911 tures 40
AT THE PRESS INTRODUCTION FOR THE NEW 911 GT3, A PORSCHE ENGINEER
used the phrase “achieving more from less” to describe the latest addition to the 911 family.With the fabled
sports car turning 40 this fall, it’s a succinct motto for a philosophy that has established one of the greatest
benchmarks in contemporary sports car design.
The new 911 GT3 is the embodiment of that ideology. In an
aggressive attempt to capture the quintessence of the original 911
vision, Porsche has created its fastest and most powerful nonturbocharged
car ever, priced at just under $100,000.
 The mechanical engineering of the GT3 offers insight into
the particulars of a headstrong philosophy that has sustained the
911’s racing and roadcar success. In the face of lowvolume
exotic sports cars, namely Italian ones, Porsche maintains that its
cars are meant to be driven daily, in the real world.
The first notable distinction of the GT3 is the lack of a rear seat.
As any sports car enthusiast knows, unnecessary weight impedes
performance.Within the 3.6liter, sixcylinder powerplant, moving
mass is reduced by 7.7 pounds, and key components are tuned for
higher performance, creating win/win results: higher RPMs
(redlining at 8,200) and an increase of 65 horsepower over the standard
Carrera’s, bringing the total to 380. Remarkably, the high performance
GT3 is considered a lowemissions vehicle, and maintains
the same fuel efficiency as its less powerful stablemate.With a higher powertoweight ratio than the mighty Turbo model, zero to 60
is reached in 4.3 seconds, only 1/10 of a second slower than its
twinturbocharged big brother.
Perhaps counterintuitively, Porsche’s brilliant stability management
system is not available on the GT3, putting the onus upon the
driver’s ability to skillfully keep the car in control.That responsibility
is crucial, because the revised suspension of the GT3 brings with it
firmer shocks, springs, and antiroll bars, resulting in higher handling
limits. Structural reinforcements increase torsional stability
by 25 percent, which stiffens the ride but provides a far
more rewarding experience on the racetrack. Speed aficionados
will opt for the ceramic component brakes
($8,150 extra), which use racebred technology for low
abrasion and longer service intervals. At half the weight of
conventional brakes, they also allow for better handling
dynamics.A large loveitorleaveit rear spoiler allows for
a drag coefficient of .30, while allowing for zero aerodynamic
lift, keeping the car stable at high speeds.
Driving the GT3 at Virginia International Raceway
with legendary race driver Hurley Haywood at my side
was an audacious way to explore the car’s performance
envelope. And, in keeping with the Porsche’s understated
style, his commentary came in appropriately terse phrases.
When he took the wheel for a few laps, his takenoprisoners
driving showcased the car’s performance better
than any press release, and literally took my breath away.
While the GT3’s performance on the track is impeccable,
it is not brutishly undriveable on city roads. In an
unusual paradox, the front seats, which are lighter than
those in the standard Carrera, are luxuriously covered in
leather, and include power adjustments that contradict the featherweight
theme. Also standard with every GT3 is climatecontrolled
air conditioning, a feature most race warriors would deem too
indulgent for the track. If the GT3 is a deliberately timed manifesto
at the 911’s 40th anniversary, it can be inferred that Porsche’s production
cars aim to achieve a balance between the extremes of
competitive motorsports and daytoday street driving.
Covering the wide range between everyday drivers and raceready
twoseaters, in 2004 Porsche will offer more configurations in
the 911 lineup than ever before, for a total of 10. For instance, at
$68,600, the base Carrera 2 coupe provides exceptional performance,
while remaining a safe distance from the dreaded sixdigit
price range.The $76,000 Targa model offers a gorgeous sliding glass
roof, and the Cabriolet the cockpit to the heavens, while
maintaining the balanced driving characteristics of the hardtop.
Stepping up to the $81,800 Carrera 4S creates more possibilities
for spirited driving, adding power to all four wheels and creating a
more surefooted slaloming experience, with brakes and a flared
rear end derived from the Turbo.
Jumping to the 911 Turbo (at $116,200) gives significant leaps in
performance, providing 415 horsepower to all four wheels. Upping
the ante further, the optional X50 power package ($17,880) boosts
horsepower to a whopping 444, with a beefedup transmission
promising to handle the extra load. Understated speed demons will
be pleased to know that the X50 model provides no external clues
to the superlative power that hides under the retractable rear spoiler.
Recently announced for 2004 is the Turbo Cabriolet, which will
finally provide Porsche supercar performance al fresco for those
who want to have their cake and eat it, too.
At the pinnacle of the 911 scale is the fabulous, raceready
$181,700 GT2. If the GT3 is a race car you can drive on the road,
the GT2 has the aura of an uncompromising track thoroughbred.
The GT2 produces 12 more horsepower than the X50 Turbo, and
gutsily eschews the confidenceinspiring fourwheeldrive system,
shedding hundreds of pounds in the process.The GT2’s suspension is so
tight that, under hard cornering, tires may lift off the pavement, and the
stiff clutch will remove any remaining delusions of practicality as you
inch along the Golden State Freeway in rush hour traffic. Ceramic
component brakes are standard in the GT2, and despite its raceready
mechanics and blistering performance, the GT2’s interior is strangely as
wellappointed as the more terrestrially priced 911s. As with the GT3,
the GT2 contains no rear seats.
For those with supersized wallets, Porsche will be selling the
ultraexclusive,V10 powered $440,000 Carrera GT in 2004, a car
that will bravely battle the spectacular $650,000 Ferrari Enzo.
With the most varied Porsche 911 product line to date, extreme
ranges of performance and taste are available. Impressively, they all
embody the same philosophical directive. For the driver looking for
a highperformance sports car, chances are strong that they will —
somewhere in the $113,100 spread between the Carrera coupe and
the GT2 — find a 911 that is practically tailormade for their personality.
At the 911’s 40th anniversary, that’s exactly what Porsche is
counting on to stay fiercely competitive.
— Basem Wasef
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