Porsche officially unveiled the new 992-generation 911 GT3 only last month but the global community of Stuttgart fans already seems rabid with excitement. With a powerful naturally aspirated engine and racing-derived aerodynamics and suspension, plus a good-old-fashioned six-speed stick shift, the GT3 should perfectly return to the top of enthusiast wishlists. What exactly Porsche will achieve with the GT3 RS once the 992 generation has been around a bit longer remains to be seen, especially now that Porsche has taken an entire fleet of full-race 992-gen 911 GT3 Cup cars to Florida's iconic Sebring Raceway for shakedown testing.
The Real Racecars Testing On Sebring's Challenging Circuit
The new 911 GT3 may offer plenty of race-inspired features in a road-going package—one that plenty of customers will take on the track—but the GT3 Cup leaves the factory in full race spec. This new video includes little in the way of specs and stats for the 992 GT3 Cup but cosmetically, the car employs a widebody Turbo-style exterior that allows for a wider track and wider tires, both front and rear.
Suspension And Power In A New Package
Other immediate standouts include the front nostrils visible above and, of course, the massive rear wing. The Turbo-style side vents feed the naturally aspirated engine, which early reports indicate should produce 503 horsepower from the 4.0-liter flat-six, which is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox routing power to the rear wheels. Torque is rated at 347 lb-ft, though surprisingly, this generation's redline is 250 rpm lower than the outgoing 991.2 despite peak power occurring later in the rev range.
Sebring Prepares The 911 GT3 Cup For Worldwide Use
Daniel Armbruster, CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America, was on hand to oversee the fun at Sebring. He reports that laps times for the GT3 Cup are one second lower than the GT3 R on the challenging track, which appears quite rough compared to other, smoother tarmacs. But watching these racers take to the curves and straights with their characteristic wail as Porsche dials in the sway bar and alignment settings for the new chassis makes for must-watch viewing—with the audio turned up to 11.
Sources: youtube.com and evo.co.uk.