The 911 GT3: A Road Car's Character and Performance

For years, Porsche enthusiasts have debated whether the 911 GT3 is truly a road car. While some argue that it's more suited for the track, others claim that it's a machine that can handle both roads and racing circuits. As someone who has had the pleasure of driving various Porsches over the years, I'm excited to share my thoughts on this iconic model.

In the context of tracks, I must admit that my 911 GT3 experiences have been nothing short of epic. The car's performance is unparalleled, with a 12Z engine that provides incredible power and speed. The PDK box has also proven to be an excellent gearbox, offering seamless shifting and precise control. However, I've come to realize that this focus on track performance may have detracted from the car's road-going character.

When it comes to driving on the road, I find that my 911 GT3 is indeed a joy to behold. The ride is smooth, and the handling is responsive, making it an ideal choice for daily driving. But what really sets this car apart is its agility and responsiveness. It's like a small car in size, yet it performs with incredible precision and accuracy.

Now, I know that some of you might be thinking, "But what about the GT-R?" Well, let me tell you - the Nissan GT-R is an incredible machine, but it's not without its flaws. The ride can be rough, and the handling may feel a bit clumsy at times. In contrast, my 911 GT3 feels like a refined and civilized car, even in auto mode.

As I explore the road around me, I'm struck by how easy it is to drive this car. It's almost like it was designed for daily driving, with a ride that's smooth and comfortable. But as soon as I start to wind up the engine, the car becomes more agile and responsive. The rear-wheel steer system makes it feel like a small car, with incredible speed and agility in corners.

One area where the 911 GT3 falls short is in its steering feel. While the electric steering may be precise and accurate, it lacks a certain character that I associate with Porsche's mechanical steers of old. Still, this isn't a major complaint, as the car's overall handling and balance make up for any shortcomings.

Finally, let me address the engine. While the 3.8-liter flat-six is certainly potent, its mid-range performance may not be as thrilling as some of the older engines. However, the top-end performance is addictive, with a sound that's simply music to my ears.

In conclusion, the 911 GT3 is indeed a triumph. Porsche has nailed it in terms of character and performance, creating a car that can handle both roads and racing circuits. While there may be some minor flaws, they are easily overlooked given the car's overall excellence. If you're looking for a machine that can deliver on all fronts, look no further than this iconic model.

The Nissan GT-R: A Monstrous Car with Character

On the other hand, I've also had the pleasure of driving a Nissan GT-R, which has left me in awe of its performance and character. While some may view it as a computer game come to life, I see it for what it is - a monstrous car that's capable of incredible feats.

The first thing that strikes you when getting behind the wheel of a GT-R is how easy it is to drive. The ride is smooth, and the handling is responsive, making it an ideal choice for daily driving. But as soon as you start to wind up the engine, the car becomes more aggressive and powerful. It's like a force of nature on wheels.

One area where the GT-R excels is in its acceleration. This car can accelerate like nobody's business, leaving most cars in its dust. The 4-liter V6 engine is incredibly potent, with a sound that's simply thrilling to hear.

However, I've found that driving the GT-R requires technique and finesse. It's not as easy as just getting behind the wheel and expecting to drive quickly - there are nuances to mastering this car, especially when it comes to steering and balance.

Overall, I find that the GT-R is an incredible machine, but one that's not without its flaws. While it's certainly fast and powerful, it can feel a bit clumsy at times, particularly when it comes to steering and handling. Still, if you're looking for a car that can deliver on performance, look no further than this monstrous machine.

The PDK Box: A Game-Changer for Porsche

One of the most significant changes in the 911 GT3 is the introduction of the PDK box. This dual-clutch gearbox has proven to be an excellent choice, offering seamless shifting and precise control that's unmatched by its predecessor. Whether I'm driving on the road or on the track, the PDK box has consistently impressed me with its smoothness and responsiveness.

One area where the PDK box excels is in its ability to adapt to different driving styles. Whether I'm cruising down the highway or pushing the car to its limits on the track, the PDK box is always up to the task. It's like having a co-pilot that anticipates my every move and executes it with precision.

Of course, not everyone may be as impressed by the PDK box as I am. Some might find it a bit too clinical or lacking in character compared to Porsche's traditional mechanical gearboxes. However, for me, this is where the 911 GT3 truly shines - its ability to balance performance and handling with precision and finesse.

