Porsche 911 GT3 2021 Review

No-one buys a 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 for the sound system. So the standard equipment list is relatively basic for a car that costs so much, although Porsche also has a stealthy Touring Package for people who want more pampering in their go-faster 911.

The 911 GT3 Touring is more subdued in styling, a little more plush in the cabin, loses the giant rear wing and, for three-pedal fans, comes as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, which is a no-cost option for the regular GT3.

The GT3 has a 10.9-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay smartphone integration and sat-nav, and the headlights are LED with tinted daylight running lights.

Other standard equipment just for Australia includes auto-dimming mirrors and auto wipers, DAB+ digital radio, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, push-button start, four-way power-adjustable sports seats ‘plus’ and metallic paint.

Another bonus is a memory function for the Smart Lift, which raises the nose by 40mm for speed humps and driveways, and it does the job automatically when an obstacle is encountered more than once.

Earlier this year there was also a very special, and very limited, run of 70th anniversary GT3s to celebrate this major milestone for Porsche in Australia. The cars were fully loaded and priced at $494,300, but Porsche had no problem selling them.

“I don’t like to use the words ‘sold out’, but…,” says Porsche spokesman Chris Jordan, yet it’s obvious that everything with a GT3 badge on it is already claimed and that also includes the hard-core RS cars coming next year.

Upgrading from the most basic 911 Carrera at $241,200 to the GT3 brings plenty of improvements to justify the extra $128K, from the racy bodywork upgrades to a cabin with a no-cost Club Sport Package.

It injects a half roll-cage, fire extinguisher and a six-point racing harness for the driver. There are also optional sports seats which are essential for track work.

New for the latest GT3 is a driving mode switch on the steering wheel – with settings for Normal, Sport and Track – and the car also has shift lights alongside the rev-counter.

A Track Screen is unique to the GT3 and trims the display information to oil temperature and pressure as well as coolant temperature, and the tyre pressure monitor knows the difference between hot and cold tyres.

There is also a $1000 Chrono package that adds launch control in auto models, a digital stopwatch to the traditional analogue dial in the centre of the dash, and can be coupled to a lap timer – from Porsche Tequipment – for use with the Porsche Track Precision App.

Porsche’s factory warranty is relatively short at three years, but the GT3 requires servicing only every 12 months or 20,000km.

No Porsches come with an ANCAP safety rating and there is no automatic braking system in the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3, although it does have six airbags.

But Porsche has tweaked the stability control, including the anti-lock brakes, to comprise three stages including ‘everything off’ for adventurous track drivers.

The suspension, which is set 20mm lower than the regular 911’s, has active control and there is rear-wheel steering with a sports bias to improve stability.

The GT3’s wheel and tyre package is improved too, with 10mm more rubber at each corner, although the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres are definitely not recommended for wet roads.

For the first time there are different diameters for the forged and centre-locking alloy wheels – 20x19.5-inch at the front and 21x12-inch at the rear. It’s a similar story for the tyres, which are 255/35 up front and a broad 315/30 out back. It’s all about providing optimum grip and cornering balance.

The standard steel brakes have also been tweaked a little, with the front rotors growing from 380 to 408mm and bringing improved dust extraction – by using cone-shaped perforations instead of cross-drilling, which Porsche says gives more strength and more-powerful braking.

There are also twin air ducts at each front corner, one feeding to the discs and another for internal brake cooling.

The rear brakes are unchanged and the 2021 GT3 has red-painted callipers, but 410mm front and 390mm rear carbon-ceramic rotors with six-piston front callipers are available for a cool $19,290 with yellow callipers or $21,020 with black callipers.

Once again a big-bore 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat six lies at the heart of the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 and once again it revs to a stratospheric 9000rpm.

Its headline numbers are also simple: 375kW of power and 460Nm of torque, resulting in claimed 0-100km/h acceleration in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 318km/h (3.9sec and 320km/h for the manual).

But it’s the depth of the improvements elsewhere that make the real difference in performance, not an extra 7kW or 10Nm.

