Porsche 911 GT3 Celebrates 20 Years of Motorsport-Derived Excellence
The Porsche 911 GT3 has come a long way over the last 20 years, which only makes us more excited for the next two decades.
Since its inception 20 years ago, the Porsche 911 GT3 has lived up to its motorsport-derived moniker by bringing a special breed of racing technology to the street. And for the last two decades, the formula for achieving both on-track performance and a visceral driving experience remains essentially unchanged. Porsche starts, of course, with a high-revving, naturally-aspirated flat-six closely related to the one they use in their racing cars.
The remaining characteristics of the 911 GT3 are equally important. Things like rear-wheel drive, lightweight construction, added aero bits, and upgraded suspension and brakes. The only piece of this unbeatable formula that has changed drastically is the transmission that tames it. Once only available with a purist manual, the 911 GT3 switched to a seven-speed dual-clutch unit for its 3rd generation, though buyers can now opt for a traditional 6-speed row-your-own.
The original European-only 996.1-based Porsche 911 GT3 debuted way back in 1999, and made waves immediately upon impact. The car’s LeMans-winning 911 GT1-derived 3.6-liter engine produced 360 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, all at a 7,800 rpm redline. A host of weight saving measures gave it a svelte 2,976-pound curb weight. Behind the wheel, legendary hot shoe Walter RÓ§hrl recorded a blistering 7:56.33 lap time at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, making the 996.1 GT3 one of the very first production cars to break the 8-minute barrier.
Four years later, the 911 GT3 underwent extensive changes and was finally made available in North America. The 996.2 GT3 improved upon its predecessor with 381 hp, 285 lb-ft of torque, and an 8,200 rpm redline. Porsche continued to shave weight wherever possible, even using flow-formed wheel technology to save a mere 2.2-pounds.
By now, the GT3 was a hit. So for the next-gen version, Porsche continued to evolve their formula in a big way. They managed to wring 415 hp out of the tried-and-true 3.6 before ditching it in 2010 for a 3.8-liter. The new 435 hp, 317 lb-ft flat-six propelled the 997-based GT3 to a 0-60 time of 4.0-seconds and a top speed of 194 mph. These improvements were enough to shave a whopping 16-seconds off the original GT3’s Nürburgring time.
Of course, Porsche didn’t exactly revel in this success for long. The 991-gen GT3 came along sporting major changes, most notably a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. With 475 hp, this new model sprinted from 0-60 in just 3.3-seconds and revved to 9,000 rpm. But it also shaved an incredible 15-seconds off its predecessor’s Nürburgring time.
Today’s 911 GT3 is even faster, lighter, and more powerful than ever before. The car’s new 4.0-liter mill pumps out an even 500 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque. And compared to the original, it’s shaved an impressive 45 seconds off its Nürburgring time, doing the deed in just 7:12.7. And perhaps more importantly, Porsche also brought back the 6-speed manual as a no-cost option.
Over the last 20 years, Porsche has made significant strides with its GT3 street car. And along the way, it’s become our personal favorite 911 model. The GT3 may not be the fastest in a straight line nor the most powerful car in Porsche’s lineup. But in terms of thrills per dollar, it’s virtually unbeatable. And seeing how far we’ve come only makes us that much more excited for the next 20 years.
Photos: Porsche
