Porsche built a Ferrari with the 992.1 911 GT3

It would be easy for me to type out that this Porsche 992.1 911 GT3 is one of the best cars I’ve ever driven, one of the best ever made, and perhaps the single materialistic thing that will bring you true happiness in this life. In fact I did just type it, and I mean it. 

But I think the 911 has a problem. It’s sick, and it needs our help. 

The 2022 Porsche 992.1 911 GT3 Overview

I’ve reviewed 911s before. I have more coming. But this one’s a little different – it belongs to Larry Kosilla of AMMO NYC. Don’t I have to be nice? We’ll see.

There’s a lot to be nice about because the formula is familiar. Here we have a four-liter flat-six without turbochargers that revs to a soul-searching 9,000 RPMs. You know the rest by now. It’s a 911 GT3. It is perfection.

It’s also a marketing exercise. 26 years ago, Porsche created the first 911 GT3 (a 996 model) by de-contenting the car and giving it the Mezger engine (named after its designer), which was derived from racing. This was no 911 Turbo clone. It was also nothing terribly special. You knew it was the enthusiast’s choice, but a regular 911 didn’t have turbochargers either.

Fast forward to today, when every 911 but this one does. I still say BMW M is missing a huge money-making opportunity by not making a naturally aspirated M3 – look at what Porsche sells these for. Upon release of this 992.1 911 GT3, Porsche raised the base price by twenty grand to $163,450. Three years later, this car starts at $222,500. Yea, yea, pay to play, work hard play hard – give me all the Gordon Gekko-isms.

It’s still just a 911.  

I get ahead of myself, so let me explain why this is such a wonderful car, and then explain why I will probably never feel the urge to obtain one.

Performance Score: 9. Work it, girl

Yes, this car will reach 60 miler per hour in 2.7 seconds. However, to do so requires much more work, and therefore much more enjoyment. Let me show you.

Engine

If you look back at the 991.2 GT3 review, you’ll find that the engine was actually something I didn’t enjoy all that much. This flat-six in here is pretty much the same – just a few more ponies and pounds of beef. But the experience is very different.

That roughness is gone – no vibrations, just smoothness. It’s much closer to a V-8 in the way it behaves than a flat-six. This engine is art – from idle until you hit the red line, it’s a single smooth pull. Though less powerful than the engine in a G82 M4 CS by a significant margin, it doesn’t feel like it in any way. You must rev it to make it go, and that’s your entire experience in a nutshell. That’s why you risk the kid’s college fund.

Credit must go to the details – individual throttle bodies and a flywheel that feels like it’s made of air – it’s impossible to catch this engine flat-footed. But I will also say that you can get this experience elsewhere – the Z06’s motor matches for theater, and since we’re spending $250k, so does a Ferrari’s. Better be good.

And the sound. Larry added a Soul exhaust, which enhances without making your ears bleed like an Akra muffler would. You slow down just to hear it rev – it’s truly beautiful.

Yes, Enzo Ferrari famously said, “I don’t build cars, I build engines.” With this 911 GT3, Porsche can now claim the same thing.

Good luck making this electric, you fools.

Transmission

Another big draw for this 911 is that it’s the one available with a stick. So isn’t it weird that Larry picked the PDK? Nope – it’s the choice I’d make as well.

A stick would slow things down, sure, but it’s not a car that wants to be slowed down in that fashion. Everything is about crisp, light precision. Here you come with your big goofy hands to try and snick a shifter in place so you can “feel the car, bro”. Please – get an old 911 if you want old 911 feel.

Instead, tap the paddles for a satisfying shift that is lighting in its response. Click. Click. Ohh yes, now we’re in a rhythm. Porsche’s PDK is already the best in the business, and it feels Taylor-made for this car. Anytime you want to hear the engine, a downshift is just a pull away – and you’ll do it often.

And those stick bros? They are the same ones that put it in the garage and drive it once a year. They are the poseurs, not us.

Chassis and Steering

Lots to unpack here, and we can start with the fact that this GT3 still had all-season tires on for winter. Take this feedback with a grain of salt.

The steering on this GT3 is a bit of a handful – it’s heavy and a slow, with a dead spot right off-center. Not like, Outback dead, okay? But if we’re going to be nuanced here, let’s me point out the flaws. Swapping summers should help.

But the biggest difference from the 991.2 is the chassis. This is the first 911 that did not make me acutely aware of where the engine is located on a regular basis. The chassis is very well-balanced and neutral – feels like a 718! Lots of changes under the car, from swapping MacPherson struts for a double-wishbone, to making the front and rear track wider, and even adding rear-wheel steering. They all add up to a 911 that finally (!) ditches that engine-in-butt feel.

Another feather in the cap is that this car does not beat you up thanks tp PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management). Left to its own devices in Comfort mode, it’s as cool as any other 911 and suitable for every day use. Place it in Sport (or Sport + if you dare), and yea, it gets hard core. But it also makes a true distinction between modes, and if you’re ready for max attack, Sport really quells any body roll.

BMW M could learn a thing or two.

Brakes

I continuously have an internal debate with myself. Carbon ceramic brakes are expensive to purchase and expensive to replace. When cold, they make a lot of noise and refuse to grip with much bite. And look how big they are – takes a minute to build up some heat!

