PORSCHE 911 GT3 TOURING

Stuttgart clips the GT3's wings in a quest to make a better road car

- RICHARD LANE

Spot a new 911 GT3 on the road and the chances are it won't be 'just' a GT3. The track-day-going purist - or the owner with a shrewd eye on residuals - will probably have optioned the £19,500 Weissach package, with selected suspension and aero components in CFRP, plus Race-Tex upholstery, six-point harnesses and a CFRP-clad roll-cage similar to that of the GT3 RS.

For the more reserved individual there is the Touring package, which costs nothing to have and is being offered from the start of sales for the first time. Here the car loses its famous rear wing and has a plusher cabin. It is also the Touring strain that gives us our first taste of the 992 'dot two' 911 GT3 on UK roads.

This particular GT3 Touring, fetching in Oak Green, also has a little plaque on the centre console. 'Leichtbau', it reads. This means an extra £29,225 - about the cost of an Alpine A290 - has been spent beyond the basic £158,200 on a lightweighting programme. 'Baby 911 S/T' treatment, if you like: magnesium alloy wheels that save 9kg and a lithium ion battery that saves another 4kg.

Although paint hides the fact, the roof panel is also CFRP, as are the anti-roll bars and various other suspension bits (as per the Weissach pack). The door cards are lightweight, and if you fit carbon-ceramic brakes, it's possible to bring the GT3 Touring down to 1420kg or so. You have to go back to 2012 to find a lighter showroom-fresh 911 GT3.