The American leg of the Porsche 911's 50th anniversary is underway as the new 468bhp race-bred Porsche 911 GT3 appears at the New York motor show.
The new GT3 has been co-developed by Porsche's road and race engineers. It includes key innovations such as a new electronically controlled four-wheel steer system but does without a manual gearbox option for the first time.
The GT3 is distinguished from the standard Porsche 911 by a new aerodynamic body that includes a deeper front bumper, extra air intakes and fixed carbonfibre rear wing.
At 1430kg, it weighs more than its second-generation predecessor, something largely put down to it being 85mm longer and 44mm wider.
Power comes from a newly developed 468bhp, 324lb ft version of the 3.8-litre, direct-injection flat six engine found in the latest Carrera S.
As well as being 39bhp more powerful than the previous GT3, its rev limit is up by 500rpm to 9000rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters feature, and launch control is integrated into the gearbox.
The 0-62mph time is a claimed 3.5sec and the top speed is 196mph.
The suspension has been overhauled to reduce unsprung mass by 7kg compared with the 911 Carreras on which the GT3 is based. A variable damping system (PASM) is standard, as is torque vectoring (PTV Plus), which includes a locking differential.
The four-wheel steer system points the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels at speeds of up to 31mph for faster corner entry speeds. At speeds above 50mph, the rear wheels steer in parallel to improve stability.
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Or for an extra £30k...
...why not go for the Jaguar XKR-S GT instead? 542bhp and the XK's notoriously loose handling. The trouser laundry bills would be enough to bankrupt me all on their own. It has to be the GT3 for me everytime.
Weight
I abhor this "bigger is better,heavier is acceptable" nonsense.Morgan Aero Coupe is 1100kg and has good BHP/tonne out of a much less potent motor. Look back to the classic 2.7 RS for nice size and good P/W ratio.Maybe the good old days have something to be said for them,though technically this is streets ahead.The PDK may upset some but it is faster/cleaner/more economical/easier to drive.
Who steals the Show?!
This car does!, i'm sure all the Porsche haters out there won't like this, but, it may be an old, constantly updated design,and it has it's faults,but they never get sore on the eye,you'll know all the positives, so i'll save my time this way,had i the cash, i'd have one,even if it was just for a month in the Summer.