The new 911 GT3 was born in Flacht. The road has been its home – and its school – since day one. So, then, what should become of it?
An unadulterated sports car, naturally. One that breathes motorsport and defies the tarmac. A race car that pushes its drivers into their Sports seats more firmly than they would ever have imagined possible.
Many have still never heard of it. Some believe it’s all just a myth. For the true fan, though, behind the idyllic green hills of the Swabian region in Germany the promised land does exist: Flacht. The home of Porsche Motorsport. Our home. The place in which the Porsche heart beats the fastest. Where the transfer from motorsport into series production is routine daily practice. Where the proving ground is our playground. And precision is our greatest passion.
Here, in Flacht, is where the new 911 GT3 turned its first laps. Here is where the mighty sound of its 4.0-liter horizontally opposed and naturally aspirated engine roared for the first time. Here is where the chassis was tuned over the course of countless test kilometer with the meticulous scrutiny only otherwise afforded to the Porsche 919 Hybrid for Le Mans.
Our engineers invested all their racing experience into it, tweaking and honing into the night. Afterwards, they would all say: “It couldn’t get any better.” Only to ask themselves the next morning: “Could we not make it even better?” A hundredth of a second faster, a percentage point more agile, a gram lighter?
Aerodynamics and design
The greatest resistance we know here in Flacht? Headwind. It’s a matter of confronting it – with optimum aerodynamics and favorable drag coefficients. But it’s also a matter of exploiting it. By using it to cool the brakes, for example – or as a supply of combustion air. And, of course, to generate downforce on the racetrack.
How do we reconcile these most conflicting of parameters? With a harmonious overall concept. And, of course, a design in which every detail must demonstrate its functionality first and foremost.
The new front end of the 911 GT3 makes one thing instantly clear: this car is not here simply to make up the numbers. Large openings left and right, together with new airblades on each side, improve cooling. Even the customary 911 GT3 air outlet to the front of the luggage compartment lid helps to ensure plenty of fresh air.
All cooling air intakes are protected by air intake grilles in titanium colour.
Responsible for the leaner build: lightweight polyurethane with hollow glass microspheres and carbon-fiber elements. The complete front end is made from this light yet extremely robust high-tech material. Responsible for the extra downforce at the front axle: the wide front spoiler lip.
Responsible for clear vision: Bi-Xenon main headlights, fitted as standard, including dynamic range control and headlight cleaning system. LED headlights are available as an option. Direction indicators, daytime running lights and position lights, all designed with LED technology, have now been made even sleeker – leaving a larger surface area for the air openings.
The first impression is like the second: the new 911 GT3 has a more imposing appearance. And always looks ready to pounce. More aggressive as well? We prefer to say: more impatient. At least for those on the racetrack who see it approaching in their rear-view mirror.
Squat is how the rear looks. And squat is also its stance on the road. That’s because the 911 GT3 is an extra 44 mm wider and sits approximately 25 mm lower than the 911 Carrera. It’s because the LED taillights are not only slimline, they are now also shaped three dimensionally. It’s because the central twin tailpipe of the sports exhaust system is a visual clue to the car’s low center of gravity.
Like the front, the revised rear end is also manufactured from lightweight polyurethane. The rear lid, wing and wing uprights are in carbon. The central air outlet slit is larger and positioned higher than on the predecessor model. The two black-finish ram-air scoops on the rear lid supply the engine with combustion air.
A trademark of the GT models and a pointer in the direction of motorsport: the fixed rear wing. It is approximately 20 mm higher than on the predecessor model. For a further gain in downforce.
Four additional fins at the rear of the underbody panelling reinforce the aerodynamic effect of the diffuser. And they also appear to pull the new 911 GT3 down closer to the racetrack. Especially to those who just saw it overtake.
Performance
The engine of the new 911 GT3 is not meant as a friendly Swabian gesture, but as a throwing down of the gauntlet. To everyday life. To physics. But, above all, to all the other drivers on the racetracks of this world.
