2018 Porsche 911 (991.2) GT3 Touring - Manual

'The GT3 is simply one of the most spectacularly immersive and engaging sports cars in the world, and the Touring treatment does nothing to change that. Instead, it glosses the GT3’s already towering appeal with a little of Porsche’s stellar heritage and a dollop of aesthetic restraint.' - CAR magazine.

It is not perhaps just a coincidence that Porsche’s only other 911 model able to be specified as a ‘Touring’ was the illustrious 1971 911 2.7 RS - there had been plenty of suitable 911s during that time (including more than 18 years of the GT3) - but it shows just how special and highly regarded by Porsche the 991.1 GT3 Touring is.

Porsche unveiled the 911 GT3 Touring Package, a more approachable alternative to the rare, expensive and totally focused 911 R, at a media function on the eve of the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was the latest in a line of road-friendly models aimed at purists intent on securing one of the last remaining 911 models powered by a naturally-aspirated engine. Porsche says the GT3 Touring Package is designed for 'enthusiasts who particularly value an understated appearance combined with a high level of driving enjoyment'.

In fact, the GT3 Touring could even be considered a better car that the 911 R, as this Touring uses the newer 4-litre GT3 engine with its stiffer crank, new intakes and 9,000rpm redline (remember the R 4-litre goes to a paltry 8,500). Power is 493bhp, torque is 339lb/ft and the top speed is 196mph. It gets better too, as the GT3 Touring is manual, only aided and abetted by a mechanical limited-slip differential. The gearbox is said to offer 'particularly sporting shift characteristics', with 62mph coming up in 3.9 seconds and nearly 200mph - this truly is harking back to the spirit of those legendary air-cooled 911s from the mid-1970s.

Further differences between the standard GT3 and the Touring are small but important; up front, it features the same bumper assembly and air ducts as Porsche's standard race-bred model. The rear, however, receives a more understated look, with the automatically deploying spoiler assembly from the standard 911 Carrera, complete with an additional Gurney Flap and a unique grille insert bearing a GT3 Touring logo.

Other exterior touches include headlight washer system covers, highlights around the side windows, and sport exhaust tailpipes, all in silver although buyers could specify a so-called 'Black Exterior Touring Package' to change these elements to black. In a further departure from the standard 911 GT3, the internal headlight graphics and tail-light lenses are darkened in colour.

Inside, the new model swaps the Alcantara accents of the standard car for genuine leather trim on the steering wheel, gear lever, door panel armrests, centre console storage compartment lid, and door handles. The seat centres are upholstered in black fabric, whilst the headrests feature an embossed Porsche logo. There are also black aluminium trim applications within the dashboard.

The 911 GT3 Touring Package rolls on 20" centre-lock wheels - 9" in width up front and 12" in width at the rear and they are shod with 245/35 and 305/30 profile tyres respectively. Clothed in the same aluminium body as the 911 Carrera 4, the model is 44mm wider than the standard 911 Carrera and lowered suspension also sees it sit 25mm closer to the ground.

Among other innovations is a rear-wheel steer function which points the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels for added agility at lower speeds and (comfortingly) in the same direction as the front wheels for greater longitudinal stability at higher speeds.

The 2018 Porsche 911 (991.2) GT3 Touring presented here is one of 47 UK-market right-hand drive examples and was ordered with an enviable specification (full details below), including ceramic brakes, front lift system, interior carbon package and full bucket seats and is finished in Porsche’s signature GT Silver Metallic paintwork. It features bespoke chequered upholstery for the seat inserts – not dissimilar to ex-Top Gear presenter, Chris Harris', own 991.2 GT3 Touring, a car he has owned for many years and in which he has done over 50,000 miles, which he describes as - 'one of the best drivers' cars I’ve ever driven'.

Our GT Silver car was supplied new through Porsche Centre Sheffield and received its first service there in July 2020 (at 213 miles), whilst a subsequent 111-point Porsche Check was conducted by Porsche Centre Preston in August 2021 (3,492 miles) at the time our vendor acquired the car. At just over 5,000 miles, the car was involved in a rain-induced spin, thankfully avoiding any third-party collision. Zurich Insurance and his local Porsche Centre set about its meticulous repair, using all-new OEM parts and, upon its completion, the car was selected to be inspected as part of a formal Porsche Workshop Compliance Audit, where it was deemed 'to Porsche specification' as good as new. The incident wasn’t worthy of any Insurance Categorisation and any HPI check or similar will display all clear. Obviously, all related paperwork and invoices are available for inspection.

Our vendor has subsequently fully used and enjoyed the car, which has performed faultlessly ever since, for the next 10,000 miles or so, with the odometer currently indicating 14,200 miles. It was treated to its second service at Porsche Centre Reading in July 2022 (at 10,132 miles) with no major issues identified.

The 991.2 GT3 Touring is quite rightly regarded as one of the best modern-era Porsche models – all the ingredients are there; how much longer will we see these sorts of cars? Brimming with technology but still with a healthy dose of analogue character to ensure the driver is still the driver. This is an opportunity to own a very rare and enormously capable 911 at a sensible guide price.

The specification includes:

039 F: Touring Package with exterior in Black

450 F: Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB)

454 F: Cruise control

474 F: Front-axle lift system

486 F: 6-speed GT sports manual transmission

583 F: Smoking package

749 F: Leather interior with stitching in red

7X9 F: Reversing camera

9VL F: BOSE® Surround Sound-System

DFS F: Vehicle key painted with key pouch in leather

EKG F: Interior package carbon (including door trim strips)

P11 F: Full bucket seats (leather-trimmed carbon fibre with Porsche crest embossed in Headrest)

QR5 F: Sport Chrono Package

QV3 F: Digital Radio

XAJ F: Side-skirts painted

XEY F: LED main headlights in black including Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus)

XGT F: Wheels painted in Satin Black with wheel outer edge painted in Guards Red (since changed to silver)

XYB F: Fuel filler cap with Aluminium-look finish