Porsche 911 GT3 (992) review

• Overview
• What is it?
• Has Porsche persevered with natural aspiration?
• What about the gearbox? Can you still have a manual?
• How’s the diet gone elsewhere?
• And all this makes the 911 the envy of the world, right?
• What’s it like on the road?
• Hang on, isn’t there a touring version?
• While we’re on the subject, what does it cost?
• What's the verdict?
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• How do the tyres cope?
• How’s the chassis balance?
• And how about road use?
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• Buying
• What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

Isn’t ‘the 911 GT3’ the answer to that question? Every generation since the first iteration appeared in 1999 has been the answer, unless you happen to be one of those strange people who disavows the 911. Yes, it’s a bit predictable, but it’s not the Porsche 911’s fault that it’s the world’s best sports car. Marinaded in Porsche’s monumental motorsport genius, the GT3 is traditionally the sweetest of sweet spots and equally devastating on road and track.

For the first time since ’99, however, the new GT3 is arriving into unusually hostile territory. The optics on this sort of selfish, highly engineered hedonism aren’t as forgiving as they used to be. Then there’s the challenge from within, in the shape of the latest Turbo S whose phenomenal pace is now more nuanced than ever. And what about the Taycan, the Porsche that is electrifying in more ways than one?

Has Porsche persevered with natural aspiration?

The game’s not up yet. Porsche is clearly prepared to go to astonishing lengths to keep the hardcore faithful happy. The engine is a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre, has little in common with the unit found elsewhere in the 992 range and a lot to do with the one used in Porsche’s GT3 Cup racing car. Power is up from the last gen car – but only a modest 10bhp to 503bhp, torque to 347lb ft. That’s ample. It’ll accelerate to 62mph in 3.4 seconds, and onto a top speed of 198mph. Also ample.

The engine is constructed on the same production line as the competition unit, features six individual throttle butterfly valves, and there’s a new stainless exhaust system. In other words, this is a 911 variant with its own bespoke power unit, that deliberately eschews the technology used by its siblings, presumably because that’s what 911 GT3 customers prefer. No forced induction.

What about the gearbox? Can you still have a manual?

You can. There’s a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed PDK, the manual proving more popular in the US for some reason than the dual-clutch automatic (it’s 50/50 in the UK). The PDK is 20kg lighter than the one used elsewhere because it has one less ratio, and offers torque vectoring via an electronically controlled diff lock. The manual has a mechanical rear diff lock, and the hardware gives it a weight advantage over the bulkier PDK of some 16.8kg.

How’s the diet gone elsewhere?

Weight-saving is one of the obsessions that makes this car what it is. Some examples: the carbon fibre roof is 1kg lighter than the regular steel one, the full bucket carbon seats are 15kg lighter than the standard four-way sports seats. Stripping out some of the 992’s sound deadening material loses another 1.9kg, and if you pony up for the ceramic brakes (£6,498) you’ll save another 17.7kg. This methodology informs every aspect of the car, and ensures that the GT3 with PDK weighs 1,435kg, only 5kg more than the outgoing car (despite the addition of a gas particulate filter and other regulatory gubbins).

And all this makes the 911 the envy of the world, right?

Ask any car designer to name the rival product they most admire and they’ll cite the 911. The 992 GT3’s visual makeover is mainly about aerodynamics, most of it borrowed from motorsport. This car’s surfaces, especially the bits you can’t see, are very busy hustling air. There’s a four-stage adjustable splitter at the front, a complex fully panelled underbody, a juicy-looking rear diffuser, and possibly the most elaborate rear wing ever seen on a road-legal Porsche (well, until the GT3 RS came along). It sits on a four-way manually adjustable so-called ‘swan neck’ which improves air flow across the underside of the wing.

The upshot is a car whose numbers make the old GT3 look about as aerodynamically sharp as a brick outhouse; at 124mph, with the wing in performance aero setting, it generates 385kg of downforce (an improvement of 150 per cent on the previous car). Its front track width has grown by 48mm, and overall the 911 GT3 is now in mortal danger of losing the wieldiness that is one of its key attributes. Don’t let it get any bigger, Porsche.