Brief for the new engine: naturally aspirated engine from motorsport, low down in the rear, six cylinders, horizontally opposed pistons. A full four liters of displacement. And high performance potential with unadulterated sound.
The new drive unit was developed – where else? – in Flacht. Particularly robust and powerful, it is based on the engine fitted in the 911 GT3 Cup.
The oil supply principle, which uses a separate engine oil tank, and the concept of four valves per cylinder with cam followers and rigid valve train have also been derived directly from motorsport.
From its impressive capacity of 3,996 cm³, the engine draws a maximum power output of 368 kW (500 hp). With Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK), fitted as standard, the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 3.4 seconds and top track speed is 318 km/h. With the optional 6-speed GT sports manual transmission*, the time is 3.9 seconds. Top speed? Not reached until 320 km/h.
At Porsche, natural aspiration also means a high-revving concept. The needle in the 911 GT3 doesn’t hit red until 9,000 rpm. Maximum torque is 460 Nm – some 20 Nm more than is offered by the predecessor model. It is available at 6,000 rpm, while maximum power output is achieved at 8,250 rpm.
As far as the efficiency of the engine – and its power output – is concerned, direct fuel injection (DFI) makes a decisive contribution. It does so with millisecond precision and a pressure of up to 200 bar. For optimum mixture formation and combustion in the combustion chamber. And, relative to the engine’s high power output, it helps to achieve favourable fuel consumption and comparatively low CO2 emissions.
*Provisionally available from 09/2017
VarioCam
VarioCam is an engine timing concept that distinguishes between various engine speeds and load states so that timing can be adapted to suit the current power demand. It regulates not only the adjustment of the intake camshafts but also the exhaust camshafts in order to deliver increased power and torque.Adjustment takes place imperceptibly under the control of the electronic engine management. The result is very smooth running and, above all, high power and torque across the entire engine speed range.
High-revving concept
The valves are operated by cam followers – a principle derived from motorsport. Clearance compensation between the camshafts and valves of the new 911 GT3 is realized not by hydraulic means, but by shim plates as part of a solid arrangement. This kind of valve timing design provides greater robustness and enables remarkably high engine speeds even under hard use.Interior
The interior of a sports car is like an athlete’s clothing: it must fit perfectly and feel like a second skin. Only then can human and machine function as a single, sporty entity. To deliver superlative performance, the driver needs information that can be accessed quickly and an interior ergonomics concept that enables even faster use of it.
The requirement is fulfilled by an ascending center console that places the gear selector within direct reach of the steering wheel, by ergonomic gearshift paddles on the steering wheel itself and by conveniently positioned controls that dispense with unnecessary gadgetry but do open up new possibilities on the racetrack. Over 30,000 racing victories were not achieved by engine power alone.
Instruments
Precise not fanciful, minimalist not trendy. True to Porsche style, the five round instruments integrated into the cockpit lead the way. The rev counter resides in the middle. Its dial is titanium colored and bears the ‘GT3’ logo.The instrument cluster with 4.6-inch color screen provides you with a continuous stream of data from the on-board computer, including average speed and fuel consumption, fuel range and outside temperature, and allows you to view Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) information as well as the stopwatch of the optional Chrono Package. It also reminds you of your selected communication and audio settings or displays the map of the navigation system – but only for the rare occasion you aren’t on the racetrack.
Specs
Engine
| Manual | PDK | |
|---|---|---|
| Cylinder layout / number of cylinders | 6 | 6 |
| Displacement | 4.0 liters | 4.0 liters |
| Horsepower | 500 hp | 500 hp |
| @ rpm | 8250 rpm | 8250 rpm |
| Torque | 339 lb.-ft. | 339 lb.-ft. |
| Compression ratio | 13.3 : 1 | 13.3 : 1 |
Performance |
Manual | PDK |
|---|---|---|
| Top Track Speed | 198 mph | 197 mph |
| 0 - 60 mph | 3.8 sec | 3.2 sec |
Price
$ 143,600.00In motion
See it in motion in the video bellow:
Source: http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-gt3-models/
