Porsche 911 GT3 and Touring 2026 Evaluation: Track drive

Dark clouds pushed by savage southerly gusts velocity throughout the sky as storage roller-doors rattle in refrain. The sizzling solar has simply been changed by a full moon, sizzling brakes fragrance the pit lane at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

We’re right here for our first style of the brand new, ‘992.2’ era Porsche 911 GT3 in full-fat bewinged and demure Touring guises.

Pitched to us by Porsche Cars Australia as a ‘speed-dating’ expertise, it’s an abridged style of the Stuttgart marque’s newest flagship combustion automobiles earlier than a highway drive later within the yr. 

If you ignore the Cayenne, it’s the primary time in GT-car historical past Porsche has provided again seats from the manufacturing facility. They’re small, positive, however it means house owners will be capable to encourage the subsequent era extra simply than earlier than. 

They’re fitted to the pair of Slate Grey Neo Touring pack GT3s, which look lovely.

The retro wingless silhouette anchor them to their heritage, set off by elegant Black/Cohibra Brown Exklusiv Manufaktur leather-based — a $28,070 choice, in the event you’re questioning. 

Should you want to prioritise safety in a crash over again seats, Porsche now provides two roll-cage choices, too. A metal association within the Club Sport package deal (a no-cost choice with the fold-forward carbon buckets) additionally bundles a six-point harness and hearth extinguisher. 

Alternatively, you’ll be able to go lighter, electing for the $47,530 Weissach Pack with carbon roll-cage on the winged GT3, as seen on the Guards Red automobile.

This is fairly severe stuff, and the primary time Weissach has been provided on a non-RS GT automobile. 

Other goodies embrace carbon-fibre bolstered plastic (CFRP) suspension parts (anti-roll bars, coupling rods, shear panels), mirror caps, entrance air blades, door handles, and facet panels of the large rear wing. 

Optional solid magnesium wheels, as fitted, are a $33,840 choice and save 9.1kg unsprung mass. For Touring consumers, an analogous Leichtbau (Lightweight) pack is offered. 

Still, the brand new 992.2 911 GT3 is fractionally heavier than the automobile it replaces, tipping the scales at 1420kg in its lightest configuration (+2kg), or 1439kg with out choices. 

Power from the 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six hasn’t elevated, both, nonetheless pinned at a wholesome 375kW.

Emissions rules have led to a complete of 4 catalytic and two petrol particulate filters, strangling 20Nm, now right down to 450Nm. We’re clearly approaching the restrict of naturally-aspirated machines. 

It’s quieter, this new GT3, although nothing an aftermarket Akrapovic gained’t repair. Plus, sink down into the supportive bucket seats with minimal (however ample) padding and you’ll nonetheless really feel the throbbing flat six inside.

The pews are power-adjustable for peak, and guide slide, making it simple to get snug.  

As our GT3 has are available in sizzling from the earlier session, there’s no likelihood to work together with the still-present twist-to-start within the GT3 — 911 Carrera, GTS and Turbo variants are actually boring push-button affairs. 

Time to take this 500-plus horsepower, rear-engined, rear-drive sports activities automobile with sizzling tyres onto the observe. It’s a bit daunting, particularly as a droplet of water hits the windscreen. 

In the guide, winged GT3 first, the clutch bites proper off the ground. Catch it with some throttle, earlier than it stalls, and take off. Twist the wheel-mounted drive selector into ‘Track’ and, fortunately, that’s it for mode fiddling.

The 911 is refreshingly set-and-forget after bamboozling customisation of BMW M, Mercedes-AMG and Hyundai N merchandise. 

There’s an inherent rightness to the 911 GT3. You could have by no means pushed one, or not achieved so in a really very long time, and but interacting with the steering, brake, clutch and kit lever is like shaking arms with an outdated buddy. Totally predictable, solely reassuring. 

Auto rev-matching is on, however so good is the GT3’s pedal spacing and brake pedal assist, heel and toe downshifts are second nature. 

We’re instructed to maintain the brand new GT3 in third gear via the tight, double-apex flip two on the GT Circuit and with the eight % shorter remaining drive ratio from the 911 S/T, the brand new automobile pulls convincingly from the mid nook.

Equally satisfying is the slick, exact and lightweight gearshift, managed by the stubbier lever additionally borrowed from the S/T.

The shorter gearing negates that on-paper torque loss, and the brand new GT3 additionally advantages from revisions to the cylinder heads, particular person throttle our bodies and ‘hotter’ camshafts.

Drama is elevated past 5000rpm because the engine comes alive. Cooling has been stepped up, too, for steady lapping in sizzling circumstances. 

Just one lap in, the boldness the GT3 instills within the driver is absurd. It’s quick, positive, however crucially there’s no main drama after a dud braking level, or advancing the throttle too quickly — only a nibble of understeer telegraphed delicately via the steering wheel.

A suggestion you would possibly revise your method. 

I’m reminded of what Porsche Track Experience Chief and 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden stated within the driver briefing — the brand new GT3 doesn’t punish errors. It’s nothing like a race automobile in that sense, he says. You’d assume which may make it boring. Nope. 

