Round The Bend

Porsche’s GT3, or rather, to distinguish it from the somewhat confusing range of 911s, Porsche’s 911 (997) GT3 (facelift), is quite possibly the only car I’ve ever driven that deserves to have an Asbo. It’s a hooligan of a car that seems bent on doing your head in. And, like a real hooligan, it should really be kept off the streets for our own good.

In truth I’d been reluctant to drive the GT3 at all. I was perfectly content with my Panamera 4S. Of course, the Panamera isn’t the most exciting car in the world, and its looks are controversial (though the non-stop admiring stares it gets might suggest it hasn’t much to worry about on that score); but it is the most perfect car of its price range that I’ve ever had the pleasure to drive. It is so reassuringly German, if you know what I mean. So why go gallivanting off to Silverstone to drive a track car I was frankly a little scared of? Or so I thought until I found myself strapped into a carbonfibre-shelled bucket seat of a brand new GT3.

The moment I took the wheel the restrained, well-mannered driver that had parked the Panamera at the station that morning was gone. In its place, leaping out from the half cage at the rear that brings rigidity to the car, was my hooligan alter ego. It took over the driving – mad for speed, mad for more and trickier bends. It hurtled towards bollards we never quite hit, sped around bends sideways, (slowing down not one jot), then subjected me to the exquisite agony of G-force, pressing on my neck like an army boot. It was the most fun I’d ever had in a car and I wanted more. And the truly extraordinary thing about the GT3 is that it will give you more. In fact, it will give you as much as you can take.

For make no mistake, the GT3 is a very special car – one built for the track, but also for the road. Like previous GT3s it uses the classic GT1 block used in Porsche’s original Le Mans winners from way back when. This block has been the foundation for many of Porsche’s most successful racing cars, notching up a remarkable tally of victories – over 23,000, and counting. The block is famously durable, allowing the delivery of more power from the classic six-cylinder boxer engine, or ‘flat six’ for short. The facelift version now has an engine capacity of 3.8 litres, up from 3.6. While this might not seem substantial, it results in an increase in power of 20bhp, from the previous model, to a healthy 435bhp. As motoring aficionados will attest, this represents a ratio of well over 100bhp per litre – the benchmark for separating the men from the boys when it comes to naturally-aspirated engines.

The engine also has titanium components connecting the pistons to the crankshaft – again, an expensive and refined detail demonstrating that in this car, performance is everything. Finally, to improve economy and power, the VarioCam system works on both intake and exhaust valves, reducing fuel consumption below around 4,000rpm and increasing available power above that limit.

What worried me a little was that Porsche has added PASM (Porsche Active Stability Management) to the suspension of the GT3. In the version I’d driven previously, this took some feeling out of the steering, making it seem a little dull and sluggish, and also resulted in some rather odd effects in specific situations when the car encountered bumps in the road, while cornering at speed. I’m happy to report that these effects have disappeared in this latest version: the ride on most road conditions is good, while the steering wheel feels alive in your hands but always under control giving you the sense of an extraordinary level of precision and accuracy.

This version works, no doubt about that. Apparently it is so good that is has allowed the engineers at Porsche to stiffen the springs and roll bars significantly, perhaps explaining that extraordinary feel.

On to the engine mounts. These are no ordinary mounts: they stiffen up under more active driving conditions, stopping any ‘sloshing’ of this heavy component when the car undergoes any rapid changes of direction. Which is nice. As is the softening of the mounts in more civilised conditions, keeping the ride smooth, quiet and vibration free.

As if that wasn’t enough, the aerodynamics deliver almost twice as much downforce as previously. This makes a difference. For those who have driven a 911 at high speed on a track or autobahn, the steering can feel a bit light at over 150mph or so. At this speed that is unnerving. However, in Porsche’s new GT3 this too has gone thanks to those aerodynamics, allowing you to try, if you must, adjusting your direction at speeds all the way up to the maximum 194mph.

In a car so fast, you also need to be able to stop quickly. This is where the optional ceramic brakes come in: sure, they’re expensive, but boy do they bite. If you’re worried the car has developed an attraction for the nearest hedge (greenery, not fund), you will like these brakes. They will get you out of trouble and slow you down in time for that rapidly approaching bend in the asphalt. Most of the time.

Driving the car at achingly slow speeds along London streets later that day, the manual gearbox felt stiff and notchy, the suspension hard, and the clutch so heavy

I swear I strained a muscle in my leg. It was only on lovely early morning B-roads the next day that the GT3 came into its own once more and the idea of a track car for the road proved viable. The hard suspension suddenly made sense, feeling confident and absorbent instead of teeth-rattling, the gear box precise instead of gritty, and the engine – oh, the engine. When you hit 4,000rpm, it unleashes the most blood-curdling, deep, big-game roar I have heard. And then there is the power. When over that magic 4,000rpm threshold, the hooligan returns. And it returns at startling speed: from second gear this car goes to 70 in nano seconds. Third, over a hundred. And so on, up to sixth.

So forget extreme sports; if it’s excitement you’re looking for, the GT3 is the car for you. Of course, you may prefer to opt for the 911 GT3 RS 4.0, with more power and even sharper responses? But only 40 of those are being made for the UK so if your name’s not already on the list I wouldn’t hold too high a hope. And besides, the 3.8 is quite enough excitement for one lifetime, thank you very much. Every single bit of kit is there to enhance the experience. It’s not about comfort or leisure; this is luxury meets existential threat. And like a hooligan who punches you in the guts, it will take your breath away. But with the GT3, you’ll love it and keep coming back for more. 

For more information, see porsche.co.uk

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