Porsche 911 GT3 Touring test: it’s off again for a lap (ing)

While it was believed this time doomed to supercharge, or even to electrify, the most anticipated Porsche 911 ultimately remains faithful to the naturally aspirated engine. And to a Touring body which only sublimates its much appreciated purity.

If some believe that the automotive press in general and its journalists in particular are sorely lacking in critical thinking, especially with regard to German production, they will not be disappointed by what follows. The Porsche 911 GT3 here on test is one of the best cars Earth has ever worn. A bit exaggerated? Rather below reality.

Already conquered by the cause of such sports capable of combining an atmospheric engine, mechanical gearbox and only two driving wheels, we will now say all the less badly that the future automobile promises to be more distant from this kind of specimens as futile as they are indispensable.

In 2021, these few hours that are given to us behind the wheel of the purest 911 in the catalog appear to be infinitely precious. That its power only increases by a dozen horses compared to the outgoing generation, to total 510, doesn’t matter. The company of its 4.0 6-cylinder, the origins of common with that of the GT3 Cup versions dedicated to competition, remains a privilege. Not or few other blocks nowadays display as much spontaneity at the slightest quivering of the toes on the gas pedal and guarantee such gradual acceleration. up to 9000 rpm in a sound to die for.

Admittedly, after the compulsory addition of particulate filters, the exhaust invades the cabin a little less with its resonances when its valves are opened, but it leaves a little more room for the metallic and no less authentic roar of the engine. himself. The exponential lengthening of the stride always coincides with a bewitching series of chords. A particularly electrifying phenomenon beyond 6000 rpm in the presence of the dazzling robotic box. And from idle by preferring its 6-speed mechanical counterpart.

Unlike its predecessor, resistant to automation, la furtive Touring, mechanics and chassis intact, but stripped of a good part of the aerodynamic appendages of its “normal” GT3 sister, effectively leaves the choice of transmission now. Except that changing gears yourself, using a short, wonderfully guided lever, remains by far the best way to get your fill of thrills. Because whatever the pace, the maneuver obliges to remain perpetually listening to a “flat-six” of anthology. And the smallest approximation to the crankset necessarily gives rise to delicious modulations that a 7-speed PDK (and not 8 like on all the other 992s) would have imperceptibly smoothed out. It is well worth the sacrifice of a few tenths of a second against the clock.

Assuming that love blinds us and that the enormous regulatory pressure on polluting emissions is not without consequences, the improvement of the chassis eclipses anyway the slightest lack of mechanical charisma. Like the four-wheel steering that appeared on the 991, the introduction of double wishbones on the first axle of this 992 is a revolution. Not for a sports car in absolute terms, but for a road 911. A noticeable advance from the first momentum through a very incisive direction; blatant attack, the brief shifting characteristic of the front axle with the inscription in curve having completely disappeared. However, the traction remains that of a coupé with a rear overhang engine, that is to say exceptional. To consolidate this quasi-rail guidance, the rear wheels now turn up to 2 ° against 1.5 ° previously.

On the small roads which crisscross the vineyards around Trier, the usual scene of the German rally, the grip seems limitless. We can’t wait for another test on the track… We were eventually counting on the degraded portions of the road to fine the depreciation. In vain. Equipped with springs with almost doubled stiffness compared to those of the previous opus, which nevertheless augurs a preference for the billiards of a circuit, the controlled suspension restores the bumps a little more firmly, but absorbs them enough so that the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 never leave the asphalt.

Despite our repeated attempts to push the Zuffenhausen star back onto the ropes, even the brakes respond tirelessly with a firm and reassuring pedal. While many of its rivals are dependent on their carbon-ceramic discs, offered here as an option, the Porsche and its less than 1,500 kg can largely be satisfied, on the road at least, with its standard steel “wafers”, with ease. Notice, after signing a check for about $ 174,000, no one will be within $ 10,000. A budget that does not prevent the waiting list from growing dangerously …

It is therefore not yet for this time that you will be able to read all the good that we think of its competitors, without mentioning each time that the 911 GT3 remains, whatever happens, the best.

Our verdict

It was not necessarily won, but the 911 GT3 will still be The benchmark for a few years.

WE love

Fantastic engine
Mechanical gearbox control
Chassis advances

We like less

there will not be for everyone

Porsche 911 GT3 Touring tech. Sheet

BUY

Tested version: 173,562 €
From 173,562 €
Average manufacturer consumption / during the test (l / 100 km): 13.6 / 12.9
CO₂/malus : 292/30 000 €
Fiscal power: 41 hp
Country of manufacture: Germany

Proposed range

Petrol from 400 to 650 hp, from € 110,192 to € 238,476

DRIVE

Engine: longitudinal rear, flat 6-cylinder, direct injection, 24 valves, variable chain distribution, stop & start, 3,996 cm³
Transmission: rear-wheel drive, 6-speed mechanical
Maximum power at rpm (hp): 510 to 8,400
Max torque at rpm (Nm): 470 to 6,100
Weight (kg): 1 493
Long.xlarg.xhaut. (m) : 4,57×1,85×1,28
Wheelbase (m): 2.46
Tank (l): 64 (90 optional)
Max speed (km / h): 320
0 to 100 km / h: 3 ”9
Series tires: AV 255/35 R20; AR 315/30 R21
Test tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2