Porsche 911 GT3 Celebrates Its 20th Birthday

It was during 1999 Geneva Motor Show that the first 911 GT3 was showcased, during the 996.1 generation of the 911. As the name suggests, the 911 GT3 was more hard-core, lowered, stiffened variant of the regular Porsche 911 and felt equally at home, be it the road or the racetrack. The Porsche 911 GT3 was the brainchild of two-time WRC champion Walter Rohrl, race engineer Roland Kussmaul and motorsport specialists from Weissach, Porsche's research centre in Germany. Needless to say, almost 80 per cent of 911 GT3 models sold are regularly driven on a racetrack. The 911 GT3 always had the necessary ingredients to make it a pleasure machine. Naturally aspirated engine, RWD and a manual transmission! The race versions of the 911 GT3 have had historic wins at 24 hours of Spa, 24 hours of Daytona and 24 hours of Nurburgring as well. Porsche made it a part of its plan to incorporate learnings from all motorsport events and incorporate it into the 911 and the 911 GT3 as well. We take you through the history of the 911 GT3 and how it became a better speed fiend with every generation in the last 20 years.

(The first 911 GT3 and the latest 911 GT3 have a world of a difference inside and under the skin)

The first model, the 996 911 GT3 lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:56:33, which was an outrageous lap time 20 years ago. It was driven by Walter Rohrl and had a 3.6-litre flat six, churning out 355 horses and 366 Nm of peak torque. It had a top speed of 300 kmph! It got a bump in power in 2003 as well. The car now made 376 bhp, thanks to the use of the VarioCam continuously variable camshaft control system. The GT3 could also now be ordered with the ultra-high-performance Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake system.

(The latest 911 GT3 gets a 4.0-litre flat six engine, making 493 bhp)

Jump to 2006 when the second generation of the 911 GT3 came in with significant bump in power and technology. It was based on the 997 911 and while the 3.6-litre flat six engine stayed the same, it now belted out 409 horses and had a top speed of 310 kmph. There was weight gain too, in form of compulsory safety equipment such as airbags, but a lot of it was negated by using Aluminium.

(Even for 1999, the 911 GT3 was a good-looking car)

Up next was the 2009 mid-life update where the company could not get more out of the 3.6-litre unit. Hence, the displacement was increased to 3.8-litres and the new engine now pumped out 429 bhp and 430 Nm! 2009 was the year when Porsche fitted the 911 GT3 with electronic stability control (ESC) and thanks to all the updates such as a new rear wing and full underbody panelling. The downforce was more than double of its predecessor. The 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 lapped the 'Ring' in 7:40s, knocking 16 seconds off the original time of 7:56 which the 1999 model had set.

(The 1999 911 GT3 had a top speed of 300 kmph)

2013 saw Porsche 911 celebrating its 50th birthday and it was a big occasion! The company showcased the 5th generation 911 GT3 at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and the car was new ground up! The engine, chassis, body and even the transmission were all new. The 3.8-litre flat six now developed 468 bhp and it was the first instance of the 911 GT3 getting the famed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) dual-clutch gearbox and active rear axle steering. The 2013 911 GT3 completed the Nurburgring Nordschleife in just 7:25 minutes -more than half a minute faster than the first 911 GT3 on its record lap in 1999.

And the current generation of the Porsche 911 GT3 was launched in 2017, a couple of years ago where the flat-six engine now displaced 4-litres and the power output was bumped up to 493 bhp. Plus, the company now offered a 6-speed manual gearbox as an option along with the 7-speed PDK DCT, a treat for the 911 GT3 purists! The 2017 911 GT3 could also be ordered with a touring package, wherein the fixed rear wing was replaced by an automatically extending spoiler. It was a reference to the more restrained version of the legendary Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 from the 1970s.