The high-performance athlete’s heart of the Porsche 911 GT3 traditionally beats at the rear: the naturally aspirated 4.0 litre six-cylinder engine creates an emotive experience through the combination of exhilarating power delivery and a stirring soundtrack. The boxer engine is familiar from its use in the 911 Speedster and is based on the racing powerplant of the 911 GT3 R. With 375 kW (510 PS), its output is 10 PS higher than in the last 911 GT3. Thanks to its high-revving concept, it delivers its maximum power at 8,400 rpm and the rev limiter only cuts in on this outstanding revving ability at 9,000 rpm. Maximum torque has been increased from 460 to 470 Nm.
The new GT model's engine responds eagerly when the accelerator is pressed, and its qualities as a thoroughbred racing motor are also demonstrated by the fact that this direct-injection petrol unit will be used in practically unchanged form from the start of the 2021 season to power the new 911 GT3 Cup, the standard car for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and selected Carrera Cup championships around the world. Both cars therefore also share the same racing technology. On the intake side, for example, each of the six cylinders is provided with its own individual throttle valve at the end of the variable resonance intake system. This is positioned particularly close to the intake valves, thereby improving air supply and control precision. The central throttle valve is preserved as a back-up solution. However, this is continuously open during normal operation.
Rigid valve train, high-performance oil supply system
Like in motorsport models, speed-resistant valve actuation takes place via rigid rocker arms, which do without hydraulic clearance compensation. Porsche adjusts the correct valve clearance at the factory by means of interchangeable shims – this means that there is no need for later adjustment. This reduces the maintenance work required both on the race track and in daily use. The proven VarioCam technology ensures camshaft control adapted precisely to engine speed and load condition. A crankshaft with large bearing diameters, wide connecting-rod bearings and plasma-coated cylinder liners ensure lower friction losses and reduce wear.
The high longitudinal and lateral acceleration forces produced by the new 911 GT3 on race tracks mean that the oil supply for the high-revving engine is of particular importance. Like in motorsport, this is performed by a dry-sump lubrication system with separate oil tank. With a total of seven suction stages, this routes the engine oil back into the external reservoir quickly and efficiently, while lubrication of the highly loaded connecting-rod bearings takes place directly via the oil pump through the crankshaft.
Lightweight exhaust system with two particulate filters
The stainless steel sports exhaust system ensures that the 911 GT3 responds powerfully and also has a unique sound. It provides the high-revving six-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine with a highly evocative auditory experience guaranteed to produce goosebumps. Thanks to the electrically controlled continuously adjustable exhaust flap, the impressive sound can also be given additional nuances. At the same time, the GT sports car complies with the strict emission standard Euro 6d ISC FCM (EU6 AP). Two separate gasoline particulate filters (GPF) and stereo lambda control for both catalytic converters are used for this purpose. Porsche was even able to compensate, and more, for the unavoidable additional weight with a sophisticated lightweight construction concept. In fact, the stainless steel sports exhaust system of the new 911 GT3 weighs around 10 kg less than the corresponding component in its predecessor.
PDK transmission with reduced weight and optimised performance
As with the previous GT3, customers for the new model can choose freely between a manual transmission and a PDK dual-clutch transmission. Unlike on the current 911 Carrera, the PDK developed in motorsport has seven, instead of eight, forward gears. Omission of the gear set for the engine speed-reducing overdrive gear also saves on weight and underlines the performance orientation of the new 911 GT3. The characteristic advantages of the PDK technology remain unchanged: like in motorsport, it permits gear changes in milliseconds without any interruption in drive to the rear wheels for optimum acceleration, while the intelligent automatic mode offers a high degree of operating convenience and reduces fuel consumption.
As for the manual transmission, the PDK selector lever has an ergonomic design. As an alternative to the practical shift paddles behind the sports steering wheel, it also again has a separate gate for manual gear changing. Like in motorsport, it is pulled to shift up and pushed to shift down.
Purist GT gear changing pleasure with throttle blip function
The six-speed GT manual sports transmission offers a purist, more emotive and more involved driving experience. It weighs 17 kg less compared with the seven-speed PDK. Matched perfectly to the engine characteristics, it increases the pleasure derived from manual gear changes with a short gear lever and short-travel shift action. When changing down, the auto-blip function can be optionally used to assist synchronisation of the gear wheels. This counteracts overbraking of the rear wheels, stabilises handling and reduces wear.
The new 911 GT3 with PDK has an electronically controlled rear differential lock. On the model with manual gearshift, a mechanical system compensates the drive torque between the two wheels with a locking ratio of 37 per cent in overrun mode. The ratio is 30 per cent in traction mode.
