Andreas Preuninger suggests (jokingly) that this new Porsche 911 GT3 S/C could perhaps have been called the Cabster or Speedolet given that it is much more hardcore than any other 992 cabriolet. But just how did it come about? And how did they keep the weight down to just 3300lb or 1497kg? And what is the driver-focussed Guards Red cabriolet with bucket seats produced over 30 years ago that now resides in the Porsche Museum? Henry Catchpole finds out the answers all those questions in this episode of The Driver’s Seat.
Talking to Porsche’s Mr. GT is always entertaining and enlightening and although you’d be forgiven for thinking that a cabriolet might be anathema to the head of the department that produces RSs, in fact he has always been a fan of a cab. He and his team have worked hard to keep the weight down on this one though, with magnesium wheels, PCCB, a lightweight battery, no rear seats and numerous carbon panels from the S/T all fitted as standard. Oh and it’s only available with a six-speed manual gearbox. There was, however, a legislative goal with this weight saving as well as a performance one.
Given all the standard equipment, it’s no surprise that the price for the Porsche 911 GT3 S/C is $273,000 in the US or £200,500 in the UK. Options include things like bucket seats or the Street Style package, which is fitted to the grey car in the film. The good news for those hoping to get their name down for an S/C is that this won’t be a limited edition car like the S/T.
As you can hear in the film, the naturally-aspirated, 4-litre, flat-six engine still revs to 9000rpm and is as vocal as ever. It puts out 502hp and 331lb ft of torque – identical stats to the standard GT3. Other numbers? Well, the 0-62mph time is 3.9 seconds (the same as any other manual GT3) and the roof raises or retracts in around 12 seconds at up to 31mph (exclusive to this GT3).
Is the new Porsche 911 GT3 S/C the ultimate evolution of the GT3, or a step too far from what made it great? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
