Overview:
Simply put, the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 RS are utterly transcendent, blending everything we love about the standard 911 with otherworldly performance, uncompromised driving pleasure and hot lap capability. A naturally aspirated 4.0-liter straight-six engine churns out demonic sounds as it howls up to its 9,000-rpm redline, churning out 502 horsepower along the way in the GT3 and GT3 Touring. That same engine is wrung out to 518 horsepower in the new GT3 RS, but it’s that model’s wild racecar aerodynamic elements – ideas created from GT and Formula 1 racing cars – that comprise its key engineering advances. A six-speed manual is standard on GT3 models, but we’ve proven the optional seven-speed PDK automatic is quicker, as it changes faster than a human and seems to be linked to the driver’s cerebral cortex. The GT3 RS only comes with the PDK gearbox. While the GT3 and GT3 Touring models are designed to thrill on the world’s most challenging race tracks, they are almost as flexible and easy to live with as the regular 911 when driven on city streets. It’s this dual-purpose nature that makes the GT3 one of our favorite sports cars and why it easily earns a place on the highest pedestal of automotive icons. As for the GT3 RS, it’s about as serious about the lap times a 911 can get and still be licensed. We can’t wait to drive it to see if it’s too extreme a car for anything beyond track duty. The GT3 RS only comes with the PDK gearbox. While the GT3 and GT3 Touring models are designed to thrill on the world’s most challenging race tracks, they are almost as flexible and easy to live with as the regular 911 when driven on city streets. It’s this dual-purpose nature that makes the GT3 one of our favorite sports cars and why it easily earns a place on the highest pedestal of automotive icons. As for the GT3 RS, it’s about as serious about the lap times a 911 can get and still be licensed. We can’t wait to drive it to see if it’s too extreme a car for anything beyond track duty. The GT3 RS only comes with the PDK gearbox. While the GT3 and GT3 Touring models are designed to thrill on the world’s most challenging race tracks, they are almost as flexible and easy to live with as the regular 911 when driven on city streets. It’s this dual-purpose nature that makes the GT3 one of our favorite sports cars and why it easily earns a place on the highest pedestal of automotive icons. As for the GT3 RS, it’s about as serious about the lap times a 911 can get and still be licensed. We can’t wait to drive it to see if it’s too extreme a car for anything beyond track duty. They are about as flexible and easy to live with as the regular 911 when driven on city streets. It’s this dual-purpose nature that makes the GT3 one of our favorite sports cars and why it easily earns a place on the highest pedestal of automotive icons. As for the GT3 RS, it’s about as serious about the lap times a 911 can get and still be licensed. We can’t wait to drive it to see if it’s too extreme a car for anything beyond track duty. They are about as flexible and easy to live with as the regular 911 when driven on city streets. It’s this dual-purpose nature that makes the GT3 one of our favorite sports cars and why it easily earns a place on the highest pedestal of automotive icons. As for the GT3 RS, it’s about as serious about the lap times a 911 can get and still be licensed. We can’t wait to drive it to see if it’s too extreme a car for anything beyond track duty.
What’s new for 2023?
The top-dog GT3 RS variant joins the lineup this year, complete with a huge rear wing, a racecar aerodynamics package and a 518-horsepower version of the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine. The GT3 RS looks insane, a video game race car comes to life, and we expect it to hit 60mph in less than 3.0 seconds when we get our hands on it in our test facility.
As with the last generation, Porsche offers two slightly different versions of the “standard” GT3, the basic winged model and a Touring variant that tones down the racy look by eliminating the large rear wing. And then there’s the heaviest GT3 of them all, the RS. It’s hard to pick just one of the trio to recommend as they’re all amazing cars, but our hearts belong to the preposterous GT3 RS.
Engine, transmission and performance
At the rear end of the 911 GT3 is a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter six-cylinder that produces 502 horsepower. The engine is essentially identical to the one that powered the last 911 Speedster we tested, which revved at 9000 rpm and groaned hypnotically. The GT3 offers a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (aka PDK) or a six-speed manual. The PDK-equipped example we drove showed off the automatic’s intuitive behavior, as well as the lively engine responses and heady soundtrack. On our test track, the automatic managed a time of 2.7 seconds at 60 mph, while the six-speed manual test vehicle took off an impressive 3.3 seconds at 60 mph. The GT3 RS, which joins the lineup this year, is tuned for 518 horsepower and comes with all sorts of aerodynamic elements that create enormous downforce to keep you on the road – including an outrageous rear wing that incorporates a drag reduction system similar to those on high-end race cars. Formula 1. We will update this story when we can put it through our instrumented testing regime. The most notable performance upgrade on this latest generation of GT3 models is the control-arm front suspension, which is a first for a production 911. Combine this with standard adaptive dampers and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 or stiffer Cup R tires and the coupe chassis offers tremendous cornering grip and unfiltered feedback. While the GT3’s ride is undeniably firm, it’s never punishing, and the electrically-assisted steering is so divinely communicative that it deserves anointing as best-in-class. We’ll see if the RS is beefed up for the racetrack to the point where it’s uncomfortable on the street. Stopping purists’ Porsches are massive steel briefcases; a carbon-ceramic option provides heroic stopping power, easy modulation and resists fading on the track.
Real-world fuel economy and MPG
The EPA rated the 911 GT3 at 15 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway when equipped with an automatic transmission. Going with the manual transmission drops the city figure to 14 mpg. Once we’ve had the opportunity to run one on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, which is part of our extensive testing regime, we can assess its real-world mpg.
Interior, comfort and cargo
The GT3’s interior is very similar to the rest of the 911 lineup, with a clean design and simple layout that pays homage to previous iterations of Porsche’s quintessential sports car. However, there are a handful of unique features throughout the cabin. The GT3’s gauge cluster still has a prominent analogue tachometer flanked by digital displays, but it gets a GT-specific mode that puts all the important information right on the displays surrounding the central tachometer. The RS model gets extra controls on the steering wheel to adjust the rebound and compression levels of the adaptive dampers. Models with the PDK automatic transmission also replace the stubby center console shifter found on regular 911s with a traditional-looking lever that mimics a manual shifter. As in the last GT3, there’s no cramped rear seat for kids, but the furry ones can snuggle in there if they can take the noise. Porsche also offers more than one style of front seats, with an optional set of lightweight buckets designed to reduce mass and increase support.