2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is the Ultimate Driver’s Car
Porsche may have gone all-in on electric with the Taycan, but the automaker is still remaining true to its roots with the all-new 911 GT3, the high-performance homologation model whose counterpart races in FIA GT3 competitions.
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The 992-generation GT3 is naturally aspirated and aggressively styled, with a massive rear wing and a rev limit of 9,000 rpm. Just based on these details alone, we already love it.
The 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is thus one of those few cars that continues to do what it has always done since launching in 1999: provide drivers with a high-revving flat-six, a racing suspension, stripped-out back seat, and no unnecessary frills.
That’s not to say the car hasn’t evolved in that time. For the first time, the GT3 features a double-wishbone front axle instead of McPherson struts, a setup derived from the 911 RSR that enhances cornering stability and steering precision.
It also has larger-yet-lighter brake discs and a variety of aerodynamic upgrades, including a swan-neck rear wing, new twin vents in the hood (and don’t those look nice?), adjustable diffusers, and a heap more downforce. Porsche says the new GT3 generates between 50 to 150 percent more downforce than its predecessor depending on its configuration.
The modifications would have made the car heavier if not for a new, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic hood and wing assembly that help keep the weight around the same as the old GT3.
According to Porsche, the 4.0-liter flat six-cylinder under the hood is virtually identical to the one found in the new GT3 Cup car. It features new pistons and makes 502 horsepower and 346 lb-ft of torque via a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic. A six-speed manual is optional.
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Porsche has already taken the 911 GT3 to the Nürburgring Nordschleife where it set a stunning time of 6:59.927, about 17 seconds faster than the regular 911. This is using a new official lap-timing methodology and certification process that has increased lap times. Porsche also used the old method, resulting in a 6:55.2 lap time — faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar.
The 992-gen GT3 also boasts a 197 mph top speed and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds. When it goes on sale later this year — at what we predict will be around $150,000 — expect Porsche to have no shortage of willing buyers.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.