Porsche 911 (992) GT3


Debut: 2021
Maker: Porsche
Predecessor: 991 GT3



 Published on 14 Sep 2021
All rights reserved. 


22 years on, the GT3 remains the hardcore choice of Porsche drivers, just getting even more hardcore now.


Since it was born in 1999, the GT3 has been the definitive road and track car any money can buy, blending race car performance and thrills with road car usability better than any others. Throughout the years, the outside world has changed a lot, especially to turbocharging and then hybrid power. Countless of electronics and refinement are added together with weight. The GT3 cannot escape from modernization, but fortunately, some good things never change, such as the high-revving naturally aspirated flat-six, the manual gearbox (though briefly lost from 2013-2017) and the classic rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout. And brilliantly, today’s GT3 has gained only 68 kilograms from its ancestor of 1999, even though it is quite a bit larger. Price has risen more sharply lately, but at £128,000, it is not far removed from the £76,500 charged 22 years ago.

While the 9000-rpm motor used to be the highlight of the car, no longer this time. Don’t get me wrong, it is just as creamy-smooth, intoxicatingly revvy and razor-sharp responsive as before, but it is not exactly a new development. In fact, it was introduced 2 years ago on the limited edition 991.2 Speedster. Its key modifications from earlier versions are individual throttle bodies (for even sharper throttle response), higher fuel injection pressure and adaptation to comply with stricter emission standards. The latter was achieved mainly by adding a pair of gasoline particulate filters close to the engine. The 992 GT3 keeps that engine, therefore it has exactly the same output of 510 horsepower at 8400 rpm and 347 pound-foot of peak torque, which is merely 10 ponies and 7 lbft more than the last GT3. The only difference is using a stainless steel exhaust instead of the Speedster’s titanium item. Thanks to the silencing effect of particulate filters, the exhaust can abandon silencers, recouping the loss of exhaust noise while cutting 10 kilograms.



Engine is transplanted directly from 991.2 Speedster.


Speaking of weight reduction, the 992 GT3 works harder than ever. It needs so, because it has a wider body, a more sophisticated front suspension (more on that later) and other chassis enhancement that would have added 40kg to the kerb weight. The diet program includes a carbon-fiber front bonnet (-2.5kg), lithium battery (-10kg), lighter engine mounts (-3.5kg), thinner glass (-4.7kg), single-nut forged alloy wheels (-1.3kg) and brakes which weigh 17 percent less despite the front discs have grown from 380 to 408mm. To keep weight low, it skips the 8-speed PDK and 7-speed manual gearbox of other 911s for the lighter 7-speed PDK and 6-speed manual of the old car. Overall, the car tips the scale at 1418 or 1435 kilograms depending on transmission, which is only 5kg more than its predecessor. And that’s before you consider lightweight options like PCCB brakes and a carbon-fiber roof panel.

With a virtually unchanged power-to-weight ratio, you can see why Porsche quotes exactly the same performance figures as the last generation. The PDK car is again quicker of the two, achieving 0-60 and 0-100 mph in 3.2 and 7.0 seconds, respectively while topping 198 mph. The 6-speed manual needs 3.7 and 7.9 seconds respectively but its top speed is 1 mph higher. So the decision is easy: if you chase after absolute performance, go for the PDK. If you pursue driving fun in the first place, the manual is always the one to have, especially you know Porsche offers first-class gearshifts.

So this is the first time in the GT3’s history that its straight line performance is no higher than the car it replaces. Is it the end of the world? No, of course not, because the highlight of 992 GT3 is cornering performance. Believe or not, despite virtually no more power available, this car laps the new, 20.8km Nurburgring in 6:59.9 or the old 20.6km course in 6:55.2, not only rated among the fastest road cars on earth regardless of power and price, but it is a full 17 seconds quicker than its predecessor ! How can it do that?



Extensive weight saving keeps it relatively light for a 500hp sports car.


3 reasons: more downforce, more grip and more suspension.

More than ever, this GT3 looks closer to a track car in appearance. The large black nose section that integrates cooling intake and adjustable front splitter trades some road car aesthetic for aerodynamic efficiency. Ditto the 2 slots opened at the leading edge of the front bonnet. At the back, it employs a large rear wing which would have felt more suitable to a GT3 RS. That wing is suspended from the top by aluminum brackets, leaving a smooth underside for improved efficiency. It is also manually adjustable to 4 angles. In the most aggressive angle, the car generates 385kg of downforce at 124 mph, compared with 154kg on the old car. In fact, more than the outgoing GT3 RS.