In conclusion, the PDK box has been a game-changer for Porsche, offering a level of performance and control that's unmatched by any other gearbox on the market. Whether I'm driving on the road or on the track, this dual-clutch gearbox is always up to the task, providing me with the precision and responsiveness I need to extract every last bit of performance from my 911 GT3.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso we've poured over the details for months interviewed the chief engineer and had sleepless nights about PDK gearbox 'as an electric power steering and now we're finally going to drive the new Porsche 991 gt3 our very first taste of it is an empty race circuit well you just would wouldn't you so the reason we've come to a racetrack is because this gt3 on paper at least seems to be all about lap times and raw speed you'll know they've ditched the six-speed manual gearbox in favor of a 7-speed PDK and adopted rear-wheel steering we also know that Porsche claim this gt3 is quick around the ring and a four liter RS which just seems nuts to me I guess what we're concerned about is what might have been lost along the way character involvement one of a better word feel now that might sound like airy-fairy crap to some people but generations of nine levels have been defined by their weight distribution a fantastic steering and the challenge they present to the driver that's why we love these things of course on track some of that raw detail is less important here at Blyton Park in this gt3 pre-production prototype it's going to be all about response for it traction and that new 3.8 liter direct injection engine which has 475 horsepower perhaps to 9,000 rpm this PDK box well punches in gear shifts in a hundred milliseconds suffice to say this thing should be absolutely mega around okay so the wake for the Metzger engine has been going on for some time for nine eleven geeks like me within an hour hundred shots of driving this thing any fears about the lack of motorsport pedigree of this engine I'm feeling a bit too ordinary they just disappear the way this thing Rev the noise in the power at the top end are just unbelievably addictive Kate doesn't have that lovely low-speed shunter and rattle the old Metzger doesn't have the tall the falling tree life still pretty tall day but you won't miss angel I promise you and this PDK box just transformed from other Porsches it's just quicker punch yeah it just works so much better is it as good as the Ferrari system which is really the benchmark I think it definitely is you know do you miss the six-speed manual gearbox on a circuit afraid to say not as much as you think the PDK just makes the performance so accessible and there's so much of it more any of that stuff that's even possible it's the balance of this thing the 997 gt3 and RM had mega front-ends and fantastic stability this thing just takes it up another level again amazingly never have to worry about the rear engine weight dissipation at all such is the grip or turn but you still get the advantage on the way out corners is really really special session and the mechanical friend she asked brilliant but I guess ray whale staring obviously you've never feel it work ha ha ha I think we can safely stay on track the new gt3 is just brilliant okay so the gt3 is fast the engine and box are incredible the shut is so well sorted and so well balanced but we need some context how fast is fast with a help of a McLaren 12c which has almost redefined our understanding of the word we're going to find out now the 12c is getting on for twice the price of the gt3 so strictly speaking it's not really arrival at all if you want to judge something to peak your speed on a circuit this is the benchmark supercar it Viva bleep far from in this so much power with the handling mode in track is so stiff as you could see the way the front bouncing around it feels like a little racecar if the gt3 anywhere near this thing it will be utterly utterly amazing when we put on the timing gear at the 12c got around the lighting in 102.7 peaking at 150 1.7 miles now along the back straight for reference a Pagani Huayra at there's a 102.5 around it the gt3 is nothing like as fast on the straight peaking at one hundred and forty four point six miles an hour but it's better under braking is simply brilliant through fast transitions incredibly it knocks a tenth from the 12c s time with a 102 point six like to say I am utterly staggered thirty gt3 has just gone quicker than a 12c okay probably running stickier tires it's got the spormax race tires whatever they're called based on something for D horsepower down anyways exactly the same it's not as quick as a McLaren on the straight no question about that braking and traction too 12z I think on tracks at least my 991 cynicism has been swept aside from here the big question to me is there's all this grip all this control all this dialing out of the rear-engine feel actually detracted from this car in terms of a road car how it feels on the road unfortunately no pretty epic Road around here we're going to go there right now just see what this gt3 is all about on the road yep this place should do it now all we need is a car to take on the gt3 so we've got the road and in the Nissan GTR we unquestionably have the car to test the gt3 ok so it's a love it or hate it machine that's really on a point of principle rather than the reality of driving this car the tractors might say Dallas off computer game on wheels but that could not be further from the truth the GTR clunks bangs and words and sounds more like a piece of heavy industry than a computer game to me and is obscenely fast across the brow it'll takes technique to get the best from because it's relatively heavy and it's so powerful to host the time it just feels my sucking great little drive part of all these years is still fantastic drives up through the new gt3 be quicker