Great For The Track, Better For The Street: How Porsche Created The 911 GT3 Touring - Jalopnik

Porsche's 911 GT3 is perhaps the most iconic street car the company has ever built. Available across four generations of 911 over 25 years of production, the GT3 is everywhere. Meant to split the difference between a standard street 911 like a GTS and the all-out track homologation special GT3 RS, the GT3 has always been a half-and-half street-to-track kind of car. When the 991-generation debuted in 2013, however, it was tipped toward a focus on lap times and was only available with Porsche's PDK double-clutch automatic gearbox, which sent three-pedal driving enthusiasts into a tizzy. 

The GT3 Touring, picking up more or less where the 911R left off, joined the party in 2017 as a manual-only driver-focused version of the 911 GT3, which remained PDK-only for a time. Once the 992-generation 911 got up and running, Porsche determined that the GT3 Touring was little more than a wing-free package of the GT3 and offered both versions with both transmissions. There are still a few trim differences, such as that the Touring carries leather trim instead of the GT3's Alcantara-laden interior.

There are so many variants of 911 available to consumers these days, but the GT3 has been the favorite of trackday and Sunday-drive enthusiasts since its inception. It's not as all-out uncompromising as the Rennsport model, but it's got more track chops than the rest of the non-GT 911 lineup. If you like a finely tuned fast sports car, it's kind of the sweet spot for a weekend driver. The Touring package removes some of the car's ostentatiousness, and helps it fly a little bit under the radar.. So do you take yours with a side of wings?

The 911R's legacy

Think back to 2013, when the 991-generation 911 made its debut. Besides all the fiery engine explosions Porsche covered under warranty, the GT3 was only available with a PDK transmission. The explanation was that the GT3 was a track car, and the speed of a PDK's shifts made it faster and easier to drive around quickly. With a GT3 and PDK, you'd be setting personal bests in no time flat. But in my eyes, the GT3 RS is the only car in Porsche's lineup that should concern itself with lap times. The kind of person who buys a GT3 typically wants an exhilarating driving experience packed with engagement and involvement. 

A few years later, in 2016, Porsche unveiled the 911R, more or less the GT3 with a stick that customers were begging for. Unfortunately, Porsche determined that this car would only be available in a limited run of 991 units. With 500 naturally aspirated horsepower, a short-throw six-speed manual transmission, and beautifully clean 911 lines without a massive wing on the back, it was the enthusiast answer to the PDK scourge. It was destined from the beginning to be a low-mile collector piece kept in a hermetically sealed bubble. Within months of its release, the $185,950 sports car was trading hands for over a million bucks. 

Once Porsche had seen that the market was still clamoring for a shift-it-yourself track car, the GT3 Touring was born and hustled into showrooms for 2017. It's perhaps an understatement to say that it was an instant success, and proved itself worthy of continued existence in the Porsche lineup. Go to any cars and coffee and you'll see a dozen of them.

Street comfort is better than lap times

In either Touring or non-Touring guise, the GT3 is hardly a relaxed commuter. A high-strung 9,000-rpm flat-6 is hung out back behind the axle, and with wide tires and aggressive suspension it's always hunting for cracks and undulations in the road to tramline. In spite of the missing rear wing, the GT3 Touring is barely toned down at all — it's more Superman hiding in Clark Kent disguise. And now you can get it as a convertible, too!

The GT3 and GT3 Touring aren't much different driving experiences, with the only real difference being a slight lack of downforce with the Touring's electric-deployable spoiler, but they're both significantly more street-friendly than the flat-out bonkers GT3 RS. The GT3 has become the ultimate expression in track-friendly street car, while the GT3 RS has evolved into a GT3 Cup that is technically street legal, even if it's not philosophically streetable. 

The current GT3 is faster on most racetracks already than the 991-generation GT3 RS was, which already approached the maximum skill level of non-professional drivers. Each successive generation gets faster, larger, and more tech-heavy to compensate for both. If you're looking for a cozy little street car to drive to work, look elsewhere. If you want to wring the neck of a manic monster on your favorite back road or racetrack, with a manual transmission, and look good doing it, a GT3 Touring might be for you. If you want to go slightly faster with a bit of downforce and some lightweight add-ons, opt for the GT3 and get the ultra-expensive Weissach package.