Porsche has revealed the new 911 GT3 and, for the first time in its 25-year history, the track-ready sports car is available with rear seats.
Until now, the GT3 has strictly been a two-seater, shunning the small, child-friendly rear seats that have given the 911 its practicality points for the past 60 years. But now, for the very first time, the GT3 can be ordered with those extra chairs in place.
There is still a caveat, however. Rear seats (and a pair of new front bucket seats that fold for easy access), are only available as an option on the new 911 GT3 with Touring package. The standard GT3 retains its track-friendly nature and is strictly a two-seater.
Both cars have received the same minor updates that Porsche unveiled on the standard 911 Carrera earlier this year. This includes a sharpened and simplified front end with a re-contoured front diffuser and redesigned headlights. At the rear, both versions of GT3 have a subtly redesigned diffuser and air inlets.
Part of the 992.2 generation of Porsche 911, the new GT3 has the same 4.0-litre, naturally-aspirated flat-six engine as used by the 992 unveiled three years ago.
The new hybrid system debuted in the 911 GTS earlier this year is not present in the GT3, which instead has the same performance as its predecessor. This means 510 PS of total power and a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 3.4 seconds for the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and 3.9 seconds for the six-speed manual. Torque is 450 Nm, down slightly from 470 Nm in the outgoing model, and top speed is 193 mph for the dual-clutch and 194 mph for the manual, also both down slightly on the previous generation.
Despite the same 0-62 mph times, Porsche says the new GT3 and GT3 Touring benefit from a final drive ratio that is eight percent shorter than before. Combined with revised cylinder heads and the sharper camshafts of the GT3 RS, Porsche says this gives the new GT3 “even more dynamic performance in the upper engine-speed range.”
As with the previous generation of GT3, the standard car gets a large rear wing and a setup more suited for track days, while the Touring package deletes the wing and gives the car a more road-bias demeanour.
Inside, the GT3 and Touring shun the push-button engine starter of the latest 911 Carrera and instead retain the key-like rotary ignition switch. The same cannot be said of the previous generation’s physical rev counter, which is now replaced by a digital display. There is at least a benefit to this, as Porsche explains how the virtual rev counter can be rotated so that the 9,000 red line appears at the 12 o’clock position, should the driver prefer.
Also new is how the updated 911 GT3 can be bought with the Weissach pack for the first time. Previously only an option on the hardcore GT3 RS, the pack uses carbon fibre-reenforced plastic (CFRP) for the roof, anti-roll bar, coupling rods and sheep panel, as well as the sideplates of the rear wing, the outer shells of the wing mirrors and the airblades in the frontal area. The pack also adds a roll cage, and lightweight forged magnesium wheels are available as an additional option.
Alternatively, the GT3 is available with a no-cost optional Clubsport pack, which includes a bolted steel roll cage in the rear of the cabin, a six-point race harness for the driver and a hand-held fire extinguisher.
Meanwhile, the new GT3 Touring can be bought with an optional pack of its own, called Leichtbau (meaning lightweight). This also swaps in some CFRP components, including the roof (which is painted to match the body colour), while the aforementioned magnesium wheels are included, along with lightweight door panels and, if you go for the manual gearbox, the same shortened gear lever as the recent 911 S/T.
These packages do not come cheap. The new car starts at £157,300 for both the GT3 and the GT3 Touring, while the Weissach pack for the GT3 costs £19,530 (or £15,597 without the roll cage), and the magnesium wheels cost a further £13,760.
Adding the new Leichtbau pack to the GT3 Touring costs £29,225, but in this case the lightweight magnesium wheels (which save 9kg over the regular set) are included.
Speaking of the new 911 GT3, Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche's GT Cars division, said: "The new 911 GT3 has become even more exhilarating and individual. We dug into a wealth of details and gave it many features that our customers wanted. This allows the GT3 to be adapted even more specifically to the purpose or preferences of the driver."
