With the exclusive Porsche shuttle service to MASTERS EXPO

According to Porsche, the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Package is a GT3 suitable for daily use. That is true, but it is still a car for lovers of sporty driving. That sometimes requires sacrifices. And speaking of which, a special offer you can't refuse: on Friday, November 19 and Sunday, November 21, you can give your MASTERS EXPO visit a sporty touch with an exclusive Porsche shuttle service.Text: Erik Kouwenhoven
Online Editor: Mical Joseph
Image: PorscheA Porsche instructor will pick you up at home in one of the latest Porsche models and give you the choice: have you driven to the exhibition, or take your own seat behind the wheel? The instructor will explain various functionalities in the car in a concise driving training session and provide practical tips on driving skills to fully enjoy the ride. This sporty Porsche shuttle including a visit to MASTERS EXPO can easily be booked in the Porsche24 app. This is the loyalty platform for Porsche drivers full of special events, various driving courses, scenic routes, sporting surprises and the latest Porsche news.

Back to the Porsche 911

Launched in 2016, the Porsche 911 R was the most desirable 911 of recent years. Not only because of the limited edition and the manual transmission, but also and especially because of the knowledge that you are driving a car that is almost identical to the GT3, however without having to suffer from impracticalities such as a roll cage, spoilers and a kidney stone pulverizing chassis. In short: on paper, a recipe that makes enthusiasts lick their lips. It was a car that did not only generate pitying looks from pretty female fellow road users because of its many spoilers and air vents. A car with which you could drive to your vacation home on the Côte d'Azur without your fillings bursting, but which also frightened racing drivers in GT3s. And then there was the manual transmission: fast and precise, the gearshift let itself be chased through the six gears, automatically producing intermediate throttle when in sport mode, so that you are immediately seen as a real crack on trackdays.

Purist 911 design

Not long after the car appeared on the market, demand for this model proved ridiculously high. However, the grotesque sums bid for a 911 R indicated not only that the Porsche market was completely overheated around those years, but first and foremost that the world had had enough of the increasing electronics, electrification and digital data streams in modern cars. Porsche had promised, however, that it would stop at a one-off exercise with the 911 R. And that was true, but behind the scenes they soon concocted a ruse. After all, the 911 R had barely been delivered when Porsche presented the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Package in 2017. The name refers to an equipment variant of the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS from the 1973 model year. The new Touring Package also focused on the purist 911 design, which for the 2017 model year consisted of a 500-hp 4.0-liter boxer engine, a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. In short: a GT3 but without spoilers, without excessive trimmings and with a manual transmission. An updated R, in other words. This model quickly became the favorite car of everyone who has a thing for sporty Porsches. It should therefore come as no surprise that the German brand is also bringing out a Touring variant of the latest 911 model. Porsche itself describes the new 911 GT3 Touring as "an understatement on wheels. And that's true, because the absence of a fixed rear wing also makes this model look a lot less extravagant than the "regular" GT3. Nevertheless, under the tailgate lies the same boxer engine, which is now 510 hp strong. Although, tailgate: the only thing you can open is a small flap to refill oil and coolant. There is nothing at all to be seen of the engine. As with its predecessor, this Touring comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission, but for the first time it is also available with the 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission at no extra charge.

The atmosphere of a classic sports car

The car can be recognized by the frame of high-gloss anodized aluminum around the side windows that underlines the sporty, discreet appearance of the newcomer. The nose is painted entirely in the exterior color and an automatically extending rear spoiler provides the necessary downforce at high speeds. For those for whom the optical difference between the GT3 and GT3 Touring is too great, Porsche mounts a plaque on the back. This reads "GT3 Touring," so that even the non-experts can immediately see that this is really a GT3 version. The interior completely breathes the atmosphere of a classic sports car. The steering wheel rim, gearshift, the lid of the storage compartment in the center console, armrests in the door panels and door handles are covered in black leather. The center sections of the seats are covered in black fabric; the headliner is also in black. The headrests feature a stamped Porsche logo, and the door sill strips and trim panels in the dashboard and on the center console are made of brushed black aluminum. In the cockpit there is now for the first time a so-called track screen. A single turn of the easily accessible driving mode switch on the steering wheel turns off the digital displays to the left and right of the tachometer. Information is then limited to tire pressure, oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel level and water temperature. An even more elaborate leather package in black is also available for the GT3 Touring, designed exclusively for this version. The front of the dashboard and the tops of the door panels feature special embossing. Almost all options for the 911 GT3 are also available on the 911 GT3 Touring. Examples include all exterior and rim colors, the LED headlights, various driver assistance systems, PCCB ceramic brakes, the front axle elevator system, all seat variants and the audio systems. Just as exclusive as the Touring itself is a new chronograph designed by Porsche Design specifically for buyers. Produced by Porsche's own Swiss watch factory, the chronograph is exclusive to owners of this sports car.

Sharp reflexes

In short, just like the GT3, this Touring Package is still a car for burly men and women with sharp reflexes, a lithe body and good teeth. Because the steering is so direct that even a sneeze will make you move two lanes, getting in and out of the car turns into half a gymnastics exercise because of the deeply tucked sports seats with their high sides, and the suspension has only two settings: hard (Sport) and filling-removing hard (Track). Perhaps Porsche will soon create another niche, that of the comfortable GT3. So a Touring Package with softer suspension, rear seats, an exhaust that can also make little noise and a little more sound insulation.

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