End of an era: we say goodbye to the Porsche 911 GT3 997...
Porsche unveiled the new version of its 911 GT3 at the Geneva Motor Show in March amidst much gasping, sucking of teeth and the irregular thump of hearts about to go into cardiac arrest.
Because from November 2013 the 991 version of the much-admired GT3 will be sold without a manual gearbox in favour of a flappy-paddle automatic instead.
As shocks go, that’s like discovering David Cameron was brought up on a rough council estate in Leeds.
Porsche 911 GT3: end of an era
After picking themselves up from the floor, the journalists at the Geneva show were remedied with some remarkable stats. The new GT3 will rev to 9,000rpm, lap the Nurburgring in 7 minutes 30 seconds (12 seconds quicker than the 997.2) and hit 62mph in 3.5 seconds.
Porsche certainly knows how to redeem itself when it hits you with bad news.
But as amazing as this new GT3 is clearly going to be, we can’t help but feel a pang of sadness at the loss of a clutch pedal and soup stirrer. To find out just what we’ll be missing out on, let’s take a final ride in the 997 GT3.
Life-changing soundtrack
The familiar white sign with a black stripe looms into view. I prepare the GT3 in advance, engaging the stiff clutch, moving smartly from fourth to third, blipping the throttle as I do.
With the urgency of a North Korean solider standing to attention, the 911’s rev needle arcs clockwise and sits just south of 4,000rpm.
Passing the sign, I ease my foot deep into the carpet and the GT3 responds with a ferocious lunge towards the red line and a howl that could easily be described as life changing.
Up until 4,400rpm the GT3 sounds brooding. Above, it changes into a rich wail that will have you coming away from the experience with an innate need to own one.
What’s life changing is that your wife will leave you when you tell her you’ve remortgaged the house and bought yourself a penis extension.
But the lonely nights will be worth it, because as driving enjoyment goes, it really doesn’t get better than this.
It’s a chilling sight, the GT3: that rear wing, the roll cage, those tight bucket seats and the track-spec, semi-slick tyres sitting so close to the arches that there’s barely enough room to slide a hand in.
Porsche 911 GT3: racing pedigree
Yet despite its racing edge, the GT3 flatters you like a desperate first date companion, eager to please.
The GT3 responds best when you drive it hard. The full 435hp monty comes in at 7,600rpm with a 317 lb/ft swell of torque giving a noticeable uplift over the last few thousand rpm.
It’s one of the world’s great engines, once seeing service in the Le Mans GT1 racers and mechanically similar to the unit found in the Carrera Cup cars.
To drive, the GT3 feels unapologetic. The clutch pedal is resistant and stiff, working your leg muscles like a football physio. The six-speed manual is solid and precise with not a hint of slackness between shifts.
That stiffness resonates throughout the GT3, but it’s not uncomfortable, with the suspension well enough damped to smooth out bumps and the £3,200 seats from the Carrera GT holding a big boy like me in snugly.
This is something you welcome when you start to lean on the car through corners, exploiting the super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres that seem to have more grip than an Arnold Schwarzenegger handshake.
The steering is precise, allowing you to place the car with incredible accuracy, sensing the weight transfer through the rim and the front bite as you turn in. One passenger described it as a rollercoaster ride.
Bringing the GT3 back to reality is a set of £6k carbon ceramic brakes that work with the ruthless efficiency of a mouse trap, the pedal firm to the touch and perfectly modulated even after prolonged hard use.
All this adds up to a truly analogue driving experience, the driver placed right at the centre of the action.
It is this connection with the machine we will miss most of all when Porsche removes the manual gearbox for the 991 GT3 and replaces it with a speedy-shifting auto.