The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Is Here For 9000rpm N/A Thrills

The 992 Porsche 911 is set to be spun off into myriad derivatives. We’ve already seen a great deal of them, including the versatile Targa and all-powerful Turbo, but Porsche has now revealed what’ll arguably be the best of the lot - the 911 GT3.

The 992 version was long-rumoured to adopt a turbocharged powertrain, but as confirmed by Porsche late last year, it’s sticking with the same 4.0-litre, naturally-aspirated flat-six as the 991.2 model. This 9000rpm-capable screamer, derived from the GT3 R racer, develops 503bhp. That’s an increase of just 10bhp.

Consequently, the 0-62mph time remains stubbornly static at 3.4 seconds. No faster than the old one, and just a tenth faster than a PDK 911 Carrera S, but acceleration figures have never been the point with the GT3. Where it matters, there are some dramatic changes.

Chief among these is the adoption of a double-wishbone front suspension layout. It’s the first road-going 911 ever to feature anything other than MacPherson struts at the front, taking the lead from the similarly configured 911 RSR LM-GTE machine.

Also inspired by the GTE car is the ‘swan neck’ top-mount rear wing, and the new rear diffuser. Both of these parts have manually adjustable elements.

On the subject of the bodywork, compared to its predecessor the GT3 uses a wider shell housing bigger wheels, yet weighs roughly the same at 1435kg. Helping trim the fat, Porsche has fitted a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic bonnet, lighter glass windows and forged rims.

All of this contributes to a car that’s rather brisk on track. Porsche development driver Lars Kern took the car around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in just six minutes and 55.2 seconds when measured by the 20.6-kilometre layout - 17 seconds quicker than the old one and over a second faster than the outgoing GT3 RS. As with the mightiest 991.2 RS, optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres were used.

Also on the configurator is a six-speed manual gearbox. What it loses to the PDK in acceleration (there isn’t a figure yet, but expect a drop of about half a second for the 0-62 time) it gains in top speed bragging rights. Well, just - its 199mph top whack is 1mph higher than the auto. It’s also 17kg lighter.

The 992 GT3 is priced from £123,100, which is ridiculous value for money considering how much some of the car’s rivals cost. First deliveries will begin this May.