What’s it like on the road?

We’ll go into proper detail on the dynamics in the Driving tab, but it’s worth knowing from the outset that for the 992-generation, the GT3 has got a more hardcore edge than the 991. That was a car you could envisage using everyday. The 992 is a slightly firmer machine. You’re always aware you’re driving something that would rather be tearing around. It is unbelievably good at that. However, the cabin quality and fixtures give the GT3 great habitability – plus there’s a wide range of options that allow you to configure the car to make it more Touring focused.

Hang on, isn’t there a touring version?

There is. It’s a commonly held misconception that the Touring is a backed off GT3, fitted with softer springs, dampers and a more forgiving set-up. It’s not. This is a cosmetic package. The big wing goes, and in its place comes the pop-up spoiler from the regular 911, plus a unique engine cover. The exterior brightwork is literally that – aluminium as standard rather than black – and inside leather is standard rather than Race-Tex.

Obviously, you can shift all this around on the configurator, get your Touring as tight and tied down as you desire, or alternatively load it up with Matrix LED lights (£2,054), rear camera (£876) and BOSE surround sound (£1,002) so the characteristics fit the name a bit better. Again, you can choose manual or auto – there’s no cash penalty either way.

While we’re on the subject, what does it cost?

Ј135,700. The same for both Touring and GT3. Some other numbers you might be interested in: Porsche claims 21.7mpg, but on road you’ll better that quite easily (23-25mpg). CO2 stands at 294g/km. And as you’re probably aware, the 911 is no longer a small, dainty car, it’s 4.57m long by 1.85m wide.

Inevitably, you start pondering where this car fits in the great Porsche scheme of things, whether anything will get close to the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 or maybe the 911 R (or frankly whichever track-oriented 911 most does it for you).

On the other hand, as the car world pivots inexorably towards full digitalisation, electrification and, heaven help us, autonomy, anything powered by a naturally aspirated engine and available with a manual gearbox isn’t just raging against the dying of the light, it’s practically walking on water.

In a world that has looked and felt very far from certain in recent years, it’s a relief to know that our performance car lodestar is as sensationally good as ever. The 911 GT3 is a car so addictive you want to get straight back into it a moment after stepping out of it. Unputdownable.

Continue reading: Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

Porsche has realised that horsepower inflation is the road to nowhere, and 500 is surely enough. It is enough. And here’s the latest 911 GT3 to ram home the point, strafing its 9,000rpm red-line with such conviction that this is a car that truly lives in the moment, and urges you to do the same. Porsche 911s enthral because they’re not like other cars. There are layers here like there are strata in ancient rock formations.

You’d expect a new GT3 to add a few more, and it does. Take the way its front end dissects corner entry, apex and exit. Usually a 911 strong point, it’s now served up in a manner that’s just cosmically brilliant. In fact, it’s so positive on the front axle that you briefly forget that the 911’s signature is the traction it summons up at the rear. Of course, it’s phenomenal in that respect too.

How do the tyres cope?

A big shout out to Michelin. These latest Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres – 255/35 ZR20 and 315/30 ZR21 front/rear – are as good as anything this side of full-blown racing slicks are likely to get. There’s an optional ‘R’ spec tyre, and it was on this that the GT3 set a Nürburgring lap time of 6min 59 seconds, almost a full minute faster than the 996 GT3 managed 22 years ago.

We’re genuinely struggling to think of another car that turns in and grips the way this thing does, that communicates with such vocal intensity in every phase of a fast lap. The McLaren 600LT, perhaps, whose steering and chassis smarts atone for its lack of sonic drama. Not an issue the GT3 suffers from, needless to say.

There are faster, more flamboyant cars, but nothing can touch a track-optimised 911 for linearity and interactivity. It is, in every way, sensational. Dig deeper each lap into the fathomless depths of its chassis, dial up more and more revs, brake later and later (the ceramic composite brakes are 410mm diameter up front, 390mm at the rear and they’re stupendous), and it’s difficult to imagine how much more grip, balance and sheer speed you could conjure.

