ON-BOARD. New Porsche 911 GT3 is 12 secs faster than old one at Nürburgring

Jump on-board the newly revised Porsche 911 GT3 as it laps the Nürburgring more than 12 seconds faster than the model it replaces

All told, it’s not been a bad start to the year for some manufacturers at the Nürburgring. Not only did the 2017 Honda Civic Type-R become the new fastest front-wheel drive car EVER around Germany’s most famous stretch of 20km tarmac, but the new Lamborghini Huracán Performante – despite a bit of whinging from YouTube fanboys – managed to set a faster lap time than the Porsche 918 Spyder. Next up for the brown alert hot lap is the new Porsche 911 GT3, which has just lapped more than 12 seconds faster than the generation it replaces with Porsche test driver Lars Kern at the wheel

The 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 – in unmodified standard trim and shod with Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres – threw down a 7m 12.7s benchmark, which beats the previous model’s by 12.3 seconds. That lap time ranks the new 911 GT3 alongside the likes of the new Mercedes-AMG GT R and the Nissan GT-R as one of the top ten fastest production cars ever at the Nürburgring.

Debuting at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the new 911 GT3 ditches the established 469bhp 3.8-litre flat-six in favour of the larger, 493bhp 4.0-litre example. This power increase puts the new GT3 on par with the more extreme GT3 RS and the ultra-limited 911 R that debuted at the same event in 2016.

When equipped with Porsche’s seven-speed PDK automatic transmission, and thanks also to a 1430kg kerb weight, the new 911 GT3 hits 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds en-route to a 318kph top speed. If you’d like context, the GT3 will be level-pegging with the McLaren 570GT, Lamborghini Huracán LP580-2, the old Ford GT, and the Ferrari GTC4Lusso on the run to the ton. Fear not, motoring purists, a six-speed manual gearbox is also available, but this will add half a second to your 3.4-second sprint.

The basic design of the stiffened chassis remains largely the same as the outgoing model, albeit heavily tweaked using knowledge gleaned from the Porsche’s GT3 racing program. Never one for heavy cosmetic changes, the GT3 does at least have revised aerodynamics courtesy of a new front bumper for better airflow and new air vents either of the rear diffuser. In the cabin meanwhile, Porsche has raided the spare parts bin, using both the multifunction steering wheel from the 918 as well as the same sports seats as the GT3 RS.

• Technical specifications available on page 2

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