Porsche_US 911GT3_2018

Many have still never heard of it. Some believe it’s all just a myth. For the true fan, though, behind the idyllic green hills of the Swabian region in Germany, the promised land does exist: Flacht. The home of Porsche Motorsport. Our home. The place in which the Porsche heart beats the fastest. Where the transfer from motorsport into series production is routine daily practice. Where the proving ground is our playground. And precision is our greatest passion. Here, in Flacht, is where the new 911 GT3 turned its first laps. Here is where the mighty sound of its 4.0-liter horizontally opposed and naturally aspirated engine roared for the first time.

Here is where the chassis was tuned over the course of countless test miles with the meticulous scrutiny only A day in Flacht isn’t 24 hours. It’s 8,640,000 hundredths of a second. The new 911 GT3. otherwise afforded to the Porsche 919 Hybrid for Le Mans. Our engineers invested all their racing experience into it, tweaking and honing into the night. Afterwards, they would all say: “It couldn’t get any better.” Only to ask themselves the next morning: “Could we make it even better?” A hundredth of a second faster, a percentage point more agile, a gram lighter? Then – and only then – could we award the highest distinction there is at Porsche:

Sound: unadulterated engine sound of a pure-bred high-performance naturally aspirated powerplant. Driving dynamics: racing chassis with dynamic engine mounts and rear axle steering with GT tuning. Performance: 4.0-liter six-cylinder horizontally opposed and naturally aspirated engine derived from the 911 GT3 Cup offering 500 hp, 339 lb.-ft. and a high-revving design. Lightweight construction: bodyshell in aluminum and steel composite, front and rear fascias in lightweight polyurethane, rear lid, wing uprights and rear wing in carbon fiber. Transmission: performance-oriented 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK). Optional: 6-speed GT Sport manual transmission with short shift throws. Design and aerodynamics: new front and rear end, Bi-Xenon™ headlights, three-dimensionally shaped taillights, underbody panelling with finned rear diffuser, front spoiler and rear wing for aerodynamic downforce. Safety: motorsport-tuned vehicle stability system, high-performance brake system with six-piston aluminum brake calipers at the front and four-piston equivalents at the rear axle.

The greatest resistance we know here in Flacht? Headwind. It’s a matter of confronting it – with optimum aerodynamics and favorable drag coefficients. But it’s also a matter of exploiting it. By using it to cool the brakes, for example – or as a supply of combustion air. And, of course, to generate downforce on the racetrack. How do we reconcile these most conflicting of parameters? With a harmonious overall design. And, of course, a design in which every detail must demonstrate its functionality first and foremost. The new front end of the 911 GT3 makes one thing instantly clear: this car is not here simply to post up the numbers. Large openings left and right, together with new airblades on each side, improve cooling. Even the customary 911 GT3 air outlet to the front of the luggage compartment lid helps to ensure plenty of fresh air. All cooling air intakes are protected by air intake grilles in titanium color.