Holy hell – there’s yet another Porsche 911 GT3 based derivative, and it might’ve just clipped the Porsche 911 R.
We all know about the 911 R, yes? The limited-edition cousin of the spectacular Porsche 911 GT3 that’s the so-called ‘peak of sports cars’. Yes, that one.
It’s been raved as a sensory overload for the motoring enthusiast, and one that has created an equal amount of controversy due to its exorbitant prices on the used car market. The high demand and low production volume meant that people could buy one for pennies (relatively speaking), then flog them off for three times as much.
But hey, take solace; Porsche might’ve just inadvertently undercut the 911 R scalpers at this point with the new “Touring Package” for the GT3. Now I’m sure you’d heard everyone rave about it, so what’s the actual deal? Is it a faux-911 R, a 911 R 'lite', or what?
What it is - pretty much – for those who don’t know, is an optional extra that takes an already awesome rear-wheel drive $326,800 Porsche 911 GT3, with its 368kW four-litre naturally aspirated flat-six, and removes the big rear wing.
It also gives you leather inside, and an automated rear spoiler that’s bespoke to the Touring Package. It’s also only compatible with manuals (yay!). And a no-cost option.
So, you may be asking, what’s the difference between a Porsche 911 GT3 with the Touring Package and a super-expensive Porsche 911 R? Not much, really. The only difference is that the 911 R got fabric inserts in the seats and a flashy ‘look at me!’ Porsche paintjob.
That, and the 911 R cost an extra $77,900 brand new. Or, going by the once massive second-hand listings, around $874,000 used. Pfft! Though at current prices in Aus, it’s a much, much, much more modest $468,000.
Still "pfft"!
What do you think of the Porsche 911 R? Did it just become irrelevant, or is it still a 911 great? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
