Total 911 No. 208

“How can you improve on something… while having one hand tied behind your back?” The 992 GT3 Touring is an exceedingly special 911, there’s no question about that. In terms of moving the game on over the brilliant 991 before it, we’ve documented this with a back-to-back road test beginning on page 14, but there’s a larger subtext here that’s relevant to the wider 911 story. That’s because it’s not simply bettering the 991 which makes the 992 GT3 Touring such an astounding accomplishment, but because it does so amid a challenging backdrop of ever-tightening restrictions and legislation across a breadth of areas. Whether it’s emissions or pedestrian safety, governments aren’t just moving the goalposts for traditional sports cars: they’re shrinking the goal entirely. As we’ve discovered previously in this magazine, Porsche’s GT…

992 deliveries up by a fifth in 2021 Porsche announced it has delivered 20,611 models of its 911 sports car in the first six months of this year. This represents an increase of some 22% compared to 2020, which of course was severely impacted by coronavirus. “We are extremely delighted with the high level of demand for our sports cars – the increase in deliveries in the first half of the year is above that of the overall market,” says Detlev von Platen, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. Huge cost savings for modified cars Declaring all modifications on your pride and joy can save you up to £1,250 on your car insurance premiums, a study finds. New analysis from specialist insurance broker, Adrian Flux, revealed costs savings in the…

992 safari nears release Latest spy shots show mule testing at the ‘Ring Porsche continues to tease enthusiasts with public rollouts of a possible safari-specification 992, with a mule riding with significant ground clearance seen at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The prototype, captured by Total 911’s spies, again shows an example riding on extremely high suspension with wider, tacked-on arches, while a tweak to the design of the 992’s front bumper at the bottom is clearly visible, to offer further ground clearance. This latest sighting at the ‘Ring follows a similar public showing on the Nordschleife in October 2020, where a mule appeared with similar ride height and Styrofoam in the wheel arches, as previously reported by Total 911. This sighting in July 2021 once again stokes the fire as to the possibility…

Am I just unlucky? Dear Sir, I last wrote to you in January 2019 in response to a letter you received relating to reliability issues of 991.1s in issue 174. You were interested enough to print my response in the Views section in issue 176. I outlined the many reliability problems I had experienced with my 2012 C2S 991.1, which were many! My 991 is my daily driver which Porsche is always keen to emphasise in its publicity as an ideal vehicle for this purpose. I thought I would relate to you my recent experiences. A few weeks ago my car was stationary on the drive, and I was cleaning my front wheel when I experienced a horrendous crash, with no idea what it was. After I recovered from the shock, I discovered…

Scott Gardner Job title Technical Director, Bahnsport Porsche experience 15 years Dear Sir, I’m considering a 991.1 GT3 as an upgrade to my 997 GTS, however after the comments from dealers in your recent Sales Debate article (issue 206), I’d like to know from Scott what experience he has had of these 991.1 GT3 engines going wrong… should we be worried? Ken Clarke The 991 GT3 3.8 MA1/75 is a beautiful work of art when it’s singing and there have been multiple revisions of the engine since launch, which I’m sure readers are aware of. The G-series engine is the latest variation, however some have still failed with the followers and camshaft wear. That being said, there are cars that are regularly tracked and driven to their intended limits and still on the ‘E’ or ‘F’-spec engines. If you…

For over 20 years, Porsche’s GT3 has cemented its legend within the 911 dynasty, one which enhances the 911’s natural penchant for performance with additional flair and emotion. Powered by a high-revving, naturally aspirated flat six engine, fed to the rear wheels by – traditionally – a manual transmission, the GT3 is the purist’s 911. The race version has accrued an envious horde of class wins in competition, and while the production version isn’t as hardcore as the all-out Rennsport, itself very much a track car with licence plates, a GT3 nevertheless embodies the hallmarks of Porsche Motorsport. However, since 2017, a new legend has been born out of the GT3 nomenclature. The Touring Package gave a new focus to the GT3’s capabilities, its brief to refine that magic of the Motorsport…