My sense is that the difference between the 992 vs 991 GT3 will be a lot less than the 991 vs 997 GT3. You can only widen the tracks and increase the wheelbase so much before the car gets too big, and the 991 and 992 may be nearing the limits.

 

Agreed, also barring a major change in the engine, how much more power can you get out of the 4L and still have drivable street car?

 

And for that matter, how much more power do we need? These cars are already very fast on both road and track, and I don't think another 25-50 hp is going to substantially change the character of the driving experience. To accomplish that, I think we need to take a step back to get closer to the steering feel and sense of "small" car agility of the 997.

 

Amen! And add lightness, not HP.

 

Lightness would be nice, but it seems that these days Porsche has to go to great lengths with fancy and expensive materials to achieve it, and even then the weight savings are pretty small.

We still have our Cayman R, and regardless of the actual weights, it feels hundreds of pounds lighter to me than the GT4 or my 991.1 GT3. I wonder if there's an inherent design tradeoff between performance versus sense of agility involved, which Porsche can't find any way around. The RWS seems to help, but it can't magically undo the effects of the four corners of the car being farther apart.

 

I think these are a given:
- Wheelbase will likely remain the same - 2457 mm, which is more than the 992 Carrera (2450 mm) and even 991.2 RS (2453 mm).
- Rear width remains the same as the GT3 mules still seem to be based on the Carrera body - 1852 mm.
- Front track width increases, similar to 992 Carrera.
- Rear wheel size will increase to 21" like the 992 Carrera (and previously GT3 RS).

Ultimately the 992 isn't near any technical limits - see 991.2 RSR (wheelbase 2516 mm; width f/r 2042/2048 mm) or GT3 R (wheelbase 2459 mm; width 1975 mm) which are very nimble cars. If that feels too large or not is fairly subjective and doesn't just depend on size but also weight, how the car is set up, seating position... going back to a smaller body would make for a physically smaller but not necessarily better performing package.

Plenty, looking at the GT2 RS.


As for weight, it seems pretty clear that we can't expect large reductions at this stage. The cars won't get smaller, Porsche seems unable (crash regulations?) or unwilling to adopt similar lightweight measures as in their race cars for GT road cars and I don't think going to a carbon tub is the right choice (the cars are expensive as is).

 

The big question now is if the 992 GT3 will be hybrid given the recent sightings with the whining noise. It can very well be hybrid, and all the Porsche executives will still stay true to their word that the next GT model will stay NA. Albeit, they omitted the electric motors.

Reviewing all the videos, it seems the engine still screams together with the weird whine. What if the new engine is 3.0, but can rev to 10-11k rpm in combination with electric motors. Smaller displacement can allow higher rpms. If this is the case, no one will complain. Take that back, some will always complain., lol!

 

IMO, no way it's hybrid. Too much dead weight added. The whistling noise is most likely from the aero, does not sound like "hybrid whine" from the electrical motors to me at all.

 

I have never heard aero whistle like that. Or whistle at all to be honest. I'm pretty sure it's a electric motor. However, that doesn't mean that the production GT3 will be a hybrid. This can be a mule for future cars. Or for other models.

 

Latest video catching the mule driving at relatively slow speed in snow, still demonstrates the electric whine. No way this is aero. I also doubt they the put the hybrid powerplant in a GT3 mule to test for future Carreras. There is a video showing this whining and screaming mule testing at Nurburgring. My guess is this hybrid is the next GT3 and/or the next GT3 RS. I only hope for 10k+ rpm redline for the NA engine mated to the electric motors.

 

I bet the RS is gets the hybrid. Gt3 maybe gets 10 hp over current RS. Air filter or something... lol

 

Based on how impressed I was with the performance of the Tesla Model S (torque, low CG handling, etc.), I think a hybrid GT3/RS would be pretty cool, but the extra weight would mean more demand on brakes and tires on track.

 

I think this is where we are headed. There will be more weight, but there will be better brakes and tires to handle the mass as the tech advances. Unfortunately, all that weight and tech separates us more and more from the road and feel.

 

I don't think it's weight and tech, or at least in the sense that you're thinking. Modern sports cars are just so well engineered. They can operate in a much wider performance window. Plus the 911 is more GT than a sports car.

 

I believe that new Speedster's engine with individual throttle bodies is what 992 GT3 is going to get.

"There's a very good chance we'll see this engine in the next 911 GT3, though Preuninger declined to confirm it definitively. Addressing the persistent rumor of the next GT3 going turbo, he did say "I don't see any reason" for ditching natural aspiration."

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-sho...s-engineering/