30 Mar 06
You see the GT3 is now so much better than its predecessor on the street that Walter can't see a reason for not having one. This, more than anything else, more than the obsessive attention to mechanical improvement detailed in all the written information is what you need to know about the 997 GT3. Walter wants one as his daily smoke. And he didn't feel the same way about the old one.
Calling this a breathed-on Carrera is like suggesting the Veyron is a genetically-spannered Golf. The shell is a combination of Carreras 4 and 2, the main aim being lost on federal-spec versions because we aren't allowed the generous 90 litre tank it facilitates. Either way it's 40 percent better for flexural stiffness.
As before, the powertrain bears no resemblance to your poverty-spec Carrera. It uses the same block as before, and retains the same swept capacity at 3600cc, but the rest is new school year.
To reach the 8400rpm crank speed they required, the engineers set about reducing the mass of just about every internal component: pistons (30g saving each), con-rods (150g less), crankshaft (a full 600g down on the 996 version). Compression ratio is up from 11.7:1 to 12.0:1, and the intake and exhaust systems have been completely overhauled to feed the new motors increased need to guzzle and defecate air.
