Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the importer, distributor and custodian of the Porsche brand in Malaysia, today introduced the all-new Porsche GT3.
The GT3 can trace its roots back to back 1999 when Porsche needed a road going version of its race car for homologation purposes – and thus the GT3 was born.
Back then the GT3 offered the purest unadulterated driving experience a road car could offer. It was the closest a road driver could get to driving a race car.
Nothing has changed today as the GT3 is still hailed as the ultimate bridge between road and track.
Over seven editions later, the all-new GT3 offers one of the most advanced technologies available in a road legal race car.
It is lighter, faster and smarter and this results in a car that laps the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife a full 17-seconds faster than its predecessor.
In Malaysia, the all-new GT3 made its debut at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
At the heart of the GT3 lays a naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre, six-cylinder engine that features individual throttle bodies for each of its six-cylinders.
This is unusual for a road car, but quite normal for a race car. And that is because the engine of the all-new GT3 is actually based on the race based 911 GT3R.
As such the new GT3 is puts out an astonishing 507hp and 470Nm of torque. This takes the GT3 to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and onto a top speed of 320km/h. Making the engine one of the most powerful naturally-aspirated engines ever produced.
As for the transmission, owners can choose between a 7-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox, or a 6-speed manual GT sports gearbox that is about 20kg lighter than the auto box.
The all-new GT3 seems to have perfected a seemingly perfect package.
It not only offers a race-derived engine, but also offers race-derived handling.
For example, the front suspension of the GT3 consist of a double-wishbone layout taken from the Le Mans-winning 911 RSR race car.
Then there is the new swan-neck rear wing mounting and diffuser than are also from the 911 RSR. This allows for 50% more downforce without increasing drag.
The all-new GT3 also features a manually-adjustable rear wing and diffuser elements that can be set to increase downforce by up to 150% for maximum cornering speed.
The best thing about the all-new GT3 is that it is available with a Touring Package at no additional cost.
The Touring Package rids the car of such dramatics as the swan-neck rear wing, and offers the same exterior paint work all over.
Porsche (and SDAP) says the new Touring Package “is perfectly suited to sports car connoisseurs with a passion for understatement and classic driving pleasure”.
And so it may ride the GT3 of that massive carbon-fibre rear wing, but in place of the fixed wing, the 911 GT3 gets an automatically extending rear spoiler which offers the necessary downforce at high speeds.
As for the interior, the GT3 benefits from a a design that is in-line with the current 992 generation but GT3-specific instrument cluster that features a central rev counter that goes up to 10,000rpm, and is flanked by two high-resolution 7-inch displays featuring a new track screen.
As with all other 992 generation 911 models, the all-new GT3 also gets a centred high-resolution 10.9-inch touchscreen display with the latest Porsche Communication Management system with only navigation and Porsche Connect Plus.
This also supports the Porsche Track Precision App that helps drivers maximise their track sessions and improve lap times by providing detailed driving data, including live displays and video analysis.
The all-new Porsche GT3 is now available at all Porsche centres nationwide with prices starting from a cool RM1,766,244 with SST exemption.
