Full Test: 2007 Porsche 911 GT3
Let's cut right to the chase. The 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 is our favorite Porsche. It's as if everything that Porsche has ever known about fast cars has been stuffed into this 911. Lightning reflexes, check. Sensuous sex on wheels, uh-huh. Neck-stretching cornering grip, you betcha. God-awful speed, abso-bloody-lutely. Heartlessly cruel to the inexperienced? Well, no, actually. Why is the 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 so damn good? First, there's the small matter of 40-odd years of relentless refinement for the 911 package from the hard-headed guys at Porsche. But the real key to the GT3's prowess can be traced back to the decision Porsche made in 1999 to end its factory-backed racing program with dedicated prototype sports cars and instead concentrate on customer-based motorsport with modified production cars. In order for Burgmeister's RSR to be eligible for competition as a production-based car, Porsche has had to homologate the 911 GT3 with racing's sanctioning bodies by maintaining "continuous production" and selling a specified number of road-going copies. This is the mission of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS . While street-legal, the GT3 RS is a track car built in very limited quantities. Its existence is a direct consequence of Porsche's commitment to racing the 911 GT3 RSR. But our GT3 does lack some of the GT3 RS's racing-style goodies. The RS has rear haunches that are 1.7 inches wider to homologate the widest possible rear track and rear wing for the RSR racecar. And while the RS's engine has a lightweight single-mass flywheel to help it rev as responsively as possible, the GT3 has a heavier dual-mass unit for smoother, transmission-saving power pulses. Just a few yards down the road, the raw high-performance personality of the GT3 is immediately apparent. The car communicates with you on almost a subconscious level, sending messages about the road through the steering, brakes and powertrain. When you reply, there's no hesitation in the car's response. No slack. No heavy control...
headlamp assist, keyless ignition, PARKTRONIC, rain sensors, heated seats, AMG floor mats, cruise control, sports pedals and THERMOTRONIC. 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: First Driveall 12 news articles »