Nordschleife in under seven minutes
Comprehensively upgraded running gear, plenty of aerodynamic grip, moderately increased engine power and a lower weight-to-power ratio: overall, these ingredients provide the new 911 GT3 with impressive dynamic response, so that the newest GT model from Porsche Motorsport now sets the bar considerably higher. The acceleration figures already provide a clear indication of this: in combination with the PDK transmission, the new GT sports car achieves the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. The 200 km/h barrier is broken after 10.8 seconds. The comparable times for the new six-speed manual 911 GT3 are 3.9 and 11.9 seconds on its way to a top speed The top speed of the model with a manual gearbox is 320 km/h. The PDK version tops out at 318 km/h.
However, another statistic serves as a more fitting reflection of the true character of this motorsport-oriented driving machine: 6:59.927 minutes – the official lap time that the new 911 GT3 set on the complete Nürburgring Nordschleife almost as an aside as part of routine development work. The new 911 GT3 was a whole 17.5 seconds faster than its predecessor on this lap and was even able to narrowly beat the time of the 911 GT3 RS. Just like Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister, development driver Lars Kern was remarkably able to remain under the seven-minute barrier on several consecutive laps. Alongside the sustained performance capability, this is also proof of the balanced handling of the new 911 GT3.
“In terms of balance, the new 911 GT3 is easily the best production car that I have ever driven,” confirms former professional racing driver Bergmeister. “In spite of the small increase in power compared with the previous model, it was very much faster. This is clearly due to the fact it is much better in terms of cornering. Its reactions are always predictable and permit very consistent performance: all my Nordschleife laps were within eight tenths of a second of each other.”
As a comparison: with the first edition of the 911 GT3 based on the 996 model generation, the two-time World Rally Champion and current Porsche brand ambassador Walter Röhrl first beat the eight-minute mark with a road-going sports car in 1999, completing a lap in a time of 7:56.3 minutes. However, a shortened lap timing variant was used as the basis for this at the time: this omitted the section in front of grandstand 13 and served as the benchmark for a long time. In the hands of test driver Lars Kern, the new 911 GT3 needed only 6:55.2 minutes for this shorter lap. This means that it is possible to accurately measure the progress that the 911 GT3 family has made in the past 21 years: it is reflected in the time of just over one minute gained on the most demanding race track in the world.Engine and transmission
High-revving naturally aspirated engine with evocative sound
The high-performance athlete’s heart of the Porsche 911 GT3 traditionally beats at the rear: the naturally aspirated 4.0 litre six-cylinder engine creates an emotive experience through the combination of exhilarating power delivery and a stirring soundtrack. The boxer engine is familiar from its use in the 911 Speedster and is based on the racing powerplant of the 911 GT3 R. With 375 kW (510 PS), its output is 10 PS higher than in the last 911 GT3. Thanks to its high-revving concept, it delivers its maximum power at 8,400 rpm and the rev limiter only cuts in on this outstanding revving ability at 9,000 rpm. Maximum torque has been increased from 460 to 470 Nm.
The new GT model's engine responds eagerly when the accelerator is pressed, and its qualities as a thoroughbred racing motor are also demonstrated by the fact that this direct-injection petrol unit will be used in practically unchanged form from the start of the 2021 season to power the new 911 GT3 Cup, the standard car for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and selected Carrera Cup championships around the world. Both cars therefore also share the same racing technology. On the intake side, for example, each of the six cylinders is provided with its own individual throttle valve at the end of the variable resonance intake system. This is positioned particularly close to the intake valves, thereby improving air supply and control precision. The central throttle valve is preserved as a back-up solution. However, this is continuously open during normal operation.
Rigid valve train, high-performance oil supply system
Like in motorsport models, speed-resistant valve actuation takes place via rigid rocker arms, which do without hydraulic clearance compensation. Porsche adjusts the correct valve clearance at the factory by means of interchangeable shims – this means that there is no need for later adjustment. This reduces the maintenance work required both on the race track and in daily use. The proven VarioCam technology ensures camshaft control adapted precisely to engine speed and load condition. A crankshaft with large bearing diameters, wide connecting-rod bearings and plasma-coated cylinder liners ensure lower friction losses and reduce wear.
The high longitudinal and lateral acceleration forces produced by the new 911 GT3 on race tracks mean that the oil supply for the high-revving engine is of particular importance. Like in motorsport, this is performed by a dry-sump lubrication system with separate oil tank. With a total of seven suction stages, this routes the engine oil back into the external reservoir quickly and efficiently, while lubrication of the highly loaded connecting-rod bearings takes place directly via the oil pump through the crankshaft.
