Will the Porsche 992 911 GT3 Pack Turbo Power or Not?
Depending on who you listen to, the Porsche 992 GT3 may or may not be turbocharged. So, who should you believe?
Thanks to enthusiasts, Porsche’s planned killing of the manual transmission in the GT3 didn’t happen. But the future, as they say, is coming fast. And if we’re to believe the persistent rumors flying around, the 992 GT3 will soon shed its naturally-aspirated flat-six power in favor of turbocharged motivation, which, in our book, would be a crying shame for one of the few purist performance cars left in the world. And as you might imagine, most Rennlisters feel the same. Thus, the 992 GT3 has been a hot topic in the forums lately.
“I find it interesting that EVO is saying the 992 GT3 will be N/A while Autocar is saying Turbo,” said Carrera2RS. “The Autocar article seems quite specific about power and model variants. Any clues while we wait for an official announcement? Here’s a thought given the figures quoted for the 992 GT3.
What if the Turbo is only there to add a very small amount of forced induction, compensate for the GPF. Characteristically, it feels like a 4.0-liter N/A with a stronger torque curve as it nearly is? Revs to 9k or more as well? It covers the minimum emissions required and is technically a Turbo but not really, still high compression.”
While many of us are a little disappointed by this kind of setup, people like chillindrdude are quick to embrace the future.
“IÂ would welcome the 992 GT3 with a hybrid/turbo powerplant. It’s time. And it should be executed well, given all the R&D and experience from E-hybrid models.”
Fair point, given the incredible performance of cars like the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. However, KOTB points to some credible evidence gathered by Road & Track that the 992 GT3 might be sticking with natural-aspiration for competition reasons.
“Without turbos, Porsche’s racing engine is lighter. In the BoP era, power-to-weight is theoretically equalized among all competitors. A lightweight engine means the ability to add more weight to the car in the form of aerodynamic devices. It also allows engineers to fine-tune the car’s weight distribution as they add ballast to get up to the minimum weight prescribed in the rules.
For that reason, Porsche using a turbocharged engine in the RSR would neutralize that advantage. And that’s where the 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six used in the GT3 and GT3 RS comes in.”
Thus, the debate rages on. And we’re guessing it will until the day Porsche finally gives us the deets on the 992 GT3. In the meantime, we want to know what you think. So head over here and tell us if you think Porsche is going to turbo the 992 GT3, and why or why not!
