Have you ever had that moment where a beautiful stranger catches your glance from across the room, comes on over and proceeds to laugh at all your terrible jokes and makes you feel like you’re falling in love at first sight?
No? Me neither.
The closest I’ve got to that feeling is the new Porsche 911 GT3. I use that metaphor because Porsche Australia themed the GT3 launch as ‘Speed Dating’, as we were giving a brief, dare I say flirtatious, period with the new 911 heart-throb at Sydney Motorsport Park.
This new 992.2 iteration of the GT3 is stunning to look at, especially in its look-at-me Guards Red with the new optional Weissach Package. It looks purposeful, it may be a road car but the GT3 is at its best on a racetrack, perfectly blurring the line between Porsche’s 911 heritage and the Carrera Cup racers.
Former Bathurst winner and Porsche Australia chief driving instructor Luke Youlden is the chaperone for ‘speed dating’ leading us around the track as fast as our ability will allow. This will give us the best chance to get to know the GT3 as quickly as possible and in its best light – under the lights at Sydney Motorsport Park.
But before we leave, Youlden makes a frank admission: “It’s almost too good.”
The long-time racer may be a Porsche employee but he’s still one of the straightest talking people you’ll come across. While it would be easy to dismiss it as hype from a spokesman for Porsche, in reality Youlden is just telling it like it is.
The 911 GT3 is now more than 25 years old, so Porsche’s engineers and designers have had a quarter of a century to fine-tune and evolve the car into the automotive artwork it is today. Every single detail is considered through a single prism – will it make it faster?
The design changes for this 992.2 generation GT3 are subtle but significant. There are restyled front and rear bumpers with carefully honed aerodynamics to improve downforce. The difference in appearance is just a secondary thought.
The front diffuser has also been redesigned, while the re-shaped spoiler lip and modified fins underneath the car also help increase downforce and enhance the air flow both across and under the GT3.
Like every other car maker, Porsche is not immune from emissions laws around the world. It’s why the new 911 GTS and Turbo have hybrid assistance. But that is not in keeping with the pure driving ethos of the GT3.
So the awesome 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six remains, but it is now compromised by the need for two particulate filters and four catalytic converters. Despite these challenges, Porsche’s boffins have managed to keep power at 375kW, but torque drops from 470Nm to 450Nm. That’s a decline, but honestly it would take an expert driving them back-to-back to notice the difference.
Notably for the 992.2, Porsche is pairing the 4.0-litre with either a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (PDK) or a six-speed manual. The former offers faster shifts, the latter a more pure, old-school driving experience.
Fortunately we got to try both and while the PDK is the clear choice for those who value lap time over all else, the manual is a joy to use. The throw is short and direct and it just feels so good to drive a good manual gearbox in these days of automatic dominance (at least for those of us who appreciate three pedals).
Hitting the track is always a good time, but it’s especially good in a car as awesomely capable as the 911 GT3 and even more so under the lights that surround Sydney Motorsport Park and make it such a unique place.
Youlden’s instructions are clear – if I stay close to his bumper, he’ll go faster. Thankfully, going fast in the GT3 isn’t just not hard, it’s borderline easy. It doesn’t take long for me to realise why he said it might be ‘too good’.
I’m no Bathurst winner (at least not in real-life) but I have done enough track driving to become competent. The 911 GT3 flatters anyone with even the mildest ability, coaxing them into pushing harder and harder.
The front end is so planted to the road it feels like you can just point it at the corner and smash the throttle, without any hint of understeer or any form of protest. It almost feels like you’re playing a video game with every setting set to ‘easy’ so you feel like a hero.
After a few corners getting that confidence I try to push Youlden a little further, while staying within my limits, of course. The GT3 just keeps giving me more and more leeway, as Youlden would later demonstrate on a hot lap behind-the-wheel, the threshold of performance for this car is on another level to what most others in this segment offer.
That’s really what makes it ‘love at first drive’ with the 911 GT3, the fact that it can perform at such a high level while leaving you feeling safe and secure in the driver’s seat. Not many cars can do that, so when you find one like the new 911 GT3 then you need to hold onto it and love it back.
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