PORSCHE’S ROAD RACER

The only Porsche 911 sharper than the all-new GT3 wears numbers and races in the Carrera Cup.

That’s why I’m sitting in the pitlane at Sydney Motorsport Park, with Bathurst winner Luke Youlden looking over my shoulder, to prepare for a deep dive into the all-new GT3.

It’s a deep dive because this day is all about track laps, data downloads, and trying to get the best from the hotrod Porsche – and myself – instead of worrying about fuel economy and tyre noise.

The Supercars thunder has barely subsided since Shane van Gisbergen locked down this year’s Repco Supercars Championship and it’s about to be replaced by the 9000-rev howl of Porsche’s all-new and much improved road racer.

The GT3 has a whole menu of new-and-better bits for 2021, from the Le Mans-style rear wing to the first double-wishbone front suspension on a GT3.

The headline numbers are 375 kiloWatts and 460 Newton-metres, a 0-100km/h sprint in 3.4 seconds with the preferred PDK slick shift, a top speed of 320km/h and a price-tag – if you could get one – of $369,900.

There is no auto safety braking system in the GT3. And no ANCAP test score, although the car has six airbags.

But Porsche has tweaked the stability control, including the ABS braking, with three stages including ‘everything off’ for adventurous track drivers.

The suspension – which is set 20 millimetres lower than a regular 911 – has active control, and there is rear-wheel steering with a sports bias to improve stability.

The latest wheel-and-tyre package is improved, with 10 millimetres of extra rubber at each corner, although the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres are definitely not recommended for wet roads, and the brakes are also upgraded.

For the first time there are different diameters for the forged alloy wheels, 20×19.5 on the front and 21×12 on the rear, and it’s a similar story for the tyres which are 255×35 on the nose and 315×30 on the tail. It’s all about providing optimum grip and cornering balance.

The brakes have also been tweaked a little, with the front rotors growing from 380 to 408 millimetres with improved dust extraction – using cone-shaped openings instead of cross-drilling – with twin air ducts at each front corner, one feeding to the discus and another for internal brake cooling.

In the cabin, there is a predictable Porsche dash with an impressive 10.9inch infotainment but the best thing for track work is the no-cost Clubsport package. It injects a rollover bar, fire extinguisher, and a racing harness for the driver. There are also optional sports seats and new for the latest GT3 is a driving mode switch on the steering wheel – with settings for Normal, Sport and Track. The car also has shift lights alongside the rev-counter.

A Track Screen is unique to the GT3, and trims the display information to oil temperature and pressure as well as coolant temperature, and the tyre pressure monitor knows the difference between hot and cold tyres.

There is also a $1000 Chrono package that adds a digital stopwatch to the traditional analogue dial in the centre of the dash, and can be coupled to a lap trigger – from Porsche Tequipment – for use with the Porsche Track Precision App.

Another bonus is a memory function for the Smart Lift – which raises the nose by 40 millimetres for speed humps and driveways – which does the job automatically when an obstacle is encountered more than once.

DRIVING THE GT3

The GT3 gives you exactly what it says on the badge. It is sharp and fast and fun. Porsche never goes backwards and the GT3 is an obvious improvement in lots
of ways, the most obvious in the secure feeling that comes with the double-wishbone front end. It makes the car more enjoyable and less threatening to drive at any speed, without the excessive pitching and roll of most earlier Porsches.

Porsche has plugged the GT3 into its Level 4 driver experience, just one step short of a Carrera Cup racer, which means minimal instruction and no-one in the passenger seat. Then there is a data download, comparing my driving and speed to Bathurst co-driver David Russell, with Dean Canto.

So, no pressure then …

But there is fun, fun, fun with fingertip upshifts at the 9000 redline, cracking PDK downshifts, and encouragement to search for grip and go in every corner. For the record, the GT3 is topping 235km/h on the downhill run to Turn 1.

First up, taking things easily in the Normal setting on the steering wheel, the GT3 feels much as I remember. The difference is a more-planted nose, new for the 992, and something that will continue to impress through the day. Canto is complimentary but critical in the first data download, encouraging me to use more steering lock in corners and push harder on the brakes. This is counter-intuitive for someone with old-school 911 experience, but the front end is giving me everything I need and more.

And then it rains …

So the second bracket of laps with the GT3 is behind a pace car, driven by Alex Davison, on a track which is as slippery as wet clay in some places. At least I know the stability control, as I switch back to the safety-first Normal setting, is reassuringly happy to help me.

The track eventually dries and there is time for a better understanding of the new GT3, which is much more ’normal’ than any previous go-faster Porsche.

The brakes are great, so is the engine, and the hip-hugger race-style seats allow me to sit comfortably and focus on the job.

By the end of the day, I’m tired, not much closer to Russell’s reference lap, but hugely happy with the car and the driving.

Then Youlden invites me along for a passenger lap and my whole frame of reference for the GT3 gets twisted and tipped on its side.

It really is something very special, and then there is the GT3 RS that’s coming in 2022 …



FAST FACTS

Porsche 911 GT3
Price: $369,900
Engine: 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six Power: 375kW/460Nm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
Position: track car for the road
We like: All the go-fast stuff
Not so much: It’s a sell-out
Score: 9/10