Porsche 911 GT3 : ONE TRACK MIND

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For road and track use, they don't come much better than a Porsche 911 GT3. Steve Walker reports.

If you want surprises, you don't buy a Porsche 911. Rival manufacturers might tinker with the unexpected and strive to reinvent themselves with every new product launch but Porsche, particularly where its legendary sportscar flagship is concerned, seems content to deliver its own brand of predictable, inevitable, excellence. The danger is that the 911 might become passÃ© and sometimes that day appears to be drawing closer but then Porsche usually manages to finesse the details to such a degree that keeps its charge ahead of the game. The hardcore GT3 is the 911 in one of its most thrilling forms and yet, it still smacks of ruthless efficiency rather than lunatic exuberance. Porsche fans wouldn't have it any other way.

This is the second generation 997 911 in GT3 form - a car with a normally-aspirated engine, rear wheel drive and a more focused, sporty edge than the everyday Carrera models. Porsche revised the 997 version of the 911, launching the Carrera and Carrera 4 models first and following up on those with the GT3. This is the way things have been done in recent times with each successive version of the 911 and Porsche is the last manufacturer to mess with a winning formula. Anyone who takes an interest will be expecting an even more hardcore GT3 RS with real racecar pretensions plus a super powerful 911 Turbo and, eventually, a brutal GT2. The GT3 gets the famous Porsche flat-six boxer engine in its latest form with the 3.8-litre capacity as seen on the Carrera S models. In this guise, it's 50bhp up on the S, however, with a total output of 435bhp. The engine uses Porsche VarioCam technology which adjusts the intake and exhaust camshafts to optimise performance and it has been designed to increase torque levels at medium engine speeds to create a more gutsy feel to the GT3's acceleration. In raw figures, all this spells a 0-62mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds putting the GT3 into the performance sportscar big league and a standstill to 99mph time of just 8.2s. Keep the throttle planted and the car will see 194mph before running out of puff.

"â€¦Porsche just keeps doing what Porsche does bestâ€¦"

The PSM Porsche Stability Management system is one of the finest in the industry and the GT3 gets a specially tuned version of it. It splits the PSM functionality into Stability Control and Traction Control, allowing the driver to deactivate each separately in a series of steps. Most GT3 buyers will have more than half an eye on track use and the PSM system will allow them to tailor the car's safety net according to their ability and mood. Unlike the systems on many rival products, PSM will not reengage itself automatically, even under the most extreme circumstances, allowing the driver freedom to explore and exceed the car's lofty limits. It's the detail that makes any 911 GT3 the car it is and Porsche has done a predictably thorough job of tweaking everything from the suspension and brakes to the aerodynamics in order to extract the last few drops of performance. The extravagant rear spoiler and more aggressive bumper designs set the GT3 apart on the road but it's still unmistakably a 911. The aerodynamic modifications have doubled the air-pressure that's forcing the car downwards and the GT3 is so low at the front that Porsche has seen fit to include an optional lift system that raises the car's nose by 30mm at the touch of a button. This helps when negotiating speed humps or driving down ramps in a multi-storey car park. The GT3's suspension is governed by PASM Porsche Active Suspension Management. Drivers can select Normal of Sport modes with the latter being a firmer set-up allowing the driver to make the most of the GT3's enormously rigid chassis with its super stiff springs and anti-roll bars. The Normal mode is designed to achieve the 911's famed everyday usability with a ride quality that wont bring tears to your eyes but don't expect anything too supple. Track use makes enormous demands on a car's brakes but then the GT3 has enormous brakes. Larger discs with improved ventilation for quicker cooling and aluminium covers to cut unsprung weight will bring the car to a stop in dramatic fashion. Buyers with a little more disposable income can opt for the PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes which will bring stopping power that's more otherworldly still. A 911 GT3 is going to cost you something in the region of £82,000 and when you consider that the real purpose of this model is as a track car that can also deliver the goods on the road, that outlay looks more significant still. You've got to be either very comfortably well-off or rather poorly upholstered in the brains department to launch that amount of your hard-earned into the Nurburgring's Wipperman bends at full tilt or keep your foot planted through Eau Rouge at Spa. Alternatives to a GT3 for similar money? There never used to be any but today, the Audi R8 has the pricetag and the capability while Nissan's GTR undercuts the Porsche by a sizable margin. The cost will only increase as buyers are tempted by Porsche's beguiling options list and amongst the most intriguing add-ons is the PADM Porsche Active Drivetrain Mount system. This actually adjusts the elasticity of the GT3's engine mountings according to your driving style. On a track, it will stiffen them up to reduce the forces emanating from that rear-mounted engine as it swings through fast corners. Every Porsche 911 GT3 gets the Porsche Vehicle Tracking System as standard which is approved to Thatcham category 5 as well as a complementary trip to the Porsche Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone where expert tuition is available on how to get the most from the car. An £80,000 track day car is never going to be for everyone but if you do have one on your shopping list, they don't come much more fit for purpose than the Porsche 911 GT3. Porsche creates its GT3 models for a mix of road and track use but it's on a clear circuit where the real depth of engineering contained within the product can shine through. Porsche has an enviable knack of delivering just what's expected with its new products and excellence is what everyone expects. The 911 has come in for more criticism than ever before in recent years with its place at the top of the performance sportscar rankings coming under serious threat. In the meantime, Porsche just keeps doing what Porsche does best: incremental improvements that hone and refine the products, setting the standards which the others must try to beat.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Porsche 911 GT3
PRICE: £81,914 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20 CO2 [g/km] / EMISSIONS: 300g/km [est]
PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph 4.1s / Max Speed 194mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 22mpg [est]
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, ABS, PASM, PSM.
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4427/1828/1300mm [est]