So it begins. With the 992.2 Porsche 911 arriving earlier this year, it was only a matter of time before we were inundated with a swathe of updated versions of the many, many variants of the sports car. Today, it’s the turn of the GT3 to be revealed – and there’s more at play than just a new chassis code.
On the first impressions, the new 911 GT3 doesn’t look dramatically different from the existing 992 save for those new ringed headlights but there are lots of little changes aiming to make a big difference.
The front apron has been reworked along with a reshaped lip to improve airflow under the car, combined with modified fins on the undertray to increase downforce. That also gets sent to a redesigned rear diffuser, while air going over the top will be met by new angle side plates on the wing. Porsche hasn’t said how much more downforce is on offer, but expect it to make a noticeable difference. Go for a Touring, and you’ll still get those changes save for the deletion of the rear wing, as before.
Under the skin, the double-wishbone suspension setup returns albeit with a modified front ball joint for the lower trailing arm nabbed from the GT3 RS. That’s said to reduce pitching under braking. A small weight saving comes in the form of new aluminium wheels which reduce unsprung mass by 1.5kg.
If that’s not enough, for the first time on a non-RS product, you can spec a Weissach package on the standard car and Leichtbau on the Touring. Both of these bring a set of magnesium wheels which reduces unsprung weight by 9kg, and a lithium-ion battery which sheds another 4kg off.
In its ‘lightest form’, presumably a manual GT3 with the Weissach package, Porsche says the car weighs 1420kg. Curiously, despite the changes, that’s 2kg more than the existing car according to Porsche’s own technical specs.
992.2 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, rear, static
That could be explained by the engine now being fitted with four catalytic converters, an increase required to comply with stricter emissions regulations. Despite that, the 4.0-litre flat-six continues to produce 503bhp and 347lb ft of torque and Porsche promises it “delivers a gripping soundscape”. I.e, it should still sound mega. Some revisions have been made to the internals of the engine, including the camshafts from the GT3 RS, plus new oil coolers and throttle valves.
That’s combined with a new, shorter final drive ratio for both the six-speed manual and seven-speed PDK. It does reduce top speed to 194mph from 197mph as before, but frankly, who cares when it should mean more versatile gearing in the real world? 0-62mph is still covered in 3.4 seconds with the PDK and 3.9 for the manual.
992.2 Porsche 911 GT3 interior
Inside, the 992.2 GT3 gets the digital instrument cluster from the Carrera (which we’re a little sad about) but retains the ignition switch from the old car, rather than the Carrera’s new push-button start. There’s also the option of new CFRP-backed bucket seats with an adjustable backrest.
Go for a tour, and you’ll now have the option of rear seats for the first time. Handy if you want to bring your kids along and make them feel very sick on a back road, although they’ll need some pretty short legs to get in there.
992.2 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring rear seats
The 992.2 Porsche 911 GT3 will go on sale later in the year, priced from £157,300 – about £10,000 more than the outgoing car.
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