than the GTR across the ground well I struggled to believe it but that's not really the point what we want to know is whether the PDK box is finally as good as the brilliant dual clutch in this and also when the gt3 s character has changed what with PDK we will steer back riff and stability that will discovered on the track but that brought it closer to the GTR has in fact become the computer game that Porsche purists have been saying this car is for years we're going to find out on these so it's fair to say the tt3 solutely blew me away on track so good and so fast and so adjustable I had to cope on the road text a black Nissan gt-r well the first thing that strikes you is just how easy it is to drive them rides really good it's a tiny bit of crown lining through the steering to remind you in a gt3 the gearbox is obviously incredibly smooth and it's great in auto mode so the gt3 feels civilized and just really refined after the gt-r you could live with this car every day no problem that's all very well was the gt3 like when you start to wind it up a little bit because it feels lighter lower than the gt-r course it does in fact it changes directions so positively with that rear wheel steer system and the attitude it feels so so agile the 991 is bigger than previous GT threes they feel genuinely like a small car he's amazing the speed of care is in two corners so agile 3.8 dfi engine well it doesn't quite have the character of the Metzger in the mid-range it's not all those lovely noises that acquire the torque of the old engine either certainly in the 4 liter RS which I guess is a slightly unfair comparison but the top-end so addictive Rip's listen to it and of course the PDK box gives you really easy access to that all the time so say you travel a lot quicker in this car the one really controversial area of the 9i one for me is the steering field the electric steering is just playing not as good as it alone for the motorsport guys and given this things I'm steering feel the accuracy is partly due to the rebels there again but it's got genuine feeling but a whole car just of courses with information for you always fail its balance shifting around so the throttle response agility balance and adjustability as well I think this gt3 does take care of the GTR still love the GTR it's such a monstrous car but this feels more special what about in the context of the great GT freeze of the past and the RS as well to refuse when I think the engine from all its top-end fireworks is so cool at the top end it's lost a teeny bit of that character in the mid-range the Metzger a little bit of a tour the noises and the soror connection and used to get with that engine the same could be said of the steering as well it's so quick so accurate there's much more feel than another 99 just a tiny bit lost compared to a 997 about the gearbox for this PDK is trans good darkness manual yeah I do a little bit of afraid on the road not so much on the track that sense of connection the physical my new air box I miss it just a bit in every other way this gt3 is just a triumph they nailed it such a sweet car most of all - the phrase to be like a gt3 and that makes meso we've poured over the details for months interviewed the chief engineer and had sleepless nights about PDK gearbox 'as an electric power steering and now we're finally going to drive the new Porsche 991 gt3 our very first taste of it is an empty race circuit well you just would wouldn't you so the reason we've come to a racetrack is because this gt3 on paper at least seems to be all about lap times and raw speed you'll know they've ditched the six-speed manual gearbox in favor of a 7-speed PDK and adopted rear-wheel steering we also know that Porsche claim this gt3 is quick around the ring and a four liter RS which just seems nuts to me I guess what we're concerned about is what might have been lost along the way character involvement one of a better word feel now that might sound like airy-fairy crap to some people but generations of nine levels have been defined by their weight distribution a fantastic steering and the challenge they present to the driver that's why we love these things of course on track some of that raw detail is less important here at Blyton Park in this gt3 pre-production prototype it's going to be all about response for it traction and that new 3.8 liter direct injection engine which has 475 horsepower perhaps to 9,000 rpm this PDK box well punches in gear shifts in a hundred milliseconds suffice to say this thing should be absolutely mega around okay so the wake for the Metzger engine has been going on for some time for nine eleven geeks like me within an hour hundred shots of driving this thing any fears about the lack of motorsport pedigree of this engine I'm feeling a bit too ordinary they just disappear the way this thing Rev the noise in the power at the top end are just unbelievably addictive Kate doesn't have that lovely low-speed shunter and rattle the old Metzger doesn't have the tall the falling tree life still pretty tall day but you won't miss angel I promise you and this PDK box just transformed from other Porsches it's just quicker punch yeah it just works so much better is it as good as the Ferrari system which is really the benchmark I think it definitely is you know do you miss the six-speed manual gearbox on a circuit afraid to say not as much as you think the PDK just makes the performance so accessible and there's so much of it more any of that stuff that's even possible it's the balance of this thing the 997 gt3 and RM had mega front-ends and fantastic stability this thing just takes it up another level again amazingly never have to worry about the rear engine weight dissipation at all such is the grip or turn but you still get the advantage on the way out corners is really really special session and the mechanical friend she asked brilliant but I guess ray whale