How’s the chassis balance?

There’s minimal understeer, oversteer only if you really go looking for it, but it’s the interplay between them that makes the GT3 so adjustable. Each end communicates what’s going on beautifully and there’s a total transparency in its responses. It’s difficult to separate the engine and chassis, each co-defining the other in the search for more layers of greatness. A high performance geological dig.

The GT3 has always been a bona fide track car, never more so than now. It uses the same double wishbone front suspension that Porsche’s Motorsport people developed for the 911 RSR racing car, which keeps more of the tyre’s contact patch on the road (or track) surface as the lateral forces build.

The upper and lower links are rose-jointed, and Porsche claims greater steering precision and improved camber stability. We can see why. There are rose joints in the active rear axle too, replacing the regular bushes in pursuit of ever greater control and harmony. Firmer spring rates and damping reduce roll, pitch and dive, while toe angle, camber and anti-roll bars are adjustable for track use.

And how about road use?

Porsche says its PASM tech has been recalibrated to give the GT3 the necessary amplitude to keep the thing on the island away from billiard table-smooth circuits. We’d respectfully suggest that this iteration is less useable on the road, and while its low-speed ride over gnarly surfaces is very good, it demands considerable concentration the faster you go. Still viable as a daily driver, sure, but not a car you can be absent-minded with. As if you’d ever want to be.

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Continue reading: Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

The 911 has long nailed the basics: driving position, seats, control weights. This is a car you instantly feel at home in, that you know you can do some proper business with. Few high performance track-oriented cars feel so immediately approachable, while being so visceral at the same time.

The cabin is regular 992, with a new Track Screen mode (central rev counter only) and there’s a multi-function wheel that allows you to flick between chassis modes (including Sport and Track). There are also physical buttons to disable ESC and traction control, so there’s no need to root around in the touchscreen. The PDK gets a normal-looking gear-lever, but it’s best operated using the steering wheel paddles.

No back seats in the GT3 of course, and many owners choose to fill that space with the optional roll cage. A potential mistake. If you do that it’s hard to use the area to carry your bags and bits for road trips. We know, you don’t think you’ll be doing that. But we promise you this: this is not a car you’ll want to take home from a track day on a trailer. Drive it. Drive it everywhere. All the time.

There is of course another spacious carry space under the nose, plus useful door pockets, USB slots, and more. Ride and a bit of cold start grumpiness aside, it’s pretty much as usable as any other 911. Get comfortable and do some miles.

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Continue reading: Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

The GT3’s power output may be resisting inflation but its price hasn’t. Its £135,700 list price is steep enough, and has gone up some £8,000 since the car arrived in 2021. That is no sort of deterrent – as ever demand will comfortably outstrip supply, and only those who enjoy a healthy relationship with their Porsche dealer will likely get near one anyway.

These cars are traditionally great investments, and if the 992-era GT3 proves to be the last of the breed then it’ll automatically command a premium forever more. And yes finance is available – but despite the very attractive residuals, running costs and maintenance conspire to make leasing as financially challenging as the list price.

Naturally, the options list is both a tempting and fiscally challenging proposition, too. The Shark Blue paint of one of the cars you see here is a £2,525 option. However, white, black, Guards Red and Racing Yellow are all FOC. Personally we’d find it hard to say no to Python Green. So we are spending £2,525 after all.

The carbon roof is £2,517, carbon capped door mirrors £1,052, the ceramic brakes £6,498, the wheels painted satin black with the rim borders in body colour are a £1,263 extra, those fantastic full bucket seats are £3,788… on it goes. Go on the configurator and you’ll add an extra £25,000 without thinking.

Combined fuel consumption is 21.7mpg, CO2 emissions 294g/km. No prizes here, but it’ll do better than that on a long trip (but substantially worse on track…). And it’s worth bearing in mind that few things are more sustainable than a Porsche 911 GT3. Looked after properly, it will endure and entertain indefinitely.

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Continue reading: Specs & Prices

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