Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Makes a Strong Case For Manual Cars At The Autobahn
by Dim Angelov
The Porsche 911 GT3 is the ultimate, normally-aspirated 911 and the YouTube channel AutoTopNL recently got its hands on a 992 GT3 Touring – the more street-oriented, “less shouty” version of the normally-aspirated track weapon, without the crazy aero. And while race tracks are the home of the GT3, here, we see how capable the wingless version is, on the Autobahn. Is the “purest 911” capable enough, in the age of turbocharged performance cars?
There’s something charming about a capable car that’s under the radar and although the GT3, with its rev-happy, 4.0-liter, normally-aspirated flat-six is anything but discrete, the Agate Grey Metallic finish and regular, silver wheels give it more of a stealth look. In the case of this one, the 510 horsepower and 347 pound-feet (470 Nm) go to the rear axle through a six-speed manual.
Given that the seven-speed PDK gearbox is also available, which one should you get? Max, AutoTopNL host, takes us around the car and then for a spin. He also notes, and I actually back him up on it, that the GT3 Touring should be had with the six-speed manual, as it’s more aimed at driving on Mountain roads and being enjoyed, whereas the GT3, which is a no-nonsense track weapon is better off with the much quicker PDK gearbox.
Just to put things in perspective, the 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes 3.4 seconds with the PDK and 3.9 seconds with the manual. While, on paper, both the GT3 Touring and GT3 have the same top speed of 199 mph (320 km/h), the GT3’s more aggressive aerodynamics would surely slow it down at high speeds.
How does it perform on the Autobahn?
One thing that becomes apparent is that you need to rev the 4.0-liter flat-six high, in order to get the most out of it. Max torque is at 6,100 RPM, while peak horsepower is at 8,400 RPM. How does this translate on the Autobahn? The six-speed manual has long gear ratios and in second gear you can reach 78 mph before you have to shift. Fourth gear is good for just over 140 mph (225 km/h).
In terms of 100 to 200 km/h (62-124 mph) acceleration, a normal GT3 with a PDK does it in 7.46 seconds, which is slightly better than the much more powerful Dodge Challenger Hellcat with an eight-speed automatic. The manual-equipped GT3 Touring, on the other hand, managed a still-impressive 7.74-second time, which is slightly better than a manual-equipped Challenger Hellcat.
Finally, Max manages to touch 191 mph (308 km/h), which is not far from the 911 GT3 Touring’s top speed. While there are more capable cars out there, the 911 GT3 Touring is one of the very few to offer a pure driving experience in a relatively subtle package. A while back, we wrote aboutanother AutoTopNL autobahn run, this time with a Porsche Carrera GT. Which one do you think sounds better? The GT3’s normally-aspirated flat-six or the Carrera GT’s race-bred, shrieking V-10?