Ever since the first Porsche 911 GT car came along in 1999 – the Type-996 GT3 – the letters “GT” followed by a number have always necessarily meant “track focus” and “blistering lap times,” both in and out of Stuttgart.
Now, the UK’s Autocar reports that a new Porsche 911 GT model may be in the works to change all that.
Unfortunately, Autocar gives us very little to go on: just an acknowledgement from the German sportscar marque that performance and driving fun have become distant enough objectives that a new model might be needed to bridge the gap.
Oh, but one thing we can certainly wrap our minds around? The new Porsche 911 GT model is expected to ship with a stick. Hallelujah!
So let’s paint you a picture, based on what Autocar speculates. Or knows. Or thinks it knows. Or whatever. The UK-based automotive website reports that on this new Porsche 911 GT, we can likely expect a normally-aspirated 3.8-liter flat-6 like that found in the Type-991 GT3 – perhaps detuned slightly to better suit reduced levels of adhesion. Why less adhesion? Because fun is the name of the game, and oversteer is the very definition of a great time.
To that end, skinnier tires and less aerodynamic wizardry are also anticipated, as well as a suspension tune that favors playfulness and balance at the limits of adhesion. As for the name, we recently reported that Porsche had filed a trademark for “GT5” sometime late last year; that would work well for the new (alleged) car as unlike GT4, GT3, etc., it’s never been used by the FIA as a race car class. Our money is on that moniker.
It’s certainly not as though one is incapable of having fun in a 911 GT3 or GT3 RS, but in these cars, fun is rather derived as a by-product of dedicated performance. If we’re offered a less serious, more playful Porsche 911 GT model, you can bet we’ll take the German marque up on the offer.
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