500 RPM and the engine is really shy, so you can speak to someone without screaming, which is really good because it is as polyvalent as a city car. But when you push this “PDK SPORT” button, it is another world. The gear changes are much faster and on automatic, the revs are around 4500 RPM. But when you are on manual mode, more specifically with the paddle shifters, you can reach the 9000 RPM and here you go. This is when every piece of the car combine to give you the maximum pleasure.
The 9000 RPM is the moment when the car says “So, are you following me or not… ?”
I said no. When you drive a car like this, you must be humble and admit that it is too much for you, that you have to learn the car first. Sadly, I didn’t have enough time to do so, but the few hours I shared with the 991 GT3 were incredible. Still, you must really be careful with the GT3 : it is a monster – I don’t mean its undrivable but the exact opposite -, but a domestic one.
I was really impressed about the comfort of the car; it’s not about the gearbox or the engine but about the seats. The first good impression when I got in the GT3 was the comfort of the carbon fibre ClubSport seats, which really look uncomfortable but they’re not ! And they just won’t let you to go away in a curve… Inside the car, it’s not that luxurious, but the finition is stunning ! The alcantara dashboard with the red stitching and the carbon fibre trims are really simple, but you don’t need more because it’s already beautiful. What I really liked in the cabin was the shape of the door panels. I know it seems strange but the shape is really original and so nice to touch ! I must be crazy… The only problem I can consider with the GT3 is that there are no seats at the back. In fact, to save weight, Porsche engineers just took away the kids’ seats to suggest you to put your luggages instead.
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To conclude, if you want a racing, beautiful and incredible car, the GT3 is for you ! It is humble and vicious because it doesn’t look like a monster, but it is. The 911 GT3 is faster than a McLaren MP4-12C, a Ferrari 458 – I don’t know about the Speciale -, and other supercars. Porsche proved us once again than a big, powerful engine is a minority to efficiency.