A Brief History of Porsche 911 GT3:
The 992 GT3 may just be a minor upgrade over its predecessor, yet the cumulative effect of those changes is perfecting Porsche’s idea of a true race car for the road.
The 911 GT3 series is Porsche‘s attempt at bringing its race cars (and its tech) on the road. Okay, maybe that intention wasn’t precisely pure at the beginning since the first GT3, the 996, was just a homologation requirement to race in the GT3 class. Yet, the German carmaker didn’t realize until they were all sold out that it had found the secret recipe for the ultimate driver’s car.
The 996 GT3 kickstarted the series as a stripped-out Carrera powered by the mighty water-cooled Mezger unit. Long story short, that trick worked, and the following 997 gen GT3 went after the same method — make it as light as possible, drop a powerful naturally-aspirated engine at the back, and slam a big wing on top of it for downforce. Only this time, the sports car became much lighter and faster altogether. It was a successful refresh, supported by many positive reviews and much better sales numbers.
After that, the third generation 911 GT3 arrived in 2013, built upon the controversial 991 model. However, despite being substantially larger and equipped with more electronic gizmos than its predecessors, the 991 GT3 was the lightest, sharpest, and most hardcore to date. Regardless if it were the standard or RS model, both would run every track faster than the model they replaced while simultaneously becoming more tempting as daily drivers.
But as great as those 991 GT3s were, their heyday is now over, and something new and exciting is replacing them on Porsche’s menu — the 992 GT3.
Background
The 992 GT3 is based on the sleek-looking 8th gen 911 launched in late 2018. As usual, the firsts to be unveiled were the Carrera models, which were slightly longer and wider than before. There was even a refreshed cabin and new engine choices. However, behind the visual differences, many bits from the 991 Carrera were still carried over with little to no changes, giving both generations a fairly similar vibe.
Although that was almost the case with the GT3 variant, Porsche still had a critical mission to accomplish. Being the trim to presumably dictates the pure 911 experience of its generation, Porsche needed to nail the 992 GT3. It had to be harder, faster, and overall better than anything it had done before — while still carrying the essence of the 911 GT car.
Porsche 992 911 GT3
Porsche digitally revealed the 992’s breed GT3 in February 2021 — no need to say that it was a long-awaited moment for petrolheads and Porsche enthusiasts. And following the success of the previous 991 GT3s, expectations were at an all-time high for the fourth-gen 911 GT3.
Let’s Talk Visuals
Since we’re already getting used to new 911s looking pretty similar to the previous ones, I found myself at ease with the subtle exterior changes. Even with the modernized bits of the familiar shape, the 992 GT3 shouldn’t have any issue telling the world, “I’m the newer GT3!”.
Like its Carrera counterparts, the 992 GT3 now has larger and sexier fenders, a new blacked-out front bumper, Porsche’s new signature taillight bar, and a more sophisticated large wing (more details later).
Porsche nerds will also notice it has a new carbon-fiber frunk lid, thinner glass for the windows, fresh new rims, larger exhausts, and basically an entirely new body kit and interior.
All caught up with the visual tweaks? Good, let’s move on to what really matters.
Naturally-Aspirated Side of Heaven
While many car companies are electrifying their lineup (even Porsche with the Taycan), the 992 GT3 came as a love letter to us petrolheads, retaining its charismatic naturally-aspirated engine. Planted at the rear is a 4.0-liter flat-6 unit (more about it here), with direct fuel injection and aluminum block and heads, now boasting 503 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque. The retuned engine now provides quicker and more linear reactions, a shivering sound, and a euphoric 9,000 RPM redline.
While the additional torque and ponies aren’t that impressive on paper compared to the 991 GT3, the performance increase is still remarkable. With the carried-over 7-speed PDK box, the car sprints from 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds (or under 3.5 seconds with the 6-speed manual), and keeping the gas pedal to the floor will get you to 199 mph in no time.
Moreover, the new sports car set a blisteringly fast lap time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with 6:55:34 seconds recorded — even quicker than last gen’s lightest and most brutal 991.2 GT3 RS with the Weissach Package. It makes you wonder what kind of track beast it’ll be once it has an RS badge, no?
