While working in the motoring line can get quite tiresome at times, rare opportunities like today’s invitation to test drive the Porsche 911 GT3 sweetens the week nicely. So with that out of the way, let’s have a closer look at the Porsche 911 GT3 first, shall we?
Launched back in August 2014, we covered the launch back then. Powering the fifth generation model is Porsche’s signature flat 6 engine, tuned to produce some 475 hp at 8,250 rpm, with 440 Nm of torque at 6,250 rpm. The new Porsche 911 GT3 is capable of completing the century sprint in a mere 3.5 seconds before reaching the top speed of 315 km/h. The only transmission choice we get is the new 7 speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) dual clutch transmission. Fast forward a few months later, our editor, Chris Wee, is finally behind the wheel of a sweet Martini liveried Porsche 911 GT3, while I got to ride shotgun with our local Porsche Carrera Cup race driver, Alif Hamdan. So why was Chris smiling so broadly afterward? His take is below…
Driving a 911 GT3 at Sepang. – Chris Wee
So as Eric rightly mentioned, there can be times when this job gets a tad mundane, believe it or not, but today was not one of those days. Days like these, tearing up a bona-fide supercar on a bona-fide F1 race track don’t happen very often, so when the chance to tras…I mean drive the new 911 GT3 came up, needless to say, I accepted the invitation before even getting to the end of the email…
The 911 has always been regarded as the epitome of the ‘race on Sunday, drive to work on Monday’ supercar. Going on half a century now, it’s the car of choice for those who want exactly that. The GT3 however, is the derivative of the 911 that most hanker for. Porsche’s own statistics show that 80% of GT3 buyers take their cars to a race track, so much so that in Europe, Porsche even offer buyers a race-spec version of the GT3, free-of-charge. That’s right, it comes with a roll-cage, racing bucket seats, race harnesses, etc., all FOC.
Driving a GT3 is everything you’d expect. In addition to the distinct raspy, gurgling engine note and burble from the exhaust system, once you’re in the car, something odd happens. First off, in terms of ergonomics, you’re cocooned brilliantly in a mixture of a comfortable low-slung coupe, and an outright sports car. It’s a fine balance between the two, it’s neither as uncomfortable as an out and out race car, nor is it anywhere near as mundane as a regular sedan. Everything that’s important to the drive is well within reach, earshot or clearly visible.
It’s actually a very comfortable car to drive, but then you get onto the actual track and the GT3 very quickly establishes why it’s the choice of weekend club racers everywhere. Triple digit speeds are possible before the first turn. Lift-off, turn in, expect the tail to overtake the front but it doesn’t. Power out of the ‘esses’, drift out wide, dab the brakes, down-shift, turn in hard…are we in the gravel? No, still on the track, power out even harder, the tail steps out a bit, the traction-control allows just a bit of tail-happy ‘play’, and you do it all over again, corner after corner, lap after lap.
There seems to be a never-ending arc of acceleration and power coming from that glorious flat-six behind you, and the only time to let the dogs out is when we hit the ‘straights’. How do I describe 475bhp and 440Nm? It’s seriously like someone just used a sledgehammer and whacked the back of your seat, if you’re violent with the accelerator pedal. Does the GT3 protest? Not a bit, it just needs a split-second to figure out what you want it to do and then goes about doing it, really, really well. Turn-in is so precise it’s almost clairvoyant. This car just wants to make you go faster with every lap, every corner that’s exited leaves you feeling that it could have been taken faster, and just when you think it’s reached its limit, it proves yet again how wrong you are… The Porsche 911 GT3, it really is everything you fantasize it to be. – CW.
Eric’s take on the GT3…
Some people may laugh it off, riding shotgun in a Porsche 911 GT3, but fact is, they probably haven’t actually experienced the real deal. After wearing the appropriate safety equipment, I jumped into a red Porsche 911 GT3 with Alif Hamdan at the wheel.
The seats of the 911 GT3 hugged me very well, and for a good reason too. Simply because of the amount of lateral grip it can produce. You got that right. I literally got my face (with helmet and balaclava) plastered to the side windows as Alif sped through the corners. Even on the straights, the 911 GT3 is capable of accelerating like a rocket. The stock lightweight 6/4 pot brakes found on the 911 GT3 did their job admirably, as they continue biting even after numerous late brakings on the track.
The sound of the flat 6 behind me was pure eargasm. The flat-6 may not sound like the ones found in other supercars, but the sound is unique. It has a raspy engine note, but with the shove to keep you in your seat when urged. Did I mention that the 911 GT3 I rode in was in fact a left hand drive model? Feels funny, sitting at where the driver would have been.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is now available from RM1.23 million. Do check it out at your nearest Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) outlet.
Do have a look through our photo gallery below.
