There are many elements towards building what some would define as the ultimate sports car: a manual transmission, a naturally aspirated engine, and for some, a fold-away roof is a must.
Porsche’s 911 range normally manages to tick a few of those boxes but not all at once, at least not until now.
Revealed overnight is the Porsche 911 GT3 S/C, the result of taking the popular track-focused GT3 and removing its fixed roof for a fold-away convertible top.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen one of the faster editions of the 911 go topless – as there was previously a 911 Speedster and there is currently a 911 Turbo Cabriolet – but it’s the first time Porsche has made any of its GT models available without a fixed roof.
While it is not a limited-numbers vehicle, there is still a hefty price to pay for the 911 GT3 S/C, which starts from $588,500 plus on-road costs in Australia, an increase of almost $110,000 over the GT3 and GT3 Touring (both $449,100).
Typically convertible sports cars are significantly heavier than their coupe counterparts due to the amount of additional bracing required to keep them stiff, though at 1497kg, Porsche claims the 911 GT3 S/C is less than 40kg heavier than the GT3 Touring.
This is thanks to its extensive use of lightweight materials, such as a carbon fibre bonnet, wheel-arches and doors – all borrowed from the 911 S/T – as well as carbon fibre anti-roll bars and shear plate, magnesium wheels (20-inch front, 21-inch rear), ceramic brakes, a magnesium roof mechanism and even a lithium-ion battery.
Cosmetic changes on the outside include a black windscreen frame and a retractable rear spoiler, the first for a 911 Cabriolet. On the GT3 S/C the spoiler is fitted with a Gurney flap as with the 911 S/T and the 911 GT3 Touring, while the front lip and rear diffuser are from the standard GT3.
While the rest of the 911 Cabriolet range are all four-seaters, the GT3 S/C is for two occupants only, limiting the number of people who can come along for the ride. Porsche quotes an opening and closing time of 12 seconds for the roof, which can be actuated at up to 50km/h.
Inside the cabin Porsche’s Sports Seats Plus are standard, though carbon fibre-backed bucket seats can be added as an optional extra. Black leather upholstery features an embroidered GT3 S/C logo on the rear bulkhead.
For an additional $58,670, buyers can add the ‘Street Style Package’, bringing ‘Porsche’ graphics in Pyro Red, Slate Grey Neo wheels, Victory Gold brake callipers, accented headlights and air intakes, adaptive seats, tartan-style upholstery and a darkened gear lever, among other highlights.
Powering the 911 GT3 S/C is a carry-over 4.0-litre flat-six engine, producing 375kW and 450Nm, sending drive to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission – there’s no dual-clutch PDK available.
Thanks to its relatively light weight, Porsche says the 911 GT3 S/C can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, before reaching a top speed of 313km/h.
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