We swap locations and I’m behind the lead driver now, the tempo rises, the rear-engine steadiness turns into useful underneath brakes, rotating the GT3 in direction of the apex and necessitating a hack of reverse lock as I overdo it into the downhill, on-camber flip eight.

That’s on me, not the automobile, and that’s satisfying. 

A run via the high-speed turn-one at first rate tempo exhibits up the GT3’s excellent steadiness and aerodynamic poise.

It seems like you could possibly ramp up turn-in velocity endlessly (latterly, Youlden proves 185km/h is a cinch). And simply as we’re entering into the groove, the trainer’s hazards come on, and it’s again to the pits. 

To spherical out the transient night, it’s time within the PDK-equipped automobiles, this time a slinky Touring. Supple leather-based coats the 18-way seats that are plusher, but rob a number of the readability of highway really feel you get via your bum. 

Compared to the six-speed guide, the seven-speed PDK is half a second faster from 0-100km/h (3.4sec) than the guide. What’s shocking is how important that feels on observe. 

Pulling out of pit-lane, the PDK-equipped automobile is extra pressing, extra brutal, and extra thrilling due to it. Under brakes, the automobile picks the proper downshift level. You’d say it was telepathic, if it wasn’t for the very fact it really works quicker than the mind can comprehend. 

There’s one other hidden trick to the auto GT3, being the standard-fit PTV Plus electronically-controlled limited-slip differential versus the guide’s mechanical merchandise.

This provides one other layer of sophistication, subtly turning impatient throttle inputs into mid-corner rotation as a substitute of understeer. 

Not to say the guide automobile isn’t solely pliable, like putty within the driver’s arms, however the PDK’s rotation borders supernatural.

Without that large wing, you’d anticipate the Touring to really feel rather less secure at velocity, however the distinction is minimal at these speeds, at the least in really feel as Porsche’s GT division has refined the package deal for an identical steadiness. 

Big adjustments have occurred beneath the brand new GT3s, with tweaked entrance spoiler lips, modified underbody fins and even aerodynamically-optimised rear trailing arms and double wishbone entrance suspension parts. 

Without a gear lever to wiggle about, confidence grows shortly within the Touring. Moving faster, the precision and tranquility of the talkative steering turns into an attribute, permitting the driving force to information the gripped-up entrance axle precisely the place it must be. 

The brakes assist right here, too. The spacing within the PDK primarily forces left-foot braking and the supportive pedal provides immense confidence.

Porsche’s tweaked the pivot factors on the entrance suspension for larger anti-dive, giving a flatter platform underneath brakes and due to this fact bettering ease of trail-braking. 

Now feeling completely relaxed, some bandwidth may be devoted to suspension set-up which is definitely softer than earlier than, responding to complaints of the pre-update 992 GT3 and incorporating learnings from the S/T with new, extra succesful dampers. 

There’s additionally 25mm extra stroke due to reprofiled bump stops. Adaptive dampers are commonplace and have three modes: Normal, Sport and Track.

Both Touring and winged GT3s now use an identical set-ups because of the adjustments.  

Even in Track, the GT3 gobbles up kerbs — from sawtooth to sausage — like Homer Simpson at a ’ball sport.

In reality, feel-wise, it’s probably one ever-so-slight shortcoming of this GT3. Over a few of Sydney Motorsport Park’s mid-corner ripples, the GT3’s physique does float a whisker greater than is strictly snug. 

That’s about as a lot of a nitpick as you could possibly throw at any automobile. Plus, pure racetrack life is the sport of the all-out GT3 RS…or an precise racecar.

Suspicion is that this minuscule compliance trade-off will more-than pay dividends after we get the Touring out for a correct fang on our favorite roads. 

At this level, the trainer’s hazard lights glow once more, and after a 30-plus diploma day the Pirelli tyres on the GT3’s 20-inch entrance and 21-inch rear wheels are decidedly worse for put on, however all the pieces else feels tight as a drum.

Firm brake pedal, strident powertrain, suspension, like this automobile’s constructed to be abused and we didn’t even come shut. 

The different main sticking level for these GT3s is the worth. Before you contact the configurator, we’re already speaking $446,700, earlier than on-road prices. The pink GT3s are optioned as much as $574,680, and the Slate Grey examples a staggering $626,150. 

That’s past Ferrari 296 GTB cash ($604,000), and whenever you have a look at the spec sheets, the Fezza produces an additional 235kW and has all of the complexity of a hybrid battery. No-brainer? Not actually. 

As all the time, the Porsche 911 GT3 satisfies on a extra cerebral degree. It does so in an virtually Toyota Hilux (and we imply this as a complement) means, with Porsche guaranteeing each part has been examined to destruction so you’ll be able to hit the racetrack weekly (or extra) and solely actually fear about consumables. 

Even although it’s quieter, the 911 GT3’s 4.0-litre flat-six continues to be an intoxicating mechanical marvel. That guide transmission could also be slower, however the satisfaction of commanding proceedings is well worth the trade-off.

That the brand new GT3, in Touring or winged, guide or PDK, instills such instant confidence within the driver is the largest takeaway from our transient expertise. Crisp, responsive, pliable and completely addictive, the Porsche 911 GT3 prevails on observe. We can’t wait to get it out on the highway.