However, once they warm up they work incredibly well, and it’s hard to imagine spec’ing your GT3 without them. Stop complaining about adding another $10k to the price – if you’re gonna do it, do it right.

Lifestyle Score: 7. GT…2?

Like other GT3s I’ve been in, this car has no back seat and a pair of front seats that make you wonder if indulging in that piece of cheesecake was really worth it.

First, the back. There isn’t one, but at least there’s no scaffolding to block access and allow you to toss things in there. A regular 911 with a back seat isn’t a place you want to be either, but I’ve seen them used with surprising efficiency. As it stands, this is just a car for Mommy and Daddy.

But Mommy and Daddy are going to complain about sitting in the front. These carbon bucket seats are a pain to get in and out of, and I think I like BMW’s buckets better – more comfy and supportive. Look better too. But if you want your GT3 to retain as much value as possible, you should probably get them. And trust me, you do need the lateral support they offer over regular buckets.

The frunk? Like any other 911, it offers enough room for a weekend getaway or even some Home Depot runs. Despite Porsche’s race car marketing insistence, this is a practical sports car. 

Fuel Economy: 5. Grumpy

I am – this car gets a combined 17 MPG, and that’s very good. The BMW M4 CS averages just one MPG better. It’s not exactly the same comparison – that car is turbocharged with an inline-six, but they are nearly identical in terms of performance.

I’ll keep it short – ask any enthusiast what they’d rather have: a turbocharged inline-six or this naturally aspirated engine, high-revving engine. Why are we being made to suffer so everyone can pretend to save the planet for a single mile per gallon?

Features and Comfort: 8. The Porsche that could

Looks like a fire engine! Only this one causes the scene instead of extinguishing it. 

Dour dude

Porsche offers an almost infinite amount of customization options for the 911, and the GT3 is no exception. So it’s a bit sad to sit inside and see nothing but black everywhere. Oh no wait – the seat belts are red!

“Now we are having ze fun, yes!?”

Truthfully, you do not need bright colors to keep entertained. This interior is quite similar to the 991’s, but with a few more screens to modernize and streamline. You get a real shifter in the middle (regular 911s get a silly toggle switch), surrounded by climate controls that are thankfully separate from the screen but really difficult to read at a glance unless you’re strapped to the roof.

There’s also some toggle switches that makes it seem like Audi and Porsche have had nights of passion together. No bad thing. And everything is beautifully finished in leather or Alcantara.

If you peak at the dash, you’ll see an all-digital solution laid out in a typical 911-esque pattern, with smaller dials flanking the big tach. That tach is real, not some iPhone screen shot that comes on lesser Porsches.

Like the rest of the GT3, isn’t that dial just something we all want on every car? Didn’t every 911 have one?

Keep your Guard up

The current color palette for the 992.1 911 GT3 is surprisingly limited – just 12 standard colors are offered. Like BMW, Porsches are all about the color you paint them.

Larry selected Guards Red, a uni color that helps bring out the best in this 911 – very Ferrari-esque. Everyone looks at bright red cars too, so it isn’t exactly the introvert’s choice. 

“No, it’s not mine, just borrowing.” 

I do find it offensive that Porsche doesn’t paint the entire car – especially the front diffuser. They will say it’s “race-inspired”, just like the carbon fiber roof and hood, or that gigantic wing that provides real downforce to the wheels that matter. It is, as the kids say, a vibe.

A GT3 RS gets more carbon and looks even more serious, but I’m good with this.

Others sport coupes to consider

• 2025 BMW M4 CS Coupe
• 991.2 911 GT3
• 991.2 911 GT3 RS
• 2023 Porsche 718 GT4
• 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

The 2022 Porsche 992.1 911 GT3 is exotic if you want it to be, and you will pay for it

Cars like this are all about love. I’m as guilty as Larry and every other enthusiast. Why would I pay six figures for what is essentially a BMW 3 Series? Why would Larry want to spend Ferrari money on…not a Ferrari?

Love. 

This 992.1 911 GT3 is certainly worthy of that affection. The chassis is incredible, and it does allow you to exploit the car even on a 40 MPH back road. No other car can do that. But the engine is the star – you will never find yourself downshifting for the hell of it so much in any other vehicle. You expect perfection, and isn’t it nice when a company actually doesn’t disappoint?

So the problem isn’t the GT3. It’s the rest – 911. It looks great, but it’s a 911 with a big wing. Sounds great…for a 911. And before you know it, they will come out with another version that’s “better” and costs more. 911 S/T. Then the Touring. And 911 GT3 RS and 911 GT2 – when does it end?

Porsche themselves seem confused. The Macan’s gas version is still being produced, and the Cayman is dead, but for how long? Porsche knows that an all-electric 911 GT3 wouldn’t exactly sell like this one. It probably wouldn’t sell at all. They are backing themselves into a corner. I digress, because this GT3 is still here.

With it, Porsche feels like they tried to stuff the 911 full of thrills. You buy those thrills and accept the package it comes in. It’s a lot to ask of a car that now costs a quarter-of-a-million dollars.

I can appreciate the dream though, and if you’re in one as it revs to 9,000 RPMs, you’ll know all the hard work was worth it.

Thanks to Larry at AMMO NYC!