There is always one version of the factory built Porsche 911 that stands head and shoulders above the rest of its backwards engineered brethren. The 911 GT3 is the choice of seasoned racers with a high revving naturally aspirated flat six and a track tuned suspension. The GT3 offers true race car performance in a street vehicle.
The new Porsche 911 GT3 made its debut last year at the Geneva Motor Show and it is now on sale at a price of $112,200. beside a few exterior changes, the 911 GT3 comes for the first time, with a particularly sporting variant of PSM Porsche Stability Management, offering the option to deactivate both Stability Control (SC) and Traction Control (TC) in separate steps.
The 911 GT3 is powered by a 3.8-liter six-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine that develops maximum output of 435 bhp, up 20 bhp over its predecessor. It offers even better grip and stability also at high speeds, specific modifications of the car’s aerodynamics increasing down-forces both front and rear to such an extent that the overall pressure pushing down the car is more than twice as great as on the former model. At the same time the new Aerodynamics Package gives the GT3 a brand-new look further accentuated by the new bi-xenon headlights, LED rear light clusters, as well as modified air intakes and outlets.
The GT3 holds an interesting place in the lineup because it is the fastest naturally-aspired car Porsche makes (aside from the track-only GT3 RSR), and some drivers prefer the GT3 over turbo models. This GT3 makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in four seconds and has a top speed of 194 mph. This represents only 0.3 of a second slower to 60 mph and is one mile per hour faster than the current 911 Turbo. Some of Porsche’s professional drivers have felt that the marginal power loss was worth the predictability that was gained by having a non-turbo engine.
UPDATE 12/28/2010: Want to catch over 16 minutes of awesome rally car action? Check out the video after the jump to see Pro rally team Olaf Dobberkau and Alexandra König drift, slip, and slide through the track while enjoying the glorious sounds of the 911 GT3’s beautiful engine and exhaust. Enjoy!
In a year that has been full of uncertainty, recalls, and what-have-you, at least one brand is ending it on a really high note.
For better or for worse, Porsche has had a really good year and their fortunes haven’t gone unrecognized by a lot of their peers. The automaker from Stuttgart, Germany is being recognized by a variety of media outlets for a year where it has released a steady diet of high-performance and ultra-popular cars. While some people might think that the company was lucky to have the year it has had, the folks at Porsche would prefer to describe it as “business as usual”.
Over in their homeland of Germany, the Deutsche Automobil Treuhand (DAT) listed three of Porsche’s sports as having the best value retention with the Porsche 911 leading the pack, followed by both the Boxster and the Cayman. Thee cars in the top-three. Pretty impressive.
On the other side of the world in the Land Down Under, a jury comprising of eleven motor journalists from the “Sydney Morning Herald”, “The Age” and “drive.com.au" chose the Porsche Boxster as the best convertible of 2010 and more importantly, giving it the “Drive Car of the Year Award” for the second year in a row.
The end of the motorsport season is here and Porsche has gone out with a bang as they have introduced their 2011 GT3 RSR at the “Night of Champions” party held at the R&D Center in Weissach. The GT3 RSR will join the 911 GT3 R and the 911 GT3 Cup in competing in the 2011 GT racing. Teams interested can be had for 410,000 Euro ($543,000 at current rates) plus country-specific value added tax.
The new GT3 RSR is powered a 4.0-liter, six-cylinder boxer engine mated to a six-speed gearbox. This combination delivers 455 HP at 7,800 rpm and a max 450Nm of torque. That’s five horsepower more than the GT3 Cup, but 25 less than the GT3 R. The power increase was possible thanks to an engine management system, a redesigned exhaust system, and a modified air intake housing. Stopping power comes from single-piece six-piston aluminum fixed calipers in the front and single-piece four-piston aluminum fixed calipers in the rear. Taking that power to the pavement will be three-piece BBS light-alloy wheels, 12J x 18 ET 34 in the front and 13J x 18 ET 12.5 at the rear.
The Porsche GT3 RSR has a monocoque body (basis GT3 RS) of hot-galvanised steel and receives a new front lip, wider front wheels, a modified rear wing, and a redesigned rear lid for optimized air ducting. Taking its cue from the 911 GT3 Cup and the GT3 R, the RSR has been LED rear lights taken from the latest 911 road-legal cars.
We often show you videos of supercar races that leave a lot to be desired when it comes to the quality of the videos. More often than not, these are amateur videos shot by people who probably only used their cell phones to shoot the race.
It’s rare that we chance upon a video – it actually looks like a short film – that’s as professionally done as the one the folks from Stunt Attitude made. Titled as “The Ring Race”, the short film features a Porsche 911 GT3 and a Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera engaging in a scintillating road race along the four corners of Paris, culminating in an exciting finish towards the end. The short was directed by Antoine Elizabe, who took great lengths in showing the incredible detail of both protagonists as they roared along the streets and highways of Paris.
Beautifully done with great editing, and not to mention two spectacular leading men – or cars – makes this short a must-watch for any Porsche and Lamborghini-loving gearhead.
Pikes Peak record-holder Jeff Zwart and his record-setting Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car are like kindred spirits, joined together to achieve a greater purpose. We found out exactly what that purpose was when Zwart won and set a new record in the 2WD Time Attack class in last June’s 88th running of the Pikes Peak Hillclimb.
Turns out, even in the off-season, Zwart still has time to take his beloved race car out for a spin – or ten – along the Californian mountains with twists and turns that leads to God-knows-where.
When he’s not behind the wheel shaking down his 911 GT3 Cup car, the multi-titled Pikes Peak veteran – he’s been racing in the event for 12 years on nine different Porsches while winning seven different class championships - spends some time talking about and discussing his deep-seated love for his racer, clearly showing that he and his 911 GT3 Cup are like brothers from two different mothers.
