Next Porsche 911 GT3 Will Keep Its Naturally Aspirated Flat-Six and Manual Transmission: Report
No turbo, three pedals, and possibly the first Porsche to feature a swan-neck rear wing.
In an era of staged leaks and spy shots by auto manufacturers, I think Porsche is the best at taunting us. It doesn't release teaser videos or a zoomed-in photo of a quarter panel. Instead, it sends shadowy, blacked-out prototypes to run the Nürburgring, leaving us to speculate openly about its future plans. This is the case for the upcoming 993-generation Porsche 911 GT3, which has been spotted multiple times this summer with an extreme swan-neck wing out back.
But now Which Car has unearthed specific details about the new top 911, and they're sure to please: a naturally-aspirated flat-six engine, a manual transmission, and race car-sourced aero are all coming to the next GT3.
The 992 GT3 will be powered by a 4.0-liter flat-six producing over 500 horsepower, though the actual differences between the engine in the 991 car aren't known yet. Regardless, the focus for the car hasn't been on adding power, but improving everything around the engine bay. Frank-Steffen Walliser, the overseer of Porsche 911 and 718, wanted to build the most hardcore GT3 to date. Who doesn't? That meant diving into the 992 GT3 and cutting down its weight, stiffening up the suspension, and improving the car's aerodynamics.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is supposed to look nutty, and it seems like the 992 generation will take it a step further by going ahead with the swan neck wing seen on test cars this summer, a first for a Porsche and production cars in general. The idea behind the design, which only sees relatively widespread use in racing so far, is that keeping the bottom of the wing free of mounting hardware makes for a cleaner flow of air across its surface, which in turn generates more downforce.
So to have it on a street-legal car will undoubtedly be a talking point by future 2021 911 GT3 owners. But if it's a bit too loud for you, Which Car claims that Porsche will also also expanding the appeal of its wingless GT3 Touring trim by adding a PDK dual-clutch option there. More for everyone!
Given how good the recipe for a 911 GT3 is in general—screaming engine, stick shift, big wing, sticky rubber, sublime handling—it's getting hard to imagine how Porsche will continue to make the next one even better. And yet, it seems they've done it here. How much better is now the question.
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