Porsche 911 GT3 Touring - Frankfurt 2017
The most desirable 991 GT3 yet?
First there was the return of the manual GT3 and now there's this, a 911 GT3 Touring. A car which, to all intents and purposes, appears to be a 911 R. Without the stripes.
In fact it could even be better - perish the thought - as this Touring uses the new 4.0-litre GT3 engine, with its stiffer crank, new intakes and 9,000rpm redline (remember the R 4.0-litre goes to a paltry 8,500). Power is 500hp, torque is 339lb ft, and the top speed is 196mph.
It gets better too, as the GT3 Touring is manual and manual only. Yep, honest. With a mechanical limited-slip differential too. The 'box is said to offer "particularly sporting shift characteristics", with 62mph coming up in 3.9 seconds.
And doesn't it look fabulous? Porsche says the GT3 Touring Package is designed for "enthusiasts who particularly value an understated appearance combined with a high level of driving enjoyment", so the GT3 fixed spoiler is gone, replaced by an automatically extending one. Otherwise the body is identical, but the aero underneath is tweaked.
Moreover, there are certain spec choices and options that reflect the Touring's (slightly) less hardcore remit. So you can't have the Clubsport package or the interior Alcantara, the cabin here a little more luxurious with leather on the wheel, gearstick and headrests. The seat centres are - you might want to sit down here - black fabric as standard. Porsches states however that "virtually all" other GT3 options are available, including the ceramic brakes, front axle lift and LED lights. Finally, if you want to get rid of the silver exterior trim that marks out the Touring, there's a 'Black Exterior Touring Package' that kinda does what it say on the tin. If Dan's experience with the F-Type was anything to go by, that's probably a box worth ticking.
Talk of options brings us conveniently to the Touring's price: £111,802, or exactly what the standard GT3 costs. Whether you will actually have opportunity to buy one remains another matter, though the news of - seemingly - more manual GT3s in the world sounds rather excellent to us. So, standard or Touring GT3 - which will it be?
Matt
If you bought a 911R new and still own it and drive it, you may be slightly miffed that it's not now exclusive as it once was, but Hey ho. You still have an excellent car that you didn't pay silly money for.
However, this is yet another 911 that most people won't be able to buy new, as yet again the speculators will somehow get in first, meaning they'll flip it straight away making a huge profit.
Also, fabric seats are starting to take the piss a bit.
Although this is a wider trend - apparently millennials (of which I am) don't want leather in cars. That is why the Velar launched with some sort of 'technical fabric' as the standard interior.
Am I right in expecting it to be impossible to buy? (for people who don't want to fellate sales managers or buy serial diesel ste SUVs)?
I hope they make very many and that somehow customers manage to not settle for other 911s and want this alone and the factory will deliver.
In the end, how much more can this cost to make than an 991s? R&D is done anyway.
Am I right in expecting it to be impossible to buy? (for people who don't want to fellate sales managers or buy serial diesel ste SUVs)?
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