GT3 MK1
March 1999 saw Porsche introduce their highly anticipated 911 GT3 hot rod at the Geneva Salon. A normally aspirated homologation special, it was the modern day incarnation of 1972's 2.7-litre Carrera RS. Unlike earlier RS-badged 911's though, in standard trim the GT3 was no stripped out lightweight. Indeed, when Porsche revealed it weighed 30kg more than the stock Carrera Coupe, many enthusiasts thought it would turn out to be a poor relative of those illustrious machines from the past. The extra weight was due in part to an all-new 3.6-litre engine based on the GT1 architecture, this bringing an additional 60 horses to the table.
With its specially developed engine in place, the rear-wheel drive-only GT3 became the first production car to lap the fabled Nurburgring in under eight minutes. Many additional developments were also made, ride-height being dropped by 30mm thanks to fully adjustable dampers with shorter, firmer springs and adjustable anti-roll bars. There were also adjustable spring platforms and strengthened ball bearings. Brakes were now 330mm cross-drilled and ventilated discs all round (compared to 318mm front and 299mm rear for the standard 3.4-litre Carrera), the four-piston aluminium monobloc calipers coming painted red. Lightweight 10-spoke 'GT3' wheels had an 18-inch diameter and measured 8 and 10-inches across at the front and rear respectively. Meanwhile, that high performance motor was developed not from the regular Carrera engine, but as a normally aspirated version of Porsche's GT1 unit, turbocharged versions of which had been used to win outright at Le Mans in 1998.
With its specially developed engine in place, the rear-wheel drive-only GT3 became the first production car to lap the fabled Nurburgring in under eight minutes. Many additional developments were also made, ride-height being dropped by 30mm thanks to fully adjustable dampers with shorter, firmer springs and adjustable anti-roll bars. There were also adjustable spring platforms and strengthened ball bearings. Brakes were now 330mm cross-drilled and ventilated discs all round (compared to 318mm front and 299mm rear for the standard 3.4-litre Carrera), the four-piston aluminium monobloc calipers coming painted red. Lightweight 10-spoke 'GT3' wheels had an 18-inch diameter and measured 8 and 10-inches across at the front and rear respectively. Meanwhile, that high performance motor was developed not from the regular Carrera engine, but as a normally aspirated version of Porsche's GT1 unit, turbocharged versions of which had been used to win outright at Le Mans in 1998.