The second trick is the use of beefier and stickier rubbers. Yes, the Nurburgring lap time was set by using more track-oriented Michelin Cup 2 R tires, but even the standard Cup 2 tires should hold the road harder, because they have grown 10mm wider and 1-inch larger in diameter to 255/35ZR20 up front and 315/30ZR21 at the rear. In pictures, the huge rear wheels look really astonishing, filling the pronounced wheel arches so full.


Handling and ride transformed by double-wishbones front suspension.


But the most radical change in this generation has to be the front suspension. Not only its track has been widened by 48mm, but it has abandoned the 911’s traditional MacPherson struts (since 1963, remember) for a double-wishbone setup that comes from the RSR race car. No doubt the racing program has polished this concept and proved its superiority before the GT division made this bold decision. The control arms are attached to the monocoque body by rigid ball joints to eliminate slack and enhance precision. Its new geometry keeps the front tires pressing on the road under rigorous conditions, resulting in more traction, more grip and a more stable manner. Of course, when introducing an all-new front suspension, Porsche needs also to rework the rear suspension geometry and calibration to make them working in harmony. Ditto the steering rack, the active rear-wheel steering, the stability control and PASM adaptive dampers. The huge downforce at speed also requires stiffer springs to cope with. All in all, it is like developing a new chassis from ground up.

On the road, all these changes, especially the new suspension, have transformed the GT3 into something even veteran Porsche drivers take some getting used to. While the motor is so familiar and its amazing voice is fortunately not hampered by the particulate filters, while the quick and seamless gearshift response is also familiar, the chassis feels like coming from another car. For better or worse, it feels like a track car – stiff riding in any suspension mode, barely acceptable on a public road, and probably unbearable for a half-day driving on B-roads. Whether such a stiffness is absolutely necessary to take on that tremendous downforce, I am not sure, because McLaren seems to manage huge downforce more comfortably. The cabin is noisy, too, thanks to removing most of the sound deadening materials.
 

Faster, more accurate and more focused, but also more removed from road driving.


However, it is undeniable that the 992 GT3 drives a lot more accurate, hence a lot faster on any roads you can bear. More like a race car, actually. Its body control is just as tight as any supercars made of exotic materials and have their engines mounted in the middle. Its roadholding is massive, especially at faster corners where downforce builds up. Its steering, while noticeably lighter, is quicker and swiss-watch accurate. It is super-talkative, too, relaying all the road surface information you need to know but also those you are not interested. Just as the suspension, it feels busy, and you have to be focused.

When it comes to cornering, the 992 GT3 shows jaw-dropping grip and traction. Its turn-in is sharper and more accurate than any GT3s before it. Tremendous front-end grip puts it on rails and the rear axle follows obediently. Whereas you expect the old car to run out of grip and push its nose wide, the new car keeps turning, turning. No 911s could be described as neutral, but this one is the closest yet. It balances like a mid-engined car.

The bad news is, its much higher limits takes much bigger speeds and efforts to exceed. On a dry public road, this is simply impossible. Only on a track, you can explore its true balance beyond limits. When the big rear rubbers are finally unstuck from the tarmac, it slides progressively. Keep feeding power and you can hold the slide. Back off a little and it straightens. It is friendly and reassuring at the limit.

Undoubtedly, the 992 GT3 is a much better track weapon, significantly faster and sharper. However, at the same time it moves away from the road, losing the fine-judged ride quality and general refinement that made its predecessors equally enjoyable on road and track. In fact, it feels more like an RS now. I wonder what space has left for the next RS. If I were McLaren or Lotus, I would definitely take this opportunity to fill the space it left.
Verdict: 
 Published on 28 Oct 2022
All rights reserved. 
911 GT3 RS


More race car than the real race car.


If you tell me this is a 911 road car a few years back, I would say you are crazy. No, with those huge wings, ducts and vents, it must be a Porsche GT3 Cup race car, unquestionably.

