2021 Porsche 911 GT3 UK test drive Car News

Look at this new Porsche 911 GT3 on paper alone and you might be tempted – forgiven, indeed – to think we’ve been here before. Meet the new boss, like the old boss. Or almost doesn’t make much of a difference. A little heavier, a little more powerful, a lot more expensive. Flat six, no turbos, two pedals or three. Nothing to see here, go ahead immediately.

And what a mistake that would be. Because when you drive it, and for reasons we’ll get to directly, you realize this is one of the most modified GT3s of all. Most? The improvement from the first to the second generation of the original 996 was undoubtedly more significant, but conceptually and in the way the car now asks to be driven? Yes, I would say so. But space is tight and changes are plentiful, so join me for a quick charge around what is, at the very least, the most surprising GT3 I’ve driven.

The 4.0-liter engine gained 10 horsepower and now precisely divides the difference between the previous 493-horsepower GT3 and its 513-horsepower GT3 RS sister. The weight has increased by 5 kg, which would have been closer to 40 kg if Porsche had not gone out of its way to keep the mass in check.

It did, however, manage to save 6kg in the engine, 10kg in the exhaust system and the same amount by using a lithium-ion battery. Additional 4.7kg comes with thinner glass, 2.5kg with CFRP hood, 3.5kg with lighter engine mounts, 1.9kg with less sound deadening material and rear axle is 0 , 5 kg lighter. Forged alloys save 1.3 kg. You can save almost that much again if you’re happy with the trigger with the options, ceramic brakes and seats, and a CFRP roof. Be aware, however, that these three innocent ticks alone add more than 10% to the price of the car.

But there’s an even bigger change to the aero package, which is, I think, the first on a GT3 to generate enough downforce that Porsche wants to discuss in digital detail. The new rear spoiler looks odd with its ‘gooseneck’ mounts, but that’s how it is because it’s the underside of the fender that does the most of the work, so keeping its surface clean increases downforce.

There is, of course, a new front spoiler, but you have to lift the car and remove a front tire to see how the front diffuser now handles the airflow around the wheel arch and can be adjusted to balance the changes in air. angle of the rear wing. . With everything at maximum attack, it develops 385 kg of downforce, about 150% more than the old GT3 in the same configuration.

This is a big deal, but not nearly as big as the other change you’ll see when this alloy is out of the car. Because at the front there is the first double wishbone suspension unit to adorn a street 911 in the car’s 58-year history. Indeed, if you want to drive another 911 with wishbones, you will have to spend a million dollars on an RSR driver to Le Mans specifications. Literally. This profound change in approach forced the multi-link rear suspension to be completely redesigned, otherwise the four-wheel steering system would not have performed as expected.