The Porsche 911 GT3 is a racecar
for the road, so says a Carrera Cup racer appointed as instructor at a
driver's event here over the weekend.
Well, it is hard to argue with that. From its enormous rear wing to
a roll cage that takes the place of rear seats, the GT3 is dressed to
race. Only its airconditioning and stereo are a little out of place.
That, of course, is not exactly news. Now in its third generation,
the GT3 is considered by Porsche fans as the purest expression of
911-ness.
It is the minimalist counterpoint to the flagship 911 variant, the Turbo.
While the Turbo and its even more rabid sibling, the Turbo S, have
more gizmos and acronyms than a stealth bomber, the GT3 has precious
little beyond a finely honed chassis and a screaming engine.
For the first time, that engine powers all four wheels instead of
only the rear ones. And it gets electric power steering and - horror of
horrors - is available only with a dual-clutch autobox (previous cars
were manual-only).
Despite its newfound user-friendliness, do not think that the GT3 has gone soft. It is still every inch a track weapon.
Nestled deeply in its fixed-back carbon-fibre bucket seat, you feel
an uncanny deftness and accuracy to the car. Its steering is sharp to
the millimetre, its dual-clutch gearbox swops ratios with alarming
speed, its throttle is trigger-happy and its oversized carbon- ceramic
brakes are indefatigable.
In spite of the GT3 being cut from the same cloth (sort of) as other
911s, it feels like it comes from a different planet. Perhaps one that
has petrol fumes for air.
Take its engine, for instance, a 3.8-
litre flat-six derived from the one used in the Carrera S. But in
the GT3, it revs to a stratospheric 9,000rpm, with an unearthly high
compression ratio of 12.9:1. In the Carrera S, it revs to 8,000rpm and
has a 12.5:1 compression ratio.
As mentioned earlier, the GT3 is a weapon. And like all weapons, it
has the potential to injure its user, which means it demands respect.
Its 475bhp output may be modest among supercars, but its tail
constantly threatens to break loose, despite the presence of
super-wide, super-sticky Michelin tyres.
In short, you had best be on top of your game because the GT3 does not suffer fools gladly.
In the light of that, I was emphatically told (twice) that I was not
allowed to switch off the electronic stability nannies. I rode shotgun
for a couple of laps with an instructor who was not bound by the same
rules and, judging by how often he kept muttering how tail-happy the
GT3 was, I was glad for the electronic safety net.
So, why would anyone in Singapore spend well over $700,000 to
indulge in the GT3? A Turbo S (which I also had a go in at the Sepang
racetrack) is more forgiving and, in the hands of mere mortals, even
quicker than the GT3, thanks to its aforementioned suite of driving
aids.
The answer to the question is rather simple: The GT3 is, by far, the
most engaging member of the expansive 911 family. Which means that when
you get it just right (as I did a few times by pure chance), it is also
the most rewarding.
Most importantly, its all-wheel-drive, electric steering and automatic gearbox have not diluted this aspect of the car.
Nevertheless, it is still not a car for everybody. But if you
harbour hopes of becoming a racecar driver, you will be hard-pressed to
find a finer car to live out that dream in.
Specs
PORSCHE 911 GT3
Price: From $633,688 without COE
Engine: 3,799cc 24-valve flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch with paddle shift
Power: 475bhp at 8,250rpm
Torque: 440Nm at 6,250rpm
0-100kmh: 3.5 seconds
Top speed: 315kmh
Fuel consumption: 12.4 litres/100km