The most ridiculous thing about the new 992 GT3 RS is not its race car looks, but it packs specifications beyond the racing version. Because it is not limited by engine air restrictors and aerodynamic regulations, it actually produces more horsepower and downforce than the GT3 Cup race car. Although it carries a little more weight, Porsche reckons it will destroy the Cup car on track, even though it is shod with semi-slick Michelin Cup 2 R tires instead of the slicks of Cup car. Astonishing.

If you don’t believe, look at its latest Nurburgring lap time. It takes 6:44.8 to lap the old 20.6 km course, 11.6 seconds quicker than the last GT3 RS, 10.4 seconds faster than the current GT3 and trails the current record holder AMG GT Black series by only 1.2 second – don’t forget the AMG employs a twin-turbo V8 with 730 horsepower, versus the Porsche’s 525 horsepower from a naturally aspirated flat-6. If not race-car downforce and handling, this would not have been possible.

The Renn Sport (aka RS) label has been around since 1973, and it became the hardcore, track-oriented version of GT3 since 2003. In the past 19 years, 6 iterations of GT3 RS had been created. All of them employed a high-revving naturally aspirated motor. However, the last 3 iterations saturated at 4.0 liters and produced around 500 horsepower. Maybe it runs out of development potential, or Porsche has simply stopped developing it in the view of ICE ban by 2030, extra performance has to be extracted from else where. That’s why the new RS pushes aerodynamics to the extreme.

The aero package is astonishing. Its rear wing is so huge that spans the entire width of the car. It is also mounted higher than the car itself, probably the highest we have seen since Dodge Daytona. This lets it exposed to clean air and enhances downforce a lot. Moreover, by using swanneck brackets to suspend the wing, it leaves a smooth underside to enhance efficiency further. The wing has 2 planes, the lower one is adjustable by hydraulic to alter drag and downforce. As in Formula One’s DRS, you can switch it to horizontal position by pressing a button, so to reduce drag for passing or achieve top speed.



It takes a McLaren Senna or Aston Martin Valkyrie to offer more downforce.


The rear wing and the likes contribute to 70 percent downforce. The remaining 30 percent comes from the front of the car. Here, the most dramatic change is ditching the luggage compartment entirely and replace it with a centrally-mounted radiator. The latter is 43-degree tilted to increase surface area, so that the new GT3 RS can skip the 2 extra side radiators that its predecessors required. In this way, it can add downforce-generating aero flaps to the sides of front overhang. These flaps are adjustable and part of the active aerodynamics, working in harmony with the active rear wing to keep the car balanced. Meanwhile, the radiator arrangement also helps generating downforce. It sucks air from the central intake at front bumper and extracts at the bonnet outlets. Note that some strange-looking vane guides are added to the outlets. They are used to deflect the hot air sideways, preventing them from passing the roof and sucked into the engine bay. It goes without saying a naturally aspirated motor needs cool intake air to produce maximum power. Without these vane guides, the engine could lose around 15 horsepower.

As in the last two generations GT3 RS, vents are opened above the front fenders to release air pressure built inside. What’s new are the vertical blades added aft of each wheel arch, whose function is to reduce turbulence from the air flow coming out of the wheel arches. Another novel feature is F1-style aerofoil-section control arms of the double-wishbone front suspension, which generate 40 kg of downforce.

Overall, the new GT3 RS produces double the downforce of its predecessor and 3 times that of the GT3. That amounts to 409 kg at 124 mph (200 km/h) or 860 kg at 177 mph (285 km/h). It takes really exotic cars like McLaren Senna or Aston Martin Valkyrie to better it. If you talk of anything built upon a production road car, this is the very best.

On the flipside, drag coefficient deteriorates to 0.39, which drops its top speed by 10 mph to 184 mph. It is also the first time a GT3 RS dips below the 300 km/h mark.



Front boot is sacrificed for aerodynamics.


The RS motor is nearly identical to that of the GT3, just using more aggressive cam timing to extract another 15 horsepower from the top end for a total of 525 hp, or just 5 ponies more than the last generation. However, its power delivery gets peakier. Maximum torque is actually reduced slightly to 343 pound-foot, and it is released at 6300 instead of 6100 rpm. That sounds modest besides any turbocharged rivals. Fortunately, Porsche shortened its gear ratios and final drive to sharpen its low-end response. It feels more urgent and more lively than the GT3. Accceleration is slightly quicker as well.

