@wheelsaustralia 33
(^36) HYUNDAI i30 (^40) KIAPICANTO 38 SUBARU XV
rewarding cars to drive hard on
road and track.
It might sound mad to
describe anything costing
north of $300,000 as a bargain,
but you could double that and
still not find a better all-round
performance car.
Or course, it’s been that
way since the first GT3 was
launched back in 1999, successive
generations codifying the formula
of a race-derived chassis and
powertrain that have been house-
trained to deliver real-world
usability. You’ll be unsurprised
to hear the new car – 991.2 in
Porsche-speak – sticks closely
to the script, with the ambition
of the team that created it being
emphatic improvements over the
already awesome 2013 GT3.
The most significant
mechanical change is the
(no-cost) option of a six-speed
manual gearbox in place of the
standard seven-speed dual-
clutch. This follows on from the
decision to develop the gearbox
for use in the back-to-basics 911R
that was spun from the previous
RS, plus what we’re told was
strong customer demand for a
clutch pedal.
Andreas Preuninger, the head
of Porsche’s GT car division and
the man who pushed hardest
for the manual option, reckons
up to a third of global GT3 sales
will be specified with three
pedals, although likely a smaller
percentage in Australia.
Second billing goes to the
arrival of a new engine. The
rear-mounted atmo f lat-six now
displaces 4.0 litres rather than
the previous car’s 3.8, but is still
closely related to the powerplant
SPECS
Model
Engine
Max Power
Max Torque
Transmission
Weight
0-100km/h
Fuel economy
Price
On sale
Porsche 911 GT3
3966cc flat 6, dohc, 24v
368kW @ 8250rpm
460Nm @ 6000rpm
6-speed manual
1413kg
3.9sec (claimed)
12.9L/100km
$327,100
Q3