Porsche is already at an advanced stage of development with its new 911 GT3. And while the car appears almost complete, our sources say you’ll have to wait until mid-2005 at the earliest before you can even place an order for the car.
Part of a multifaceted new 997 lineup, the GT3 continues Porsche’s tradition of building circuit-compatible cars for the road. Rumors say the new 911 GT3 will ditch the old model’s hard-revving 3.6-liter engine for the latest evolution of Porsche’s normally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine. In the 911 Carrera S, the new four-valve-per-cylinder 3.8-liter engine generates 350 hp, but Porsche insiders claim power could jump to as much as 400 horses with the redline extended beyond 8000 rpm and other internal modifications such as lightweight pistons, more advanced VarioCam variable valve timing and a larger air intake.
That’s up 20 hp vs. the old GT3 and, with appropriate gearing from a standard six-speed manual transmission, should be enough to blast Porsche’s latest rear-engine road racer from 0 to 60 mph in something less than the 4.18 seconds we recorded in our tests of a 2004 GT3 (AutoFile, June 7).
Underneath, GT3 is expected to forgo the new Porsche Active Suspension Management system for conventional springs and dampers, both in the interests of weight and race-car compatibility. They will be tuned more aggressively than those found on the standard 911, and provide the new car with a lower ride height. Grip is supplied by standard 18-inch rubber. The three-piece alloys of the prototype in our spy photos will be replaced by wheels designed exclusively for the new GT3.
As these photographs reveal, the new 911 GT3 receives a series of unique styling elements, including a curb-scraping air dam up front boasting three large ducts to direct cooling air to the radiators while also helping to reduce the marginal levels of front-end lift found on the standard 911. The rear gets an adjustable wing hung out over the engine and a reworked valance panel at the bottom of the bumper assembly, housing twin central exhaust outlets.
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