The New 911 GT3

The first reviews of the new Porsche 911 GT3 are in. On the day of the launch, attendance was not possible due to a funeral. However, based on its description and feedback from several who experienced it on both road and track, it is clear that something quite remarkable stands out—namely how similar it is to its predecessor.

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In fact it seems almost the same. It has the same engine with the same 510PS (375kW) – the first time in the 26-year history of the GT3 that power has not risen from one generation to the next. Its performance is unchanged, so is its gearbox. Its suspension has had the mildest of tweaks but the aerodynamic package is, again, unchanged.

So what’s different? The engine actually has a little less torque than before and the weight of the whole car has risen by 20kg. The suspension has shorter bump stops to allow few additional mils of wheel travel for those moments when you hit the sausage kerb at maximum attack and some different damper software. The final drive ratio has been reduced by eight per cent to help cover the torque shortfall and some of the visual changes visited upon all second generation models of the current 992 series – such as the new, all-electronic dashboard are carried over too. And…

Well if you choose the Touring version it can be specified with rear seats, the first time in GT3 history you’ve been able to buy one with more than two. Now, as with all 911s of all ages, these seats will be of very limited use for human beings but they’ll be brilliant at convincing prospective purchasers’ sceptical other halves that this car is not quite the utterly impractical toy in might at first appear.

The point here is not to review a car that hasn’t even been experienced firsthand—that’s best left to others—but rather to explore why Porsche has chosen to offer a car that appears so similar to the one it’s meant to replace. And no, it doesn’t seem to be complacency driven by the confidence that every single one will sell regardless.

Two factors seem to be at play here. First, meeting the latest emissions standards set by governments and regulatory bodies worldwide is already a significant challenge for any engine. This explains why so many engines are being downsized, turbocharged, or paired with hybrid systems. Achieving compliance with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine derived from a race car, however, is a challenge on an entirely different level. To meet these standards, Porsche had to install additional catalytic converters and use camshafts from the GT3 RS just to offset the performance losses and maintain the same output as before. The resulting weight increase is due to these new catalytic converters and various structural modifications required by regulations.

But there’s something else too. If you were to look at a shark today and one born 300 million years ago, you’d see the same thing going on: it will have hardly changed, as if it had opted out of the evolutionary forces that constantly meld and modify the rest of us. And the generally accepted reason is that it’s reached the point where it’s about as good, as hydrodynamically efficient, as it’s ever going to be. As close to a perfectly adapted organism as has ever existed.

The GT3 is likely in a similar position. These cars have never been about chasing more power—it would serve no real purpose. Their focus has always been on delivering a pure driving experience. With each new round of regulations making that goal increasingly difficult, Porsche now seems to have created a car that is as perfectly suited to its purpose as it can possibly be.

So don’t lament the fact the GT3 is very little changed, celebrate it. Because had Porsche not tried so hard to keep it the same it would have become slower, even heavier and, crucially, less fun to drive.

Even so, a fresh challenge awaits, because in four to five years’ time, Porsche will need to create another GT3, based on what will be presumably an all new 911 platform and the environment into which it will be born won’t be any easier. In fact, it is certain to be a great deal tougher. It will be fascinating to see what Porsche makes of it. For now, however, give thanks for the small mercy of a new GT3 that is almost unchanged from the last.

Report by Andrew Frankel

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