We like
Superb manual transmission feel; rapid-fire PDK dual-clutch response; rev-lust of its naturally aspirated flat six; outstanding racetrack chassis balance and control; brilliant materials quality in all areas

Room for improvement
Lacks the outer-limit edginess that once characterised a GT3; seriously expensive; likely not so easy to source if you spontaneously decided to buy one

Overview

 

A quarter of a century is an impressive run for any automotive nameplate, and that’s what ‘GT3’ has become for Porsche during that time – essentially its own thing, on top of already being a 911.

 

This 992.2 GT3 – a mid-life makeover of the circa-2021 current GT3 – was covered extensively by Go Auto last October for its Australian pricing reveal but the crux of the matter is this: it’s more of a GT3 RS than it’s ever been, leaving even less room for the inevitable RS version to assert itself.

 

It’s also the first time the GT3 has launched as a duo – the ‘regular’ GT3 alongside a wing-less GT3 Touring, each featuring sharper front styling with new Matrix LED headlights and embedded fog lights, larger air inlets, and optimised air flow for increased downforce.

 

At the rear, the diffuser, air inlets and rear engine lid have been redesigned, along with new angled side plates on the GT3’s menacing rear wing.

 

Porsche has also paid close attention to further weight reduction and weight positioning, to optimise the GT3’s handling and agility.

 

A new silver-coloured lightweight aluminium wheel reduces unsprung weight by more than 1.5 kg compared to the previous wheel, while optional magnesium wheels – available with the Weissach package ($47,530) or the Lightweight package ($71,120) – save 9kg.

 

A 40Ah lithium-ion lightweight battery shaves another 4kg so that in its lightest configuration, the new GT3 weighs just 1420kg.

 

Engine-wise, many modifications to the 4.0-litre flat six have been incorporated from the outgoing GT3 RS such as a camshaft design that reduces peak torque output (now 450Nm, down 20Nm) in favour of responsiveness at high revs.

 

There’s also an RS-derived anti-dive suspension design including lower-set front ball joints on the lower trailing arm of the double-wishbone front-end – components of which are designed to increase downforce in the wheel arches at high speeds and improve brake cooling.

 

Of course, Porsche’s options catalogue and level of available personalisation is huge, and the four test cars we have lined up at Sydney Motorsport Park are proof of what’s possible.

 

There are two GT3s fitted with the Weissach Package and enough extras to extend each of their list prices to a few hundred dollars from $575,000 – one with the standard PDK seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the other with a no-cost six-speed manual.

 

And two GT3 Tourings – one manual, the other PDK – each totalling $525,150 (before on-road costs) after options.

 

Driving Impressions

 

Porsche Australia’s ‘Speed Dating’ introduction to the 992.2 GT3 range shares much with its actual dating namesake. We’re thrown straight into the deep end on a flood-lit night track for a red-hot minute of fast-and-furious action that hopefully doesn’t end in tears.

 

The premise is simple – our first taste of the new GT3 will be three fast laps in a GT3 PDK (either ‘plain’ or Touring), then three fast laps in the opposing manual variant (either ‘plain’ or Touring). There’s zero time for acclimatisation or familiarity – just straight in and flat out.

 

It’s a good way to test the suitability of the slightly more forgiving new GT3 for the above-average owner – someone who knows how to steer but isn’t a self-professed race ace.

 

I start in the PDK and quickly abort faffing with gear paddles or drive modes. I soon leave the steering-wheel dial in Track and relinquish gear-shifting duties to the lightning-fast PDK dual-clutch, that proves brilliant at downshifting when you need it to, as well as holding onto gears at the right moment.

 

No doubt, a GT3 PDK is the hot-shot 911 to have if you care deeply about your own lap times. Or you’re actually racing the car.

 

For anyone keen on enjoying the ride as much as the destination, however, the six-speed manual is an absolute delight. It slickly yet mechanically slots between ratios with exquisite weighting and feel – delivering an other-wordly sensation that’s as tingly and touchy-feely as it is outrageously brilliant.

 

Almost no manual on earth can match the joy of a GT3 six-speed – and to hell with its slower 3.9sec 0-100km/h claim (3.4sec for the PDK), though the manual is capable of 313km/h at full noise (311km/h in the PDK).

 

Speaking of which, it’s in the manual that you notice just how free-revving and razor-sharp the response is of Porsche’s magnificent 4.0-litre flat six. Still producing 375kW and still redlined at 9000rpm, if you throttle blip a bit too eagerly in the GT3 manual it will fling its tacho needle to the red zone fast than you can exclaim “scheiße!”

 

Even saddled with all the anti-pollution gear necessary in 2025, this utterly glorious engine continues to be a stunning reminder as to what the motoring world would be giving up if we went fully electric.

 

As for the new GT3’s dynamics, regardless of the Weissach pack or the non-Touring’s standard Torque Vectoring Plus, at flat stick they all feel remarkably forgiving compared to the edginess of GT3s past.

 

You can comfortably brake so deep into a corner that you need to reprogram your brain from any attempt at the delicacy it feels a rear-engined sport car requires. It’s in this area where the latest GT3 achieves its physics-defying handling performance and change-of-direction agility.

 

Given our racetrack-only speed-dating experience of the 992.2 GT3, about all there is left to comment on is the breathtaking stamina of its braking package – 408mm ventilated and perforated composite front discs with six-piston callipers, and 380mm ventilated and perforated composite rear discs with four-piston callipers. Their effectiveness and feel is superb; their stopping performance tireless.

 

It should also be pointed out that there are two new concessions to comfort in GT3s fitted with racing buckets. There’s now an electric seat-height adjustment switch down on the lower right, and those with the Weissach package have removable headrests to better accommodate drivers wearing helmets.

 

Yet there are undoubtedly many layers to the 992.2 GT3 that remain undiscovered. Its handling nuance through real-world corners, including the adjustability of its poise, the effectiveness of its torque vectoring, and its actual ride quality – something that’s impossible to assess on a smooth racetrack (apart from its unshakability over ripple strips).

 

Those are questions to be answered at another time. But given Porsche’s reputation for building outstanding sports cars that are also liveable day-to-day, I’d expect the new GT3 will remain as lustworthy in Double Bay as it would be through a double apex.