The new chassis is benefited from the GT3’s new double-wishbone front suspension, of course, which massively improves roadholding and steering precision. Besides, the RS uses 29 mm wider front track and 50 percent stiffer springs. To reduce braking dive, the ball joints of lower front control arms are set lower. PASM adaptive damping, active differential and active rear-wheel steering are carried over from the GT3, but in the RS you can adjust the suspension's compression and rebound in 8 stages, the locking ratio of differential and the traction and stability control setting from the new steering wheel controls, making it far more tunable for race track. Less altered are the brakes, which keep 408 mm front and 380 mm rear discs, although they are slightly thicker and clamped by calipers with bigger pistons. The standard brakes are still metal, while PCCB is optional. The Michelin Cup 2 tires get 10 mm wider than the old car. For a car powered by an atmospheric 6-cylinder engine, 275/30ZR20 and 335/30ZR21 tires seem a bit over the top. However, considering the kind of downforce and lateral acceleration they need to work with, that is probably necessary.

More wings and the slightly larger and stiffer body shell of the 992 series result in a gain of 20 kilograms, lifting the kerb weight to 1450 kg. It could have been even more if not the RS employs carbon-fiber reinforced plastics for most of its body panels (front bonnet, engine lid, roof, doors and front fenders). The carbon-shell bucket seats are taken from 918 Spyder. If you opt for £26K Weissach package, you will get also carbon-fiber anti-roll bars and semi-roll cage, as well as 8kg-lighter magnesium wheels.

Predictably, this car is not cheap. Its starting price has risen from the last generation’s £140,000 to nearly £180,000, or £50,000 more than the GT3. That’s not far off some mid-engined supercars like McLaren Artura or Maserati MC20. However, neither of them are as racy or as fast on a track as the RS.



Faster, more stable and more communicative on track than either its predecessor or GT3.


On track, the flat-six motor shows extra urgency and response owing to the shorter gearing. Its rev-hungry manner is even more obvious. When it chases the 9000 rpm redline, the cockpit sounds twice as loud as in the GT3, which is mad.

However, what separates the RS from the lesser GT3 or just about any rivals has to be downforce. At medium-speed to fast corner, the downforce presses the car hard, generating incredible grip and lateral acceleration well beyond the usual ability of Cup 2 tires. With stiffer suspension and more aero load, the steering feels even more communicative. You can sense how much grip the front tires have and when they are going to slide. Likewise, you feel more connected to the car through the seat of your pants and the stiffer suspension.

Because the car is so grippy and rock-steady in bend, especially with much less dive under braking, it gives you so much confidence to push harder, brake later and come back to throttle sooner. Ultimately, its nose will run wide at the limit, but you can balance on throttle. The rear is very stable for a rear-engined machine. However, if you turn off the traction control and give it a heavy boost of throttle mid-corner, you can still unstick the rear and drift it for a while. Just don’t expect it to be a drifter, because there is so much mechanical grip and downforce to overcome.

All these mean the RS will be a great track car, probably the best one money can buy. Road driving is still a mystery though, because it is yet to be tested on public roads. Although the stiffer suspension should return harder ride, Porsche claims it has more compliance than the last GT3 RS in Comfort mode. Still, the wider body, massive wings and skirts should make it less easy to drive on narrower roads. In contrary to the GT3, it is a track car with road-going ability.
Verdict:
 Published on 29 Nov 2023
All rights reserved. 
911 S/T


The purist's 911


The 911 S/T is a follow-up on the 911 R. Like that car, it is built on the body of GT3 but fitted with the more powerful engine from GT3 RS and a 6-speed manual gearbox for maximum driving satisfaction. As it is designed for purely road driving instead of track days, rearview-blocking big wing has been removed. Besides, extensive weight saving measures make it the lightest member of the 992 generation. Walter Rohrl, Porsche’s legendary racing and test driver, described it as the best sports car he has ever driven.

The RS-spec engine produces 525 horsepower at 8500 rpm, 15 ponies more than the GT3 engine. Porsche not only mates it with a close-ratio 6-speed manual gearbox but also shortens its final drive by 8 percent, improving engine response further. Besides, a lighter clutch and single-mass flywheel cut 10.5 kg of inertia, boosting throttle response again. Revs rise and fall so quickly that you need to pay attention to clutch engagement to avoid a jerky shift, which admittedly makes the car all the more engaging to drive. A 10mm-shorter gear lever enables a quicker, more satisfying gearshift.

