Andreas Preuninger is the boss of Porsche’s GT car division, which has been overseeing the weight and use of wings (and stickers) on 911s for more than two decades. No one knows more about hard motor vehicles than Preuninger. Except maybe Mr. Chris Harris. Before launching the new 911 GT3, Harris made a trip to Germany to see each generation of the Porsche 911 GT …
Andreas Preuninger: Chris, welcome to our Noah’s Ark, one of every GT series Porsche 911 ever.
Chris Harris: Do you know normal people dream of beautiful women or beautiful men? I dream of a room full of Porsche GT3s. Where do we start?
AP: Without me, actually. The gen-two 996 was the first GT3 I worked on. I missed the very first issue.
CH: So, because you did not develop the original, I can say a few things, OK? I remember coming to Weissach in July 1999 and picking up the first GT3 ever to the UK. It was very cool, but it was not perfect. We took it to a track – it was not as fast as I expected, and it braked. The two generations you developed demanded another 20 hp of horsepower, but it had another 50 for me and the brakes worked. Your magic started … How did it develop into the first GT3 RS?
AP: This was my dream project because I always had a Carrera RS 2.7 poster above my bed when I was 10 years old. This happened because we had to homologate new wheel carriers for the 996 RS race car, but I wanted to pay tribute to the 2.7 RS. So we added a carbon hood, and that was a big wing.
CH: It looks tiny now.
AP: Did you know this is the first Porsche street car ever upholstered with Alcantara? Only on the steering wheel, gearshift and door handle. It was the first time we had a polycarbonate window.
CH: It’s nerdy. The steering in this car is amazing, is not it? It’s completely alive.
AP: BMW just did the M3 CSL, which I like: it was a good competitor. We had Pirellis, they had the Michelins and it affected the steering feel a lot.
CH: Right, up to the 997. This car gets a little forgotten because everyone wants the gen two, but actually this engine is spectacular, isn ‘t it?
AP: It was a very special car, very successful; he first had Michelin high-performance tires. We offered it with ceramic brakes and only a manual gearbox. This is all the sports car you will ever need.
CH: How many times have you done these things to remind yourself of the DNA of what you make?
AP: I think it is very important to touch the base of the old cars, to reset the internal button, because in memory you tend to glorify the past and forget the new. My entire team drives these cars to make sure the new car fits its ancestors correctly so that the GT3 values, virtues and DNA remain.
BMW has just done the M3 CSL, which I like: it was a good competitor
CH: Aha, the 997 gen two. I probably did more miles in this than any other GT3. It felt to me like your GT department was really establishing itself. Everyone wanted one.
AP: Because we knew we would sell enough cars to pay back our investment, we went to town. New brakes, center locking wheels, a 3.8 liter engine, different cams, more revs, more horsepower.
CH: You once told me about a new layer on these grids that is flowing more air. I remember thinking, “Come on, really?” But you were determined. And the people who buy these cars care about the details.
AP: We like to concentrate on details, because the sum of the little things makes the whole thing more desirable.
CH: Poetic. Here’s the one everyone’s talking about: the GT3 RS 4.0. I can remember you having an ax face in which you explain how much it costs to make a wider indicator repeater to fit in the protruding arches. How much was that piece of plastic again?
AP: I think it was € 250,000 before we even made one part. These were our first carbon buffers. Inside, the car was stripped. The whole package is still considered as a benchmark for today’s cars in some respects. I have been driving it a lot already because of the new GT3.
CH: What’s there under the cover? Can I…?
AP: It’s too early to show it. You will have to be happy to look at it with a veil on top, like a bride.
CH: You flew me to Germany not to see a car. Are you sure not Ferrari? Right, let’s look at the 991 GT3. It seems like I remember the first time I was in Barcelona. It quickly became clear that the Spanish police were not very happy that we were there.
AP: They chased us by helicopters, Chris.
CH: That’s right. It was like a bad episode of The A-team, and they landed a helicopter on the road and they just said, ‘You have to go now’.
AP: We were worried about the camera standing next to the road with all the footage of us drifting there.
CH: I put the SD cards in my sock. Anyway the car. This was your most controversial move. Rear-wheel drive, electric power steering, and it was PDK only. All the internet forums have caught fire.
AP: The phrase I attached to this car was ‘keep quiet and just drive it’.
CH: So, what you have is a bunch of journalists like me saying, ‘Oh, it does not have a manual gearbox’. What do you do in response?
AP: The 911R. I have to be honest, the 991 GT3 was such a big project that we had to hold the manual gearbox for later and introduced it on the 911R. A star was born and we have the gearbox on the shelf for the next generation GT3.
CH: I know I’m an old man, but I just love them without a wing and a canine inside. I’m not going to stand here for too long because I can get shaky knees. Can we take off the cover of the new one now?
AP: I told you, I may not do that. If I lose my job, I can no longer build any of these cars.
It’s like a car James Bond would drive if there were no Aston Martins in the world
CH: I’ll have to hide. Oof, I just saw a 991 GT3 RS.
AP: It was a game changer in terms of track ability. We have never had such an extreme car. We have a leading downforce. There were other companies claiming that their cars generated so much, which is why we put it in the wind tunnel. It was not even close. Our RS really delivers 350kg of downhill power at top speed.
CH: I’m going to ignore the GT3 RS gen two for a minute because of the following: the GT2 RS. From what strange part of your brain did this monster of 700 horsepower come?
AP: I wanted an engine that sounded like a Nineties 911 Turbo without a delay. If I could only keep up with three cars I helped make, the GT2 RS would always be one of them. The list changes with the mood I am in, but there is always a GT2 RS.
CH: Talk to me now about these 992 GT3 details. The power step is not great over the last car, but 500s enough on the road, is not it?
AP: A car so big and 500 kg horse is enough to put you in jail within a few minutes. We focused on driveability and confidence. The car is much faster on the ‘Ring’, so it pays off, although it only has an upgrade of 10 horsepower.
CH: The noise is good. I was afraid it would sound a little dull on the inside with the new right. It really does not.
AP: It may sound a little mature, a little more mature, but inside it’s even louder than the old one. But it’s not just about the engine. For the first time we have a double wheelbase front axle, brand new for a 911.
CH: At the moment there are a whole bunch of Porsche racers going “Thank God, we’ve been waiting for that for 20 years”.
AP: It really helps the car. The car has gotten a little bigger, but it has benefits. It has wider tracks, brand new front suspension, and it’s much better now.
CH: 992 GT3 is therefore available with a manual and a PDK?
AP: You have both options because I do not want to tell people what the right combination is.
CH: Will there be a tour?
AP: A while later after we brought it to market, yes. You can go to the opera with it. It’s like a car James Bond would drive if there were no Aston Martins in the world.
CH: How cool would that be? James Bond drives a GT3 Touring. Now we’re talking. Will there be a convertible vehicle?
AP: Nope.
CH: Will there be a diesel?
AP: Pffft. Yes, Chris.
CH: Will there be an electric one?
AP: Oh, absolutely.
CH: When I joke apart, I look a little old.
AP: You feel old? That orange 997 GT3 RS is the car I brought my son to the hospital with when he was born.
CH: It’s a wonderful legacy and it took a few years, but it’s now 20 years of good equipment, isn ‘t it?
AP: And yet we still have some ideas for the following …
Take a look at the brand new Porsche 911 GT3 that way. Want to get to know Harris’ top five GT Porsches? Pick up a copy of Top Gear magazine today