Porsche 911 GT3 receives upgraded powerplant this fall
There is little greater news to performance automobile enthusiasts than when a new Porsche 911 GT3 is announced, as the 2018 model has just been. The juiciest update for the street-legal race car is the powerplant, which has had both its displacement and output bumped up.
The engine is now a 4.0-litre flat-six, producing 500 horsepower and 339 lb of torque, which is an improvement of 25 and 15, respectively compared to the outgoing 3.8 litre. It’s design takes after the other motorsport-purposed 911s such as the GT3 R and RSR.
Consumers continue to be able to choose between the standard seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) dual-clutch automatic transmission and a six-speed manual gearbox. The latter has the added benefit of being 37 kilograms lighter, yielding a slightly higher top speed of 319 km/h versus 317. Acceleration is slightly slower for this option, however, taking 3.8 seconds to get from 0 to 100 km/h rather than 3.2.
Other components are influenced by the company’s participation in racing endeavours. Active Rear Axle steering allows the rear wheels to turn at the same time as the front to improve vehicle agility and stability, helping the car to whip around corners more efficiently.
The GT3 is visually differentiated from regular road-going variants with lightweight bumpers featuring additional cooling vents, a front splitter, a new rear diffuser and a tall carbon fibre wing. Inside, the 14.1-inch sports steering wheel is similar to the unit in the hybrid 918 Spyder hypercar. The front seats have had extra bolstering added and are fully electric. (rear seats are deleted for weight savings). Available adaptive seating increases maximum adjustment levels to 18 and includes a memory function. Alternatively, full bucket seats are also a choice as well.
A release date of fall 2017 is scheduled.