Grip-Grippity-Grip!
Porsche has come a long way in implementing racing tech into its street cars, and the 992 GT3 is currently its most matured fruit yet. More than just straight-line speed, it knew the key to a lap-time eater is also handling. Thus, this new GT3 underwent several tweaks from the standard 911, resulting in a superb driving experience, primarily on a track and twisty roads.
Beyond the extreme weight saving, Porsche adopted a new front suspension to improve agility. The double-wishbone (a.k.a. control-arm) suspension comes from the 911 RSR racer, meaning there’s a major revamp in the front axle stabilizing the front in high-speed cornering. On top of that, the company perfected the electronic power-assisted steering (EPAS) and rear-axle steering for the sharpest and most accurate steering in a modern 911.
Another sector Porsche improved is aerodynamics, notably the new fixed-wing, called the swan-neck, referring to how the wing is actually mounted on the bottom of the arms. Also inherited from the RSR, the manually-adjustable carbon-fiber wing is more than just for show; rather, it’s responsible for adding 60% more downforce over the previous 991 GT3. What’s more, the rear diffuser also got upgraded and claimed to produce four times more rear downforce than the previous model’s.
So, coupling those with a set of fat and grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, the 992 GT3 has no trouble kissing the apex of any corner on any race track at speeds higher than you could imagine.
Touring Package – The GT3 in Stealth Mode
That said, it’s worth noting that, as hardcore as the GT3 is, its road-going personality still makes it bearable to live on a daily basis. Yes, the back seats are still excluded, but elements like the large frunk, adaptive dampers, climate control, large door pockets, and Apple CarPlay do add up, making it a decent daily driver.
In fact, if you prefer a subtler-looking GT3 to bring you joy on your daily commute, the Touring Package is a no-cost option that exchanges that racing look for a stealthier one (or, should I say, more like a grand tourer look). Like the previous 991 GT3 Touring, the package replaces the fixed-wing for an automatically adjustable rear spoiler found in most Carreras. But unlike the previous model that was only available with a 6-speed manual, you now have an option to opt for the PDK transmission if you fancy.
Other than the missing wing and body-colored front fascia, though, the 992 GT3 Touring is still as beasty as the standard one, with barely any decrease in performance. Hence, I wouldn’t expect any less fun out of the sleeper look.
What We Can Expect From the Upcoming RS Model
It’s a tradition to release GT3’s Rennsport variant a few years after the standard model, and we could expect the upcoming 992 GT3 RS to be released as soon as 2023. The RS represents an even more track-focused GT3, designed to be as close as possible to its motorsport siblings.
Thankfully, the Nürburgring spy shots might have given us an idea of what the track monster will look like. With its bigger swan-neck wing and a more aggressive body kit, I’m pretty positive there’ll be upgrades in the downforce department.
Furthermore, retaining the naturally-aspirated engine from the standard car is more likely, but with a tad more ponies and torque. The PDK might also be the sole transmission option like in the previous RS, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of it coming with three pedals. And to keep it as lightweight as possible, the 992 GT3 RS will be “stuck” with a rear-wheel-drive drivetrain.
Nonetheless, with how great the standard 992 GT3 is at the moment, it’s exciting to see what other drastic measures Porsche would take to make the RS the most track-worthy 911 to date. Heck, it might even try to beat the last gen’s GT2 RS’ 6:43 time at the Nordschleife ring — astonishing achievements await!
Last Words
With almost every new 911 adopting turbocharged engines, and EVs starting to take over the world, Porsche is kindly leaving the 992 GT3 for us, the true petrolheads. It’s truly the perfect home to celebrate natural aspiration, as it acts as a reminder to the modern world about the pure sensation of driving.
Sure, there was no drastic improvement in any element over its predecessor. Still, as little as it may be, every upgrade has compounded into making this GT3 better than the last one, which was already an astonishing driver’s car.
Hence there’s no denying that the 992 GT3 is one of the most exciting cars money can buy. And as for what Porsche’s going to do with the RS, I think we’re not that far from finding out.
Gallery: Porsche 992 911 GT3
