We’ve been keeping a close eye on the roasting Porsche GT3 debacle unfolding over the last month or so with little information to go on. However, Porsche->ke1 has unofficially announced the findings from its investigation and the company’s apparent remedy to the conundrum. Porsche will be replacing every 2014 GT3’s 3.8-liter engine.

A GT3 owner posted a letter from Porsche on an owner forum explaining the issue and Porsche’s plan to rectify it. According to the letter, damage is caused by “loosened piston rod screw connection which damaged the crankcase,” in the case of at least two GT3s. The letter continues saying a new screw connection is currently being tested.

In our estimation from the statement above, the 3.8-liter flax six threw a rod that damaged the crankcase and resulted in a fire. Perhaps shrapnel from the exploding block ripped through a fuel line, resulting in the blaze seen in the picture above.

When Porsche concludes the updated hardware will work, “we will be installing new engines with optimized piston rod screw connections in all 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 vehicles.” The letter goes on to say the Porsche will begin scheduling services and owners will be getting more information within the next three weeks.

Stay tuned to TopSpeed for any breaking news on this story.

Click past the jump to read Porsche's letter and more about the Porsche 911 GT3 and to read the letter from Porsche.

Porsche Letter on Rennlist

"Dear _____________

:

As advised previously, engineers at Porsche AG have been conducting technical analysis of the Porsche 911 GT3 engine in order to find a solution to the problem which led us to recommend you stop driving your car.

This analysis is now completed, and we would like to inform you about the cause of the problem and the planned remedial actions.

As already communicated, two vehicles in Europe suffered engine damage, causing the vehicles to catch fire.

Analysis has revealed that in both cases the engine damage was caused by a loosened piston rod screw connection which damaged the crankcase. In order to avoid this in the future, an optimized screw connection is currently being tested. For the final validation of this solution, Porsche AG is currently carrying out extensive tests.

At Porsche we are rigorous when implementing an engineering solution, therefore, after the successful testing and validation we will be installing new engines with optimized piston rod screw connections in all 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 vehicles.

Due to the complexity of the necessary arrangement, we are currently unable to provide you with a specific workshop date for your Porsche 911 GT3. We will be arranging an appointment with you individually, as soon as the logistics planning is finalized. We will be providing you with additional information within the next three weeks.

We continue to remain committed to supporting your individual needs during this time.

Your personal contact person will make contact with you within the next days to discuss individual solutions to bridge the gap until you are reunited with your Porsche 911 GT3.

Thank you very much for your patience and your loyalty to the Porsche brand.

Kind regards,

Tim Quinn

Vice President, AfterSales

Porsche Cars North America, Inc."

Porsche 911 GT3

The 2014 911 GT3 is Porsche’s track star and halo car, built to beat the best on the toughest tracks around the world. Powered by a 3.8-liter flax six making 475 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque, the GT3 will hit 60 mph in a staggering 3.3 seconds on its way to a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds and a top speed of 195 mph.

Costing a hefty $130,000, the GT3 isn’t cheap. But its performance numbers have it competing with hypercars costing two to four times as much.