Inevitably, making gearshift by yourself is not as quick as PDK. The 911 S/T is quoted to sprint from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, half a second adrift of the GT3 PDK. The shorter gearing also drops top speed from 198 to 186 mph. If you chase after performance and lap time, there is no reason to opt for the S/T.

If all you pursue is driving thrills, then the S/T’s £232,000 price tag is probably worthwhile. Yes, it is expensive for a 911-based model, even after considering a production cap at 1963 units – 7 years ago, the 911 R was sold for £137,000, and it was half as rare again. However, the effort spent to create this car is quite unbelievable.



Retuned steering is probably the best of electrical power steering to date.


To cut weight, Porsche fitted it with carbon-fiber doors, roof and front bonnet and front fenders. Thinner glass, less sound insulation and a lighter lithium battery are employed, as are carbon-shell bucket seats, PCCB brakes and magnesium wheels. Ditching the GT3’s active rear-wheel steering saves another 7 kg. The whole car weighs 1380 kg, 55 kg less than the standard GT3.

The GT3’s rear-wheel steering helps taming oversteer, so the S/T needs to retune it steering to compensate. The result is a slightly slower, heavier but more linear and more engaging steering. It is probably the best electrical power steering to date.

Porsche did not alter the suspension hardware, but the adaptive damping has been retuned. In addition to the lighter magnesium wheels, the S/T rides noticeably better than the GT3.

With better ride, better steering, better gearbox and better engine response, the S/T is arguably the purist’s choice in the 911 family. However, priced into the territory of flasher supercars, it needs those placing quality above numbers and looks to really appreciate it.
Verdict:

Specifications





Year
Layout
Chassis
Body
Length / width / height
Wheelbase
Engine
Capacity
Valve gears
Induction
Other engine features
Max power
Max torque
Transmission
Suspension layout
Suspension features
Tires
Kerb weight
Top speed
0-60 mph (sec)

0-100 mph (sec)

0-124 mph (sec)

992 GT3
2021
Rear-engined, RWD, 4WS
Aluminum+steel monocoque
Aluminum, carbon-fiber
4573 / 1852 / 1279 mm
2457 mm
Flat-6
3996 cc
DOHC 24 valves, DVVT+VVL
VIM
DI
510 hp / 8400 rpm
347 lbft / 6100 rpm
7-speed twin-clutch (6-speed manual)
F: double-wishbone; R: multi-link
Adaptive damping
F: 255/35ZR20; R: 315/30ZR21
1435 kg (1418 kg)
PDK: 198 mph (c); 6M: 199 mph (c)
PDK: 3.2 (c) / 2.7*
6M: 3.7 (c) / 3.3** / 3.4***
PDK: 7.0 (c) / 6.5*
6M: 7.9 (c) / 7.5** / 7.3***
PDK: 10.8 (c)
6M: 11.9 (c)
992 GT3 RS
2022
Rear-engined, RWD, 4WS
Aluminum+steel monocoque
Carbon-fiber, aluminum
4572 / 1900 / 1322 mm
2457 mm
Flat-6
3996 cc
DOHC 24 valves, DVVT+VVL
VIM
DI
525 hp / 8500 rpm
343 lbft / 6300 rpm
7-speed twin-clutch
F: double-wishbone; R: multi-link
Adaptive damping
F: 275/30ZR20; R: 335/30ZR21
1450 kg
184 mph (c)
3.0 (c) / 2.7* / 3.2****

6.9 (c) / 6.6* / 7.1****

10.6 (c)

992 S/T
2023
Rear-engined, RWD
Aluminum+steel monocoque
Carbon-fiber, aluminum
4573 / 1852 / 1279 mm
2457 mm
Flat-6
3996 cc
DOHC 24 valves, DVVT+VVL
VIM
DI
525 hp / 8500 rpm
343 lbft / 6300 rpm
6-speed manual
F: double-wishbone; R: multi-link
Adaptive damping
F: 255/35ZR20; R: 315/30ZR21
1380 kg
186 mph (c)
3.7 (c) / 3.7****

7.5 (c) / 7.6****

11.2 (c)





Performance tested by: *C&D, **R&T, ***MT, ****Autocar





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GT3 RS


S/T



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