Lightweight exhaust system with two particulate filters
The stainless steel sports exhaust system ensures that the 911 GT3 responds powerfully and also has a unique sound. It provides the high-revving six-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine with a highly evocative auditory experience guaranteed to produce goosebumps. Thanks to the electrically controlled continuously adjustable exhaust flap, the impressive sound can also be given additional nuances. At the same time, the GT sports car complies with the strict emission standard Euro 6d ISC FCM (EU6 AP). Two separate gasoline particulate filters (GPF) and stereo lambda control for both catalytic converters are used for this purpose. Porsche was even able to compensate, and more, for the unavoidable additional weight with a sophisticated lightweight construction concept. In fact, the stainless steel sports exhaust system of the new 911 GT3 weighs around 10 kg less than the corresponding component in its predecessor.
PDK transmission with reduced weight and optimised performance
As with the previous GT3, customers for the new model can choose freely between a manual transmission and a PDK dual-clutch transmission. Unlike on the current 911 Carrera, the PDK developed in motorsport has seven, instead of eight, forward gears. Omission of the gear set for the engine speed-reducing overdrive gear also saves on weight and underlines the performance orientation of the new 911 GT3. The characteristic advantages of the PDK technology remain unchanged: like in motorsport, it permits gear changes in milliseconds without any interruption in drive to the rear wheels for optimum acceleration, while the intelligent automatic mode offers a high degree of operating convenience and reduces fuel consumption.
As for the manual transmission, the PDK selector lever has an ergonomic design. As an alternative to the practical shift paddles behind the sports steering wheel, it also again has a separate gate for manual gear changing. Like in motorsport, it is pulled to shift up and pushed to shift down.
Purist GT gear changing pleasure with throttle blip function
The six-speed GT manual sports transmission offers a purist, more emotive and more involved driving experience. It weighs 17 kg less compared with the seven-speed PDK. Matched perfectly to the engine characteristics, it increases the pleasure derived from manual gear changes with a short gear lever and short-travel shift action. When changing down, the auto-blip function can be optionally used to assist synchronisation of the gear wheels. This counteracts overbraking of the rear wheels, stabilises handling and reduces wear.
The new 911 GT3 with PDK has an electronically controlled rear differential lock. On the model with manual gearshift, a mechanical system compensates the drive torque between the two wheels with a locking ratio of 37 per cent in overrun mode. The ratio is 30 per cent in traction mode.
Nordschleife in under seven minutes
Comprehensively upgraded running gear, plenty of aerodynamic grip, moderately increased engine power and a lower weight-to-power ratio: overall, these ingredients provide the new 911 GT3 with impressive dynamic response, so that the newest GT model from Porsche Motorsport now sets the bar considerably higher. The acceleration figures already provide a clear indication of this: in combination with the PDK transmission, the new GT sports car achieves the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. The 200 km/h barrier is broken after 10.8 seconds. The comparable times for the new six-speed manual 911 GT3 are 3.9 and 11.9 seconds on its way to a top speed The top speed of the model with a manual gearbox is 320 km/h. The PDK version tops out at 318 km/h.
However, another statistic serves as a more fitting reflection of the true character of this motorsport-oriented driving machine: 6:59.927 minutes – the official lap time that the new 911 GT3 set on the complete Nürburgring Nordschleife almost as an aside as part of routine development work. The new 911 GT3 was a whole 17.5 seconds faster than its predecessor on this lap and was even able to narrowly beat the time of the 911 GT3 RS. Just like Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister, development driver Lars Kern was remarkably able to remain under the seven-minute barrier on several consecutive laps. Alongside the sustained performance capability, this is also proof of the balanced handling of the new 911 GT3.
“In terms of balance, the new 911 GT3 is easily the best production car that I have ever driven,” confirms former professional racing driver Bergmeister. “In spite of the small increase in power compared with the previous model, it was very much faster. This is clearly due to the fact it is much better in terms of cornering. Its reactions are always predictable and permit very consistent performance: all my Nordschleife laps were within eight tenths of a second of each other.”
As a comparison: with the first edition of the 911 GT3 based on the 996 model generation, the two-time World Rally Champion and current Porsche brand ambassador Walter Röhrl first beat the eight-minute mark with a road-going sports car in 1999, completing a lap in a time of 7:56.3 minutes. However, a shortened lap timing variant was used as the basis for this at the time: this omitted the section in front of grandstand 13 and served as the benchmark for a long time. In the hands of test driver Lars Kern, the new 911 GT3 needed only 6:55.2 minutes for this shorter lap. This means that it is possible to accurately measure the progress that the 911 GT3 family has made in the past 21 years: it is reflected in the time of just over one minute gained on the most demanding race track in the world.
