Unlike other GT3 variants, there's no hike in power, netting out at the same 502 horsepower.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Could this be one of Porsche’s least inspired ideas? Sure, myriad variations-on-a-theme have long been a cornerstone of the 911’s extraordinary longevity – and Porsche’s profitability – along with mixing-and-matching those variations to create countless limited-run special editions. But a cabriolet version of the GT3?
Remember, the GT3 is the regular-production 911 most oriented to the track. Even in Touring form, it targets expressive driving on twisty roads, where chassis agility and tire grip outweigh engine performance. In keeping with that focus on engagement, it is the only current production 911 with a rev-forever (9,000 rpm) naturally aspirated engine and standard double-wishbone front suspension. It is also only one of two models to offer a manual gearbox. As part of that ethos, the GT3 subscribes to Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s famous prescription to “add lightness.”
But here’s the thing: a critical element in handling requires mounting the suspension to the stiffest possible body structure. A convertible body is a two-pronged assault on the citadel of ultimate handling. First, it’s heavier, in part because it requires structural reinforcements to offset the rigidity lost when you cut the top off a tin can. Second, even with those reinforcements, it remains massively less rigid, by almost two thirds, a Porsche 911 body engineer told me.
That said, Porsche is in the business to make money. “We know many GT customers have a soft spot for soft tops,” said GT line chief Andreas Preuninger, noting that the last drop-top GT3 – the 2019 Speedster – was immensely popular.
That said, Speedster customers were not fans of its manual folding top, so the S/C adopts the power top from regular Carrera Cabriolets. While that mechanism usually adds about 80 kilograms to a Carrera coupe, the weight penalty on the GT3 is more than halved. Beyond the carbon-fibre panels shared with the GT3 coupe, the S/C inherits lightweight structural components from the former limited-edition S/T. It also adds the S/T’s magnesium wheels to save nine kilograms, standard ceramic PCCB brakes to slash another 20, and a compact lithium-ion battery to shave off four more.
The GT3 S/C is only about 30 kilograms heavier than its coupe equivalent.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
A $36,790 Streetstyle package includes, most obviously among many other touches, these distinctive braided-leather seat facings.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Porsche determined that the 992-generation Cabriolet structure – which is 25-per-cent stiffer than the 991 – needed no additional bracing for GT3 duty. Even the suspension settings from the GT3 Touring coupe were adopted unchanged. They proved unexpectedly comfortable on the admittedly unfamiliar German back roads south of Stuttgart.
Bottom line, the GT3 S/C is only about 30 kilograms heavier than its coupe equivalent, and roughly 100 kilograms lighter than a base Carrera Cabriolet. Its base price is $313,300 (plus destination, taxes and fees) – $68,000 more than a tin-top GT3 and almost twice the price of an entry-level Carrera Cabriolet.
Another weight saver that buyers will feel the most is the standard six-speed manual gearbox – eliminating about 20 kilograms because there’s no PDK automated-manual option. This may seem odd, given that the PDK is available on the track-focused GT3 coupe, where it delivers significantly quicker lap times.
Clearly, the drop-top GT3 is less about how the car engages with a track and more about how the driver engages with the car – left foot and right hand included.
All S/Cs are two-seaters, while Porsche has developed an optional cargo box (not shown) that can be installed in the rear cabin.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The S/C’s cockpit-on-a-diet includes carbon-fibre trim accents, a shortened shift lever, lightweight carpets and door trim panels and even fabric loops for the interior door release handles.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Our first engagement with the GT3 S/C included the optional lightweight bucket seats, which, for my body type and preferences, would be an easy pass. The much less expensive 18-way power adjustable seats should provide almost anyone with a perfect posture at the wheel – a key element in the driver-machine relationship.
Twisting a tab-like “key” to the left of the wheel ignites the four-litre, naturally aspirated boxer six-cylinder engine that is unique to the GT3 within the 911 family. For the first time in a new GT3 variant, there’s no hike in power, thanks to Europe’s stringent new emission standards. Porsche recruited gnarlier camshafts from the former GT3 RS to offset the stifling effect of four catalytic converters and two particulate filters, successfully matching the previous model’s 502 horsepower.
Tailpipes stuffed full of filters and catalysts also challenged Porsche to retain the “emotive soundscape” that is arguably the engine’s entire raison d’être. Preuninger said about 95 per cent of the signature sound was preserved – which is more than enough when the S/C also creates a new way to experience it.
For sure the GT3 in any form isn’t about drag-strip numbers. The GT3 S/C’s zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour time is 3.9 seconds, which is half a second slower than a PDK-equipped GT3 coupe. The Carrera GTS claims 3 seconds for the benchmark sprint, and the Turbo S 2.5.
The GT3 S/C is likely slower around a track, too, than some other 911s. But at these levels of grip, feel and steering perfection, really, whose quibbling?
But the reality is there isn’t any 911 that doesn’t sound glorious. The GT3 – with its intoxicating 9,000-rpm redline – elevates the experience to a new nirvana of exhilaration for gearhead ears.
As on any 911 Cabrio, the power top incorporates magnesium metal elements. It can be powered up or down in 12 seconds and at speeds up to 50 kilometres an hour.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
911s always had their ignition left of the wheel. While insertable ignition keys are history, the GT3 has this twist-tab where other 911s now have a push-button.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The new infotainment system includes a 12.-6-inch digital gauge cluster that superbly replicates traditional 911 dials while including a Track Screen (essential-info) mode, with the option to position the tachometer red line at the 12-o’clock position.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
There is no point at which the engine feels lacking – you can trickle through town at 1,000 rpm in sixth gear – but once it hits its stride with a 5,000-rpm kick, the tachometer needle heads for red with such exhilarating exuberance that driver vigilance is essential to snatch your upshift before the serenade is rudely interrupted by the stutter of the rev limiter. As ever, the shifter and clutch actions are so benign that, paradoxically, you could teach your 16-year-old to drive stick on a 911 – or at least, one of the few that still have one.
And then there’s the drop-top factor. For aficionados of engine music, almost any car sounds better without a roof. Overtones of mechanical harshness that would normally reverberate inside an enclosed cabin instead evaporate into the atmosphere, while the best part – the exhaust music – is delivered directly and unfiltered to your ears.
If you own one of these, you’ll be plotting sunny-Sunday drive routes to incorporate every tunnel and bridge underpass you know within a 100-kilometre radius. As a performance experience, few cars better exemplify the old song lyric: It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.
The 911 GT3 S/C is available for order now.
The S/C is the first 911 to receive Porsche’s new infotainment system, with a not-overlarge screen and plenty of “hard” switches and knobs remaining for most controls.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2027 Porsche 911 GT3 S/C
- Price: From $313,300 ($351,324 including destination, fees and luxury tax) plus tax
- Engine: Four-litre boxer six-cylinder
- Horsepower/torque (lb-ft): 502/331
- Transmission/drive: Six-speed manual/rear-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): To be announced
- Alternatives: Aston Martin Vantage, Chevrolet Corvette, Lamborghini Huracan, Maserati MCPura Cielo, Maserati Gran Turismo, Mercedes-AMG SL, Ferrari Amalfi
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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