Porsche 911 GT3

The engine has gone from 3.6 to 3.8 litres and has been given a further 20bhp, making 435bhp. Suspension is stiffened, the brakes are bigger and the transmission gearwheels have been lightened, while the seven-speed double-clutch transmission that’s now in lesser 911s was ruled out because it would add 66lb to the car’s weight. Mass is the greatest enemy of a car such as this, and every ounce that can be saved, has been saved. Besides, even changing gear manually, the GT3 will still scorch to 62mph in just 4.1sec.

This car is so extreme that, for no extra cost, Porsche will build you a Club Sport version complete with a roll cage, fire extinguisher and ignition cut-out — the basic safety equipment required on any modern car that is to be raced.

Despite the GT3 being a fully qualified track car, surprisingly, it’s an easy car to drive daily on the public road. The ride is better than, say, that of a Mini Cooper S, and because the engine is behind you, much of the noise gets left behind you when you’re cruising. And while its thin, racing bucket seats may look spartan, they actually offer more support than conventional seats, and are comfortable over even long distances. As long as you don’t need rear seats, you could happily commute in this Porsche; and then, just occasionally, you’d find a very quiet road or, much better, a racetrack. There you’d find an engine that revs to 8500rpm, and acceleration that is simply shattering. But, compared with the way the GT3 slows and goes around corners, that performance is probably the least remarkable aspect of the drive. Then there are the amazing brakes: a brick wall would scarcely slow the car any more effectively than these, and thanks to the downforce and tyres that look to be related to Formula One slicks, cornering speeds are almost incomprehensible.

Get used to the GT3, though, and you wonder why other performance cars just don’t feel as alive or in tune with their drivers. The GT3 really knows no equal, even allowing for the quicker yet less enjoyable 911 GT2.

It’s hard to think what true rivals it actually has. A Ferrari Scuderia is closest in concept but costs more than twice as much; and, according to Porsche at least, is slower around a track. A Lamborghini Gallardo is too soft, a Lotus

Exige is too impractical, and now that Nobles and TVRs are unavailable, it is probably the Bath-built Farbio GTS350 that comes closest to matching the GT3 for its blend of pace, practicality and price. But I would have the GT3 over the lot of them, irrespective of cost; it’s not a car to drive for a few years and then discard, it is a car to keep and enjoy for as long as your means allow.

Also, it proves what I have long suspected, that Porsche has quite deliberately made the standard 911 less focused because most of its customers buy for the badge and would rather have a more user-friendly car to drive.

Porsche builds the GT3 for just a few thousand die-hards to show the world that it still knows how to build a world-beating sports car, and that it’s still at the top of its game. But just how good is this latest 911? Well, there really is only one way to find out, and that’s to drive one for yourself.

Click