Extreme test: the Porsche 911 GT3 type 992 returns to the Nürburgring!

This automobile specimen was born in 1999, and today I owe it an apology. Sorry, dear 911 GT3. Sorry to have criticized your generation 997 whose passage, at the end of its career, to 4.0 l of displacement seemed to move you away from your initial quest for the gram. Sorry to have cataloged your generation 991, which imposed both the rear steering wheels and the robotic PDK gearbox (before the mecha gearbox returned to restyling), the opposite of your original promise of authentic driving. Because today, in an ocean of sports at best turbocharged, at worst electrified, you have managed to keep what unites your fans since the first 911 GT3 of the name: an atmospheric flat-6 with incredible rotation speeds. Still 9,000 rpm on this 992 generation. A mauto.

In 2021, a tachometer with a graduated needle up to 10,000 rpm becomes a reason for purchase on its own, so too bad if you have to pay more than 200,000 € before the slightest option (penalty of 30,000 € included, you have to pay for your insolence one day…). And, as is often the case with Porsche, supplements are rarely dispensable: bucket seats type 918 Spyder at € 5,400, carbon roof at € 3,588, front axle lifting system at € 3,156, or even carbon-ceramic brakes at € 3,588. € 9,264. The only free option? The Clubsport package with bolt-on roll bar and six-point harness on the driver’s side. Refusing a gift is still rude, it seems.

So let’s come back to our sheep, or rather our horses, which do a flea jump (that’s a lot of animals) from 500 to 510 hp. A power that was already delivering the atypical Porsche 911 Speedster type 991, whose production spilling over into the year 2020 had imposed the adoption of particulate filters. It remained to be seen whether this encapsulated 992 GT3 retained this characteristic sound, more like the roar of a wild beast than an internal combustion engine.

Engine: 20/20

The engine at a glance. With 510 hp instead of 500 hp, 470 Nm of torque instead of 460 Nm, six individual gas butterflies (one per cylinder), the 911 GT3 strictly recovers the evolutions of the 911 Speedster and this is excellent news. Variable camshaft timing and dry sump lubrication are also renewed. And despite the adoption of particulate filters, the exhaust line has been reduced by 10 kg thanks to a new stainless steel construction.

Our opinion. Impressed by the avalanches of torque from turbocharged or electric engines, we ended up in mourning for the old world. And then we drive back a 911 GT3 and everything comes back as obvious. The perfect accelerator dosage. The power you deserve. The lyrical flights of the flat-6, engaging from 5,000 rpm where the needle, instead of being magnetized to a breaker at 7,000 rpm, gains in intensity as it approaches 9,000 rpm. The resulting sound always makes one imagine aboard a racing car and, a few units of the maximum speed, our forearms lack hair to accommodate all the chills generated. What an engine!

Despite the relative modesty of the torque (470 Nm, against 800 Nm for a 911 Turbo S!), Performance never disappoints, even when the unrestricted German highway allows long minutes of full charge. After taking off under Launch Control (which stalls the tachometer needle at 6500 rpm!), The 911 GT3 begins its fantastic ascent and already peaks at 280 km / h before our favorite section starts to to come down. The exercise thus ends at 330 km / h on the odometer, in a barouf such that it would take earplugs to keep up this pace over several kilometers. Hello the atmosphere!

Box: 20/20

The box in brief. On the “classic” 911 Carrera, the PDK robot with double clutch now has eight gears. That of the GT3 is limited to seven, refusing the overdrive that would significantly lower the engine speed on the motorway. One way to limit its weight … still 17 kg higher than that of the six-speed manual gearbox, renewed at no extra charge. But the latter does not allow the same acceleration (0 to 100 km / h in 3.9 s, against 3.4 s for the PDK) and loses the aesthetic argument of the “good old” lever which, on the GT3 PDK , ape precisely a mechanical box.

Our opinion. If the taste for authentic driving generally prefers manual gearboxes to robotics, that of the 911 GT3 seriously gives cause for hesitation. Telepathic management in Auto mode, instantaneous changes to Manual mode, this transmission does not suffer the slightest criticism and even magnifies the fantastic engine, punctuating its ascents with a flick on the right pallet (the gas stroke on downshifting is not less enjoyable…).

Fans of gearshifts from the lever are not forgotten, since the specific command allows it unlike the one, in the form of a large USB socket, of the other 911 type 992. Here, we pull to go up the gears and we push to lower them, remaining faithful to the movements of the body during acceleration and braking. Don’t change anything, thank you.

Chassis: 20/20

The chassis at a glance. Here is undoubtedly the most significant evolution of this new 911 GT3: the adoption, as in competition and years after the rivals, of a double wishbone front suspension rather than MacPherson type. Range of adjustments, travel, guidance, stability, everything improves for the benefit of efficiency. The piloted suspension (lowered by 20 mm compared to the Carrera), the rear steering wheels (steering up to 2 ° away from the front under 50 km / h, in the same direction beyond 80 km / h) and the PTV + controlled rear differential (the automatic locking remains mechanical with the manual gearbox) are also part of the trip.

Our opinion. A tight turn is enough to measure the progress made by the new front suspension. Clearly more incisive at the entry, better grip on its trajectory in support, less prone to understeer on re-acceleration, the 911 GT3 could pass for a sports car with a central engine as it no longer requires the slightest adaptation of piloting due to its flat -6 in a backpack. Efficiency wins and ease of driving too, except that you almost have to “unplug your brain” to reach the limits of the chassis on this very fast, bumpy, narrow and rail-lined circuit.

The increased grip of the front axle also concerns its rear counterpart, especially in the high-speed portions, which highlight the reinforced aerodynamic downforce. However, we were driving in the “road” configuration (the rear wing can be steered more and the front blade stretched out) and put on the standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 models, unlike the version used for the official chrono which had the maximum downforce (not approved for the road) and optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R.

We dare not imagine the passage speeds then allowed … even if our hare of the day gave us a little idea. His mount? A 991 GT3 RS “MR”, with a chassis revised by Manthey Racing and the famous Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. If its 500 hp were not enough to distance the 992 GT3 in revival, its optimized running gear and the skill of its pilot left no chance for our production 992, which was gradually left behind. This will leave a new margin for the future 992 GT3 RS, whose intimidating aerodynamic package could even complicate the racing 911 Cups… Where will it stop?

Braking: 20/20

Braking in brief. With its four 380mm discs pinched by six-piston calipers in front and four behind, the previous 911 GT3 was frankly not lacking in braking efficiency. The new nevertheless increases the diameter of the front discs to 408 mm, or even to 410 mm with the carbon-ceramic option which also reduces the mass of the whole by 50%. An option at € 9,264 which fitted our 911 GT3 test…

Our opinion. Considering the reputation of the Porsche 911 in terms of braking and the accuracy of the tuning of the preceding elements, we did not have too many concerns about the endurance of the system. Apart from a biting that is sometimes inconstant (a problem curiously affecting many models so equipped), the braking did not show any weaknesses. Powerful, enduring, easy to dose, it reassured on a track which allows very high speeds to be reached, as evidenced by the 270 km / h pointed before the rapid left turn conditioning the heavy braking of Aremberg. Paradoxically, those used to outings on the circuit prefer to use steel discs, which are admittedly less enduring but more efficient when cold, and whose replacement cost in extreme use is shown to be very, very lower.

Find the test report, the technical sheet and detailed equipment prices on the following page …