Porsche 911 GT3 (992) | PH Favorite Cars 2025

It was also an important year for Porsche, and specifically for the 911, as it was the debut year of the first GT3 with 500 hp. That was of course the exceptional 4.0 GT3 RS, the naturally aspirated apotheosis of the Mezger and a 911 to celebrate forever. You won’t find many people who claim that the Peak GT3 dates from the era of the Peak Cars. Porsche was apparently so happy with what it had created that, since the 4.0, it spent fifteen years refining and reworking the 500bhp GT3 idea to make it as good as it could be. With roughly that power and somewhere around 1,400kg identified as a GT3 sweet spot, Porsche has toiled to keep its star 911 as close to that as possible, come what may. Four-wheel steering, a double wishbone front end and a Touring were added along the way, although it never strayed far from the ideal. A noble task for which we can certainly all be grateful.

Because what else do you really need? In the days of the 600hp Speciales and Performantes, the Porsche may have looked a bit underpowered, but in an era of the electrified 920hp turbocharged Temerario and the 880hp 296, what would you really want to drive on a regular basis? 500 hp, 1,400 kg and six or seven gears feel more good than ever. What Porsche knew all along: Since 2011, no GT3 derivative – including RSs, Rs and S/Ts – has had less than 475 hp, never more than 525 hp, never turned less than 8,600 rpm and never weighed more than one and a half tons. Because as the 4.0 RS showed, that is as good as perfect.

Because we’re constantly told that naturally aspirated engines and manual transmissions can no longer exist, Porsche has kept the GT3 commendably close to its original ethos: noisy idling, modest torque, wild top end and all. In a world where V8 M3s and V10 Audi R8s feel like they’re from another planet, not just another time, and where the only other notable wet-asp manuals are the Mazda MX-5 and Ford Mustang, the very existence of a 9,000 rpm GT3 is worth celebrating.

And instead of slavishly copying and pasting what turned a 500-horsepower 911 road racer into a new racer, the ultimate 911 continues to evolve, adapt and improve as the world around it changes. Once upon a time, the idea of ​​a GT3 with LED interior door lighting with the ‘BORN IN FLACHT’ logo for £246 and £154 of ISOFIX mounting would have seemed like a joke; Likewise, it would have been difficult to imagine a Porsche 4.0-liter with almost as many catalytic converters as cylinders performing really well.

And yet here we are, still, with a GT3 that feels like it’s been shot through with Porsche Motorsport Nous, as authentic as a Touristenfahrten fueled by currywurst. Whatever obstacles Porsche faces, whether it’s the Euro 6d or buyers wanting a car as an extension of their wardrobe, it continues to deliver exciting GT3s. More than a quarter of a century after the first, the GT3 is as good as ever – perhaps better. And how many cars can you say that about?

Oh sure, it’s incremental. Even the staunchest Porscheophiles will tell you that. As a 992.2, this GT3 looks a little smarter than it was, steers a little nicer and makes the mandatory safety things easier to disable. But when a car has already reached such heights as the GT3, no one would begrudge Porsche cutting a diamond rather than trying to reinvent it. In 2026, that idea will even be twice as fun. But also smart: look where the radical reinvention had taken so many others. A decade and a half ago it seemed like you’d never need much more than a 500bhp 4.0-litre 911; now it feels without a doubt.

The final drive changes for this latest version, which compensate for the torque robbed by the extra cats, make the car even more exciting. I’d love to try it on the old bike, it would definitely feel like a rally car on asphalt. While it means zooming down the highway using more revs (and fuel) than is ideal, elsewhere it makes a GT3 so alert and so lively it’s intoxicating. And to begin with, it was certainly not a boring car. Every ratio is greedily swallowed up on a wave of six-cylinder noise, the PDK shifts like a sequential, and every drive up to 9,000 rpm is savored as the rare treat it now is. For all the noise about allocations and overs and contrast stitching, this undoubtedly remains a GT3 at its raw, absorbing and engaging best.

And that’s just the engine. The chassis is equally epic. Like the drivetrain, and as a GT3 should, it requires concentration and dedication to get the very best out of it, and the experience absolutely pays off. The traction and stability control assume you have an idea of ​​what to do, just as the steering and suspension assume you want to know more about the road below; the brakes don’t like the cold either. It’s compelling at all times, but somehow it’s not totally overwhelming. You drive to Wales without thinking about it – this is still a 911 after all – only to realize when the stop-start sound kicks in how much noise has been everywhere – and how loud you’ve left the speakers…

Then, if you’re in Wales and there’s a storm, a GT3 looks like a four-wheeled vehicle, apparently built to do nothing but withstand the elements. Honestly, as Nic C said, the driving during this shoot wasn’t fun at all, but the way the GT3 shook off the bad weather only made me admire it even more. It waded through puddles the size of boating lakes, gripped where no car should have on these tires, and never once scraped a rough patch of road. The locals suggested we return and see the ride height and gold. Little did they know, 911s are built with constant use in mind. This is a car that can complete a seven-minute lap of the Nürburgring and also doubles as a brilliant storm shelter.

While so many iconic nameplates deviate from what made us love them in the first place, it’s a delight to find a GT3 that is so tangibly reminiscent of the past, yet modern in all the ways that matter. Despite everything, here is a GT3 that looks like a GT3 should, revs like a GT3 should, sounds like a GT3 should and drives like a GT3 should. It’s quite raw, quite loud and undeniably beefy (the clue is in the name and all), yet you’ll still find an excuse to drive it at every opportunity. Even in a rain shower. What it asks of you is amply rewarded, just as GT3s always have. Only now you can have one with an Exclusive Manufaktur leather interior if you wish. The details may have changed, and perhaps the customer base too, but the fundamentals of a GT3 remain as glorious as ever. Hopefully the 4.0-liter 911s with 500 hp have at least another fifteen years. As has been the case since 2011, sports cars aren’t getting much better.

Engine: 3,996cc, six-cylinder
Transfer: 7-speed PDK/6-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 510 at 8,500 rpm
Torque (lb⋅ft): 332 at 6,250 rpm
0-100 km/h: 3.4 seconds (3.9 manual)
Top speed: 313 km/h (speed 310 km/h)
Weight: 1,439 kg (DIN, 1,420 kg with Weissach/Lightweight)
MPG: 20.5-20.6
CO2: 310-312 g/km (WLTP)
Price: £158,200 (standard; price as tested £218,650)

While some of Ford’s decisions elsewhere remain baffling, its commitment to making the Mustang the best it can be is encouraging. The Dark Horse is also truly the best of the breed, retaining all the standard ‘Stang’s easygoing charm and adding some grit and purpose to the driving experience. The combination of V8 power, attractive chassis and menacing looks means I can’t recommend it highly enough: the Dark Horse is an undeniable glimmer of Blue Oval hope.