Porsche 992 GT3 Looks Incredible and Is Almost Here
Manual transmission? Naturally aspirated flat-six? Giant wing? Yes. Yes. Hell yes. The 992 GT3 checks all the boxes.
Porsche makes an entire fleet of fantastic cars. In the heart of that fleet is the venerable 911 range. The new 992 Turbo is almost too fast to comprehend. The Targa is a beautiful nod to 911 history. The GT3, however, that is the sweet spot for many. It is peak Porsche. The Wagyu beef of the range. The new 992 GT3 looks to be the greatest GT3 ever, and it is so close we can taste it. Except for a few well-placed pieces of black tape, we can see the new GT3 as well. We are beyond the sneak peeks and speculation at this point.
With Porsche making more and more SUVs and sedans and diving into the electric vehicle market many see the GT3 as the sole model to carry on the true Porsche spirit. The other 911 models are wonderful cars indeed, but their size and technology has slide them further down the grand touring car scale. The GT3 is about driving. It is pure sportscar. It is the raison d’etre for Porsche. Sell as many family cars as you want Porsche, as long as it means you keep giving us a new GT3 to lust after.
What makes the 992 so lust worthy? No official announcements have been made but this is what we know so far. Power will still come from a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat six. Turbos are nice and can make a fast and efficient car indeed. However, nothing sounds as crisp or responds as quickly as a natural breather. No power figures have been released but somewhere in the 520 to 540 horsepower range is probably a safe bet. This engine will be paired to the lightning fast PDK for those looking for the best lap times. Or you can choose a six-speed manual for those who place driving involvement over all else.
The engine and transmission sound promising but there is even bigger news on the GT3 front. The front suspension to be exact. The front suspension is expected to use a multilink setup for the first time. This should result in even more grip and control when attacking the corners of your favorite racetrack. Those that use their GT3 only to attack the corners of their favorite Starbucks drive-thru probably won’t notice much of a difference.
Also helping to keep you planted on Earth is a new rear wing. The GT3 calling card has been enhanced on the 992 version. Sticking a big wing on the back of a car is always a delicate balance between downforce and drag. You want that downforce to give you as much grip as possible. However, increased drag is going to lower your top speed. This will make you less cool when you are bench racing your buddies at the bar. The new wing on the 992 has been redesigned not for more impressive looks but to reduce drag and increase downforce.
The new GT3 is of course built on the new 992 platform which is larger than the discontinued 991. Larger will of course mean heavier in most cases, but not in the case of the new GT3. Weight is reported to remain the same as the last GT3 and tip the scales around 3,100 pounds. To do this the rear glass is similar to the lightweight stuff from the last GT3 RS. The frunk lid is made of carbon fiber, the exhaust is lighter as are interior materials. Kudos to Porsche for being so diligent in the weight department.
One thing that may have grown heavier is the size of the wallet required to purchase a 992 GT3. No formal pricing has been announced but we can safely assume the base price will not leave you much change from a $150,000 bill. As with most Porsche GT cars, we can also safely assume that the dealers will have their gouging sticks out and will be tacking on markups to the new GT3. Be that as it may, the Porsche GT3 has always been one of the most exciting cars on the market. We don’t see that changing with the new 992.
Photos: CNET
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