Porsche 911 GT2
A racecar for the road - or a roadcar for the racetrack? Porsche's awesome 911 GT2 could be either of these but either way, it's the ultimate expression of the ultimate sportscar.
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The original 911 GT2, based on the Nineties 993 series 911, was little more than a stripped-out racer. Its replacement, the 996 series GT2 which sold between 2002 and 2004, was much more road-usable but still something of a handful for the unitiniated. This 997 series GT2 is more customer friendly still, though still something of a beast, one reason which a Porsche driving course is included in the asking price. Dont get this car confused with the much more affordable GT3, which is based on the normally aspirated 911 engine rather than the Turbo version featured here.
Despite the relatively comparable performance (an ordinary 911 Turbo is 0.1s slower to sixty), differences between the standard Turbo and the GT2 are actually quite fundemental. Most significantly, GT2 buyers loose the Turbos four-wheel drive system, which ought to be a bit worrying for the faint-hearted, given that youve more power to control than they had a few decades ago in F1. There are also subtle visual alterations, necessary, says Porsche, to satisfying the extra aerodynamic and cooling requirements of the bigger engine.
At the back, you lose the rear spoiler which, in the Turbo, flips up and down like a performing seal depending upon your speed: the GT2s replacement is a larged fixed affair, with extra air intakes tucked into the wing supports to feed the turbochargers. Given the tiny production run, the importance of this latest GT2 for Porsche lies not in the number it will sell but in the link it provides between the company's race and roadcar programmes. Some manufacturers go racing just for something to talk about in their advertising. Here, it's very different: each event is just another aspect of roadcar development. With the result you see here. So while the GT2 is clearly based on 911 fundamentals, all of the bits that matter are borrowed from the pitlane. There's the 530bhp engine for a start, developed from the same unit used in the companys Le Mans-winning 911 GT1.
"Youve more power to control than they had a few decades ago in F1...''
Its based on the six-cylinder boxer engine of the 911 Turbo, with air supply by two exhaust gas turbochargers featuring variable turbine geometry (VTG). The 3.6-litre power unit offers masses of pulling power with an awesome maximum torque figure of 680Nm maintained consistently between 2,200 and 4,500rpm. With its unladen weight of 1,440kg, the 911 GT2 offers a power-to-weight ratio of just 2.
72kg/6.00lb per horsepower. The increase in engine power by 50bhp over the regular 911 Turbo model is provided in the GT2 by fitting the two turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and a flow-optimised turbine housing, raising turbocharger pressure to an even higher level. And for the first time, the engineers at Porsche have combined the turbocharged engine with an expansion-type intake manifold a genuine revolution on turbocharged power units.
The expansion intake manifold uses the principle of oscillating air in the intake manifold during the cooler expansion phase, keeping the temperature of the fuel/air mixture lower than is the case with the 911 Turbo. This, in turn, means a significant increase in all-round efficiency, with fuel consumption improved by up to 15 per cent under full load despite the increase in engine output. Even if you do choose to save yourself £33,000, add four wheel drive and settle for a standard 911 Turbo model, youll have got yourself a car thats faster in its basic form than many of the race-prepared 911RS models that provided the inspiration for the GT2. Which of course was the purpose of developing them in the first place: to enable the creation of a sportscar that anyone could enjoy - to the ultimate. Which is why future 911s will probably also benefit from some of the advanced materials youll find in the GT2. This is the first Porsche homologated for the road to feature a rear silencer and tailpipes made of titanium as standard equipment. This expensive material reduces weight by approximately 50 per cent versus a comparable component made of stainless steel.
Sixty from rest takes just 3.7s on the way to a maximum of 204mph. So its just as well this car decelerates equally quickly in fact more abruptly than any Porsche yet made - which arguably makes it one of the safest cars in the world as well as one of the very fastest. The GT2 comes as standard with Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), featuring brake discs made of a light composite carbon fibre/ceramic compound ensuring maximum stopping power maintained with an extremely high level of consistency.
It also gets the electronically controlled Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). The GT2 rides on 19-inch diameter light-alloy wheels, running at the front on 235/35 ZR 19 tyres and at the rear on 325/30 ZR 19 tyres. Would we want to own a 911 GT2? Probably not. Its too much money and wed rather not do without the standard Turbos creature comforts and four-wheel drive.
Still, that it's a certain classic goes without saying. This car says everything that needs to be said about Porsche - and then some.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Porsche 911 GT2
PRICE: £131,070 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 309g/km [est]
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 3.7s / Max Speed 204mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 22.6mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4450/1852/1300mm