staring obviously you've never feel it work ha ha ha I think we can safely stay on track the new gt3 is just brilliant okay so the gt3 is fast the engine and box are incredible the shut is so well sorted and so well balanced but we need some context how fast is fast with a help of a McLaren 12c which has almost redefined our understanding of the word we're going to find out now the 12c is getting on for twice the price of the gt3 so strictly speaking it's not really arrival at all if you want to judge something to peak your speed on a circuit this is the benchmark supercar it Viva bleep far from in this so much power with the handling mode in track is so stiff as you could see the way the front bouncing around it feels like a little racecar if the gt3 anywhere near this thing it will be utterly utterly amazing when we put on the timing gear at the 12c got around the lighting in 102.7 peaking at 150 1.7 miles now along the back straight for reference a Pagani Huayra at there's a 102.5 around it the gt3 is nothing like as fast on the straight peaking at one hundred and forty four point six miles an hour but it's better under braking is simply brilliant through fast transitions incredibly it knocks a tenth from the 12c s time with a 102 point six like to say I am utterly staggered thirty gt3 has just gone quicker than a 12c okay probably running stickier tires it's got the spormax race tires whatever they're called based on something for D horsepower down anyways exactly the same it's not as quick as a McLaren on the straight no question about that braking and traction too 12z I think on tracks at least my 991 cynicism has been swept aside from here the big question to me is there's all this grip all this control all this dialing out of the rear-engine feel actually detracted from this car in terms of a road car how it feels on the road unfortunately no pretty epic Road around here we're going to go there right now just see what this gt3 is all about on the road yep this place should do it now all we need is a car to take on the gt3 so we've got the road and in the Nissan GTR we unquestionably have the car to test the gt3 ok so it's a love it or hate it machine that's really on a point of principle rather than the reality of driving this car the tractors might say Dallas off computer game on wheels but that could not be further from the truth the GTR clunks bangs and words and sounds more like a piece of heavy industry than a computer game to me and is obscenely fast across the brow it'll takes technique to get the best from because it's relatively heavy and it's so powerful to host the time it just feels my sucking great little drive part of all these years is still fantastic drives up through the new gt3 be quicker than the GTR across the ground well I struggled to believe it but that's not really the point what we want to know is whether the PDK box is finally as good as the brilliant dual clutch in this and also when the gt3 s character has changed what with PDK we will steer back riff and stability that will discovered on the track but that brought it closer to the GTR has in fact become the computer game that Porsche purists have been saying this car is for years we're going to find out on these so it's fair to say the tt3 solutely blew me away on track so good and so fast and so adjustable I had to cope on the road text a black Nissan gt-r well the first thing that strikes you is just how easy it is to drive them rides really good it's a tiny bit of crown lining through the steering to remind you in a gt3 the gearbox is obviously incredibly smooth and it's great in auto mode so the gt3 feels civilized and just really refined after the gt-r you could live with this car every day no problem that's all very well was the gt3 like when you start to wind it up a little bit because it feels lighter lower than the gt-r course it does in fact it changes directions so positively with that rear wheel steer system and the attitude it feels so so agile the 991 is bigger than previous GT threes they feel genuinely like a small car he's amazing the speed of care is in two corners so agile 3.8 dfi engine well it doesn't quite have the character of the Metzger in the mid-range it's not all those lovely noises that acquire the torque of the old engine either certainly in the 4 liter RS which I guess is a slightly unfair comparison but the top-end so addictive Rip's listen to it and of course the PDK box gives you really easy access to that all the time so say you travel a lot quicker in this car the one really controversial area of the 9i one for me is the steering field the electric steering is just playing not as good as it alone for the motorsport guys and given this things I'm steering feel the accuracy is partly due to the rebels there again but it's got genuine feeling but a whole car just of courses with information for you always fail its balance shifting around so the throttle response agility balance and adjustability as well I think this gt3 does take care of the GTR still love the GTR it's such a monstrous car but this feels more special what about in the context of the great GT freeze of the past and the RS as well to refuse when I think the engine from all its top-end fireworks is so cool at the top end it's lost a teeny bit of that character in the mid-range the Metzger a little bit of a tour the noises and the soror connection and used to get with that engine the same could be said of the steering as well it's so quick so accurate there's much more feel than another 99 just a tiny bit lost compared to a 997 about the gearbox for this PDK is trans good darkness manual yeah I do a little bit of afraid on the road not so much on the track that sense of connection the physical my new air box I miss it just a bit in every other way this gt3 is just a triumph they nailed it such a sweet car most of all - the phrase to be like a gt3 and that makes me\n"