The new Porsche 911 GT3 Touring reaches 62mph from rest in around three and a half seconds and goes on to a top speed of near 200mph. But the numbers don’t matter, says Ollie Marriage in Top Gear. “If they do matter, go and buy electric. You’re looking at the Touring for the wrong reason. This is a car for the feels.” And how does it feel? Truly “awesome”. It’s unusual for a car to be this special without “drawing attention to itself”, but the Porsche is understated. “The engine chunters and rattles slightly at idle, the clutch has a springy action, you need some throttle to pull away” – there’s no anti-stall technology – but the result is “a car as cars used to be”. Despite the “hardcore” performance, it’s also one you can “drive daily without concern”. This is “a ten out of ten car”.
You wouldn’t have thought that the last 911 GT3 left much room for improvement, but “somehow Porsche has made the new one feel like a noticeable step forward”, says Matt Robinson on Car Throttle. While other supercar makers put out models with ever-fancier technology and “ludicrous” levels of power and speed, Porsche relies instead on “decades of honing the same effective recipe”.
The GT3 is the “antithesis of the turbocharged, pointlessly powerful supercar elite” with “old-school sensibilities” that make for a “fabulous” drive. After a few plays on a track, the GT3 will quickly become “your best friend” and you’ll have years of fun exploring its potential. If you have supercar money to spend, this is the one to buy.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Marriage, Robinson and Steve Sutcliffe in Evo all agree that the manual is the model to go for. It makes the already brilliant car “even more engaging to drive”, says Sutcliffe – the shift quality is “peachy” – and the car a lot more civilised on the road than you might have thought. “Even on soaking wet bumpy Welsh B-roads”, the car has an “entirely unexpected knack of being able to cope with whatever comes your way”, making you “appear to be an even more highly skilled wheelman than you already are”. In short, the manual GT3 “is one of those cars that makes your heart beat faster every time you climb aboard”, whether on the road or the track. It is exceptionally good value too, with no obvious rivals for the price. Demand, though, will considerably outstrip supply. “Nice work – if you can get it.”
Price: £127,820. Engine: 3,996cc, flat six, six-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive. 0-62mph: 3.9 seconds. Top speed: 199mph. Power: 503bhp at 8,400rpm. Torque: 346lb ft at 6,100rpm.
-
8 of the best lakeside properties for saleThe best lakeside properties – from a house on the southeastern shore of Loch Lomond, to a 15th-century hall overlooking a lake in King’s Lynn, Norfolk
-
Gold’s allure and why you should never 'pay a premium for graded coins'It is easy to become distracted by the beauty of gold, but remember why you buy it, says Dominic Frisby
-
Global car shares slide amid lower demand in China – what happens now?Has the car sector run into trouble? Britain’s Aston Martin and Germany’s Volkswagen are among the key automobile brands that have issued profit warnings.
-
Volkswagen mulls closure of German factoriesWhy is Volkswagen considering the closures and how is the carmaker performing?
-
Is China winning the electric car race?China now sells more electric cars than conventional ones within its territory. Western countries seem determined to stop them from crossing their borders. Why?
-
Val d’Isère is a valley of delightsMoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge reviews Airelles Val d’Isere and Hotel Mont-Blanc in the famous French ski resort
-
Review: The Ozen Collection – a dream stay in the MaldivesMoneyWeek Travel Ozen Life Maadhoo and Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, where luxury meets nature, are almost too good to be true, says Nicole García Mérida.
-
Review: An odyssey through Sri LankaMoneyWeek Travel Merryn Somerset Webb explores the South Asian country’s ruins, jungle and fabulous food.
-
Flexjet review: the only way to flyMoneyWeek Travel Chris Carter flies with Flexjet, a provider of fractional ownership of private jets, to St Moritz in Switzerland for the Snow Polo World Cup.
-
South American nature holidays – take a walk on the wild sideTravel We find holidays in South America where you can explore nature in all its diversity.
