The newest member of the Porsche GT family has been unveiled to an excited global audience. And in typical fashion, the Zuffenhausen-based marque was keen to show significant improvements before revealing its latest track-ready model.
Six minutes and 59.927 seconds is the 992 GT3’s official lap time around the full Nurburgring—a staggering 17 seconds faster than its 991-body predecessor. According to Andreas Preuninger, director of Porsche’s GT program, a raft of improvements helped achieve this feat. Despite the car being slightly bigger, its 1,435kg heft is almost similar to the outgoing model. Carbon fiber for the hood, the roof and the engine cover keeps the weight in check along with lowering the center of gravity. The 992 GT3 also features adjustable aerodynamics (a first for a Porsche GT car) and delivers 150% increase in downforce at maximum speed with the high-grip setup.
The engine is a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six delivering 503hp and 470Nm, with a stratospheric redline of 9,000rpm. It features dry-sump lubrication to help lower its mass within the engine bay, and individual throttle bodies to deliver instantaneous response and that sonorous wail. Porsche is proud of the fact that the engine never received any acoustic tweaking.
Only two things separate the engine from the Porsche Carrera Cup one-make race cars: the exhaust system and the engine control unit. With Carrera Cup machines lasting up to two full seasons without any rebuilds, you know that this six-cylinder engine is tough as nails. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed PDK transmission.
The biggest revolutionary change is the double-wishbone front suspension—a first for a 911 production car, lifted from the 911 RSR race cars. This gives the 992 GT3 more front-end traction and stability. To handle the added grip and performance, wider tires all around are used: 255/35 R20 in front and 315/30 R21 at the rear. The front track is thus 48.26mm wider than a regular Carrera model to accommodate the new suspension and fatter wheels and tires. A variety of rubber will be offered, including the super sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R in a new proprietary compound codeveloped with Porsche just for the GT3. This was the same tire used to set the record-breaking lap around the Ring.
The swan-neck rear wing—also first seen on the 911 RSR—has four adjustable positions. The front features an adjustable splitter with a diffuser sitting behind each front wheel. At the back, a functional rear diffuser improves downforce and lessens overall drag.
Inside, Porsche tweaked the seats to provide more shoulder support, and introduced a new perforated microfiber fabric to give more comfort and grip while keeping your back cool when you’re going flat-out on track. The interior carpet has also been lightened by 3kg.
Are you excited yet? We can’t wait to try this out at the Porsche Driving Experience Center in Sepang, Malaysia, once foreign travel normalizes.
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