Porsche 911 GT3 revealed

The raucous, raw and rapid GT3 will be without a clutch pedal for the first time, as the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox becomes standard fare on the road-going racer.

Also set to make an appearance for the first time is active rear-wheel steering, something also destined for the mainstream 911 range. The steering angle of the rear wheels can be altered by up to 1.5 degrees - below 50km/h, the system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels, above 80km/h the rear wheels steer the same way as the front.

Substantial revisions distinguish the two-seater GT3 from the rest of the range - while it gets the 3.8-litre direct-injection flat-six-cylinder from the Carrera S, differences abound.

It's 25kg lighter, sits 30mm lower on adaptive PASM suspension and gets dry sump lubrication, active exhausts, titanium connecting rods and forged pistons as well as crankshaft and valvetrain changes all allowing a 9000rpm redline and 350kW peak power.

The 100km/h mark is reached in 3.5 seconds, 200km/h comes up in under 12 seconds, and if you kept the right foot buried it will hit a top speed of 315km/h.

Porsche says the active rear-wheel steering improves handling precision and lateral dynamics, helping to give the GT3 a 7m30s time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit - two seconds quicker than the 911 GT2.

Other tricky bits to appear in the new GT3 include an electronically-controlled variable rear diff lock, dynamic engine mounts, 20in (up from 19in on the out-going GT3) racing-style centre-nut forged alloy wheels and the latest incarnation of the brand's torque vectoring system, just in case all the other gear doesn't get you cornering fast enough.

The GT3 gets a big rear wing over the broader rump (by 44mm over the S), with 245/35 ZR 20 rubber on the front and 305/30 ZR rubber on the rear, the latter wrapped around larger ventilated rear brakes.

Weight has been kept down by extensive use of aluminum in body, panels and floorpan (shell weight has dropped by 13 per cent over the old GT3, says Porsche) - while torsional rigidity has increased by about 25 per cent.

Porsche Australia is still in talks with Germany about pricing - the outgoing car was around $350,000 so the aim would be in that realm - and it says limited numbers of the new GT3 will go on sale in Australia late in the year.