DIVISION JOY

WHY THE ALL-NEW PORSCHE 911 GT3 ISN’T JUST ABOUT THE NUMBERS

- KYLE FORTUNE

STOOD IN A layby, by the 992 GT3 prototype, Porsche’s Director, GT Line, Andreas Preuninger says: “it’s bigger but not heavier, the engine is still a free-breathing 9000rpm one despite EU6 emission laws, its aerodynamics are fantastic without adding drag and we have a PDK transmission that you can shift manually.” That last point is a particular Preuninger quirk, as, instead of the paddles, he shifts the PDK GT3 with the stick he’s demanded is also in it. With every GT department product you really do get the impression that Preuninger and his team have given it their everything, and this one’s no different. Indeed, because of the prevailing environment within which it has to operate, this one feels like they’ve given everything, and quite a bit more.

Gains are inevitable, the performance, such as it’s measured with the GT3 will be ‘significant’, even if Preuninger’s not prepared to divulge numbers from the stopwatch, yet. “We have to save something to talk about for the launch,” he laughs. The ’Ring time is staying off the table. There are things he’ll discuss like the weight, which is no greater than the old car and the aero advances, but it’s the intangible, immeasurable elements of the GT3 that Preuninger, unusually for an engineer, highlights as the most important.