Porsche 911 GT3 review: track weapon is sharper still in 992.2 spec
The GT3 was a phenomenal car to begin with and, true to form, Porsche managed to make it even better with this facelift
Verdict
It’s clear that homologating a car like this for different global markets is tougher than ever. But for now, the GT3 possesses all the qualities that made its predecessor special, building on its agility with redesigned suspension and steering, plus offering customers more customisation options and more diversity in the range between the GT3 and GT3 Touring than before. It’s even available with rear seats for the first time. In either guise, it remains one of the most satisfying and thrilling driver’s cars on sale.
This is the new – not clean-sheet new, but significantly revised – Porsche 911 GT3. For context: the current, 992-generation GT3 was launched in 2021, so now it’s time for its mid-life update, making this the 992.2 GT3 in Porsche-speak.
What’s changed? At first glance, little: there are reshaped bumpers, diffusers and other elements, but you’d need to be a GT3 fan, or line the 992.2 up next to a 992.1, to tell the two apart.
In the detail, however, an awful lot of work has gone on. It’s telling that a great deal of the introductory presentation for the new GT3 talked of how much Porsche’s GT-department engineers have put in to overcome the challenge of tighter-than-ever emissions and active safety regulations, while keeping all the attributes customers demand: a high-revving engine without turbochargers; the option of either a manual or paddleshift gearbox; a car that’s equally adept on track days and on the road; and as light a weight as possible.
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Despite packing more equipment and safety kit than ever, the new GT3 weighs 1,420kg – the same as its predecessor. If, of course, you tick a few expensive boxes for weight-saving options.
Two bodystyles are available from launch: the ‘regular’ 911 GT3, with its sizeable motorsport-derived wings, and the GT3 Touring, with a cleaner, wingless body. For the first time, the Touring is available with the option of rear seats. Up until now, the GT3 has always been a strict two-seater, not least because its one-piece-shell bucket seats could not fold to enable access to the back of the cabin.
Responding to customer demand, Porsche has engineered folding carbon-fibre buckets for this generation, making the Touring an option for petrolheads with young children. Whichever body style you go for, and whichever gearbox (six-speed manual or twin-clutch PDK automatic), the new GT3 costs the same: £157,300, before options.
Unlike the new 992.2 Carrera GTS, which now boasts hybrid tech with an electric motor incorporated into its gearbox, the GT3 still drives its rear wheels via a naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six. Various measures to cut its exhaust particulate emissions in half mean that it develops a little bit less torque than before, but it still carries the same 503bhp peak power output, and revs to the same magic 9.000rpm red line as its predecessors.
It still makes a uniquely evocative sound, too, despite the new, cleaner exhausts. We sampled the regular, winged GT3 on the track with the PDK twin-clutch transmission and the GT3 Touring on the road with the manual box.
Both cars were fitted with the new, optional, folding carbon-fibre bucket seats. They hug your torso snugly and, cleverly, the headrest cushion has a quick-release so that it doesn’t get in the way if you’re wearing a helmet on track. Ahead of you, there’s a new all-digital instrument panel, which controversially means no traditional analogue rev counter. Its digital equivalent is still in the centre, however, and it is now clearer to read at night, particularly for those who wear glasses.
One neat touch is that, in Track mode, the dial rotates to place its red line at 12 o’clock, as per a classic competition car. Another cool feature is that there’s a physical shortcut switch to bring up all of the GT3’s new driver assistance systems on the dashboard’s touchscreen – lane keep assist, speed limit warning and so on – so that you can quickly toggle them on and off without digging through various menus and sub-menus on the screen.
On track, the GT3 is more capable than ever, since it’s learned a few suspension tricks from the more expensive, more focused 911 GT3 RS and 911 S/T models. Its front suspension geometry means the nose dips less as you brake hard, and redesigned bump stops help it to maintain control in sudden compressions (and when you clobber kerbs on the race track). It’s so stable and consistent that it feels more like a racing car than a road car on track, in fact. To make up for the slightly reduced torque versus its predecessor, Porsche has given the new GT3 eight per cent shorter gearing (in both manual and PDK cars), so it accelerates more eagerly than ever.
On the road, that can make it a little noisy at a cruise, particularly in the six-speed manual car, which could become wearing on a long journey. The shorter gearing is perfect for winding roads, however – the GT3’s more natural territory. It’s easier to use the full sweep of the engine’s revs without straying into irresponsible road speeds, and hear it sing at higher revs.
The power steering has been redesigned too, for a calmer response around the centre – some customers reported previously that they found the car a little too sensitive to small steering inputs at high speed for their tastes. The new system cleverly compensates for friction, temperature and wear, so that it’s always consistent, and it feels calm yet responsive. The GT3 still lives for corners.
| Model | Porsche 911 (992.2) GT3 |
| Price | £157,300 |
| Engine | 4.0-litre six-cylinder petrol |
| Power/torque | 503bhp/450Nm |
| Transmission | Seven-speed auto, rear-wheel drive |
| 0-62mph | 3.4 seconds |
| Top speed | 193mph |
| Fuel economy/CO2 | 20.5mpg/312g/km |
| Dimensions (l/w/h) | 4,570/1,852/1,279mm |
| On sale: | Now |