The biggest individual mechanical change is double-wishbone front suspension – a first for a GT3, but there is also the aero package and a huge raft of weight-saving work.

Compared to other 911s, one less gear for both the manual and automatic transmission (the manual is six-speed and the dual-clutch PDK auto is seven-speed) saves weight, but going for the six-speed manual rips out an instant 17kg.

But that’s just the start, as the GT3 has a lightweight bonnet made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, plus lightweight window glass, a new exhaust that trims a full 10kg, and even a battery that is also 10kg lighter than the previous car’s.

A lightweight carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic roof is a pricey $7470 option.

On the aero front, the rear wing – hung from a swan-neck mounting like a Le Mans car – delivers 50 per cent more downforce and that rockets to 150 per cent in the track setting at 200km/h. It also has four adjustable positions.

The front suspension is designed to provide more support to the outside wheel during cornering, resisting dive under braking – a signature for every Porsche from day one – and the double wishbones also allow the dampers to operate with less disturbance and reduced friction losses.

The 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 is not a commuter, which is why the press preview drive was at Sydney Motorsport Park.

It’s all about track laps, 9000rpm upshifts, cracking PDK downshifts and searching for the limit in a safety bubble policed by top Supercars racers led by Bathurst winner Luke Youlden.

So there was no chance to check the air-con, worry about parking or think about tyre noise at freeway speeds.

Porsche has plugged the GT3 into its Level 4 driver training program, which is just one step short of a Carrera Cup car experience, and that means minimal instruction and no-one in the passenger seat.

Then there is a data download, comparing my driving and speed to that of Bathurst co-driver David Russell, with Dean Canto handling the download. So, no pressure then…

First up, taking things easily in the Normal setting on the steering wheel, the new GT3’s big difference is a more-planted nose, which is new for the 992 series and something that will continue to impress through the day.

Performance is crisp, the PDK shifts are sharp and brake feel is good. The press cars are all running on steel brakes – not the more costly carbon-ceramic set that impresses friends – but I have no complaints.

Then it’s time to cycle quickly through Sport to Track and the GT3 really comes alive as I push to the redline – indicated by blue shift lights – through the gears.

There is not much shifting at SMP, as the GT3 takes most of the lap comfortably in third, but it’s still a delight to push to the bap-bap-bap of the limiter in a couple of places.

Canto is complimentary but critical in the first data download, encouraging me to use more steering lock in corners and push harder on the brakes. This is counter-intuitive for someone with old-school 911 experience, but the front-end is giving me everything I need and more.

And then it rains…

So the second time with the GT3 is behind a pace car, driven by Alex Davison, on a track which is as slippery as wet clay in some places. At least I know the stability control, as I switch back to the safety-first Normal setting, is reassuringly happy to help me.

Back in the pitlane, I get a chance to sample the handy nose-lift function and the sharp picture on the reversing camera.

The track eventually dries and there is time to get a better understanding of the new GT3, which is much more ‘normal’ than any previous go-faster Porsche.

The free-spinning and hugely responsive flat six is the highlight, but the brakes are also great and the hip-hugging race-style seats allow me to sit comfortably and focus on the job.

The GT3 doesn’t pitch or dive excessively, either under brakes or when you transfer weight in a corner, and the tracking through corners is rock-solid and a direct linear response to the steering.

The 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 gives you exactly what it says on the box – as the most track-focussed model available in Porsche showrooms, it is sharp, fast and fun.

Porsche never goes backwards and the latest GT3 is an obvious improvement over its predecessor in lots of ways.

The most obvious is the added security of the double-wishbone front-end, which also makes the car more enjoyable and less threatening to drive at any speed.

Then I strap in alongside Youlden to discover what the car can really do, and realise that no-one in the press pack has come close to discovering the real potential of Porsche’s newest road racer.

“Yes, I was having a bit of a dip,” he laughs, “But isn’t that what the GT3 is about?”

How much does the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 cost?
Price: $369,600 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre petrol flat six
Output: 375kW/460Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 12.6L/100km (13.7 man) (ADR Combined)
CO2: 288g/km (312 man) (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested