Porsche 911 GT3 “6MT”

Time attack was carried out with a 6-speed manual transmission

The new Porsche 911 GT3 had its world premiere on October 19, 2024. The aerodynamics of the front and rear sections have been improved, and the 4.0-liter horizontally opposed 6-cylinder naturally aspirated gasoline engine produces a maximum output of 510 PS.

The gearbox is available with a 7-speed PDK or a 6-speed MT, and the final drive ratio of both is 8% shorter than the previous model. For the time attack at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a 911 GT3 with a 6-speed MT equipped with the Weissach package was introduced, and it recorded a time of 3.633 seconds faster than the previous model (992.1) equipped with a 7-speed PDK.

Andreas Preuninger, Director of the GT Model Line at Porsche AG, commented after the time attack at the Nürburgring:

“More and more customers are choosing the six-speed manual transmission for the new 911 GT3. And we’ve received a lot of questions from customers: ‘How long can a 911 GT3 with a manual transmission achieve on the Nordschleife?'”

“To answer this question, we decided to carry out an official time attack with a six-speed manual transmission, even though we know that the seven-speed PDK is overwhelmingly faster. Even without the ultra-fast and precise automated shifting of the PDK, and even though it is equipped with a conventional mechanical limited-slip differential instead of an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the new 911 GT3 still managed to beat the time of the previous model with a PDK by approximately 3.6 seconds.”

The target time was recorded by MT at 7 minutes 5 seconds 800.

The time test took place on a sunny late afternoon, with an air temperature of 12°C and a track temperature of 27°C. Porsche brand ambassador and racing driver, Bergmeister, set off on the 20.832km course in a 911 GT3 equipped with the Weissach package.

Like the previous 911 GT3 that last time attempted a time attack on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the car is fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 R tyres (front 255/35 R20, rear 315/30 R21) for public roads.

“When the new 911 GT3 with manual transmission decided to attempt a time attack on the Nürburgring, we had our eye on the times at the top of the leaderboard,” recalls Preuninger.

The lap record set by a certain manufacturer in a manual transmission vehicle during the 20.6 km era was 7 minutes 1.300 seconds. This corresponds to a 7 minutes 5.800 seconds for a full lap of 20.832 km today. This record was set as the target time. Under the supervision of a notary, Bergmeister, who was put at the wheel of the new 911 GT3, completed the course in 6 minutes 56.294 seconds, beating the previous record by more than 9.5 seconds.

After completing his time attack, Bergmeister praised the evolution of the new 911 GT3:

“The new 911 GT3 feels even more confident at the limit than its predecessor. I was able to increase my speed in almost every corner. We’ve incorporated a lot of chassis feedback from the 911 GT3 RS, and the improvements have been tremendous.”

“The gear ratio has been shortened by 8%, which clearly improves driving force when accelerating with the same engine power. I would like to add that even though the 7-speed PDK was a few seconds faster in overall lap times, there were many corners where the 6-speed manual transmission could be driven faster.”

Check out the video of the Porsche 911 GT3’s Nürburgring attack!

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