First Look: Porsche 911 GT3

Just when you thought that Porsche couldn’t possibly manage to improve its street legal race prepared GT3 anymore, out pops the new 2022 911 GT3 and improve it they have.

The naturally aspirated flat-six boxer engine now produces a phenomenal 502hp and 345 lb-ft of torque, that puts all the power down to the rear wheels through either a seven-speed PDK transmission or an optional six-speed manual gearbox. The engine, which is almost identical to the track only GT3 cup race car, benefits from six independent throttle bodies that increase the sharp throttle response adding to the already racing pedigree performance. The GT3, using the standard PDK transmission, can now reach 100km in a blistering 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 314km/h.

The biggest change in the GT3 is the introduction of a new double-wishbone front suspension that has been redeveloped from the Le Mans winning RSR – the first time a double-wishbone system has been added to a Porsche production car. This increases handling especially when entering corners at high speed and manages relieve some of the pressures placed on the dampers ensuring the front wheels stay secure and flat on the surface throughout cornering especially on uneven surfaces.

To manage the new front set up the rear suspension has been upgraded with additional ball joints being added to the lower wishbones to help relieve the additional high stress levels incurred at the back end. Special shock absorbers have been added in the rear to increase performance especially when on track. Rear-wheel steering is still standard that increases cornering stability at high speed and aids in tight maneuvers when at low speed.

To handle the additional handling capabilities the front brake discs have been increased by 28 mm to 408 mm, but while being larger the weight has been reduced by 17 per cent. Additionally, new road legal, high performance track-ready tires have been approved as an option for the first time.

Up front the GT3 benefits from an adjustable front spoiler lip and diffuser with cooling intakes being integrated into the lower part of the carbon fibre hood. New side skirts specifically designed for the new GT3 have been added ensuring smooth airflow around the wheels.

What makes the new GT3 stand out is the huge manually adjustable swanneck rear spoiler and a newly designed rear diffuser, this combination – when set up for track use – can increase the downforce by up to 150 per cent.

Don’t expect any of the luxuries normally associated with Porsche in the cabin. The interior is sparse with all the focus on racing and speed. Four-way adjustable seating is made available as standard with lighter carbon fibre, full bucket seats being offered as an option.

New to the GT3 is the new PDK gear shifter in the centre console that can be used to change gears by pushing forward or pulling back and can be used as an alternative to the steering wheel mounted shifter paddles.

A much improved instrument cluster now includes a Track-Screen function that condenses the amount of information shown to the bare minimum. All of the information that a driver needs to see during high performance driving or racing is now tightly situated around the analog tachometer that allows the driver to take in all needed information with one single glance.

Just to prove how much the new 911 GT3 has improved from the last model, a time of 6:59.927 was achieved around the 20.8 km long Nürburgring Nordschleife which is 17 seconds faster than the outgoing model. To make this even more impressive it was achieved during a regular fine tuning session of the vehicle.

The 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 should be available in the fall of 2021 with pricing being made available closer to then.

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