This is the Porsche 911 GT3 S/C. That suffix means it’s a GT3—so a very good Porsche—available for the first time without a fixed roof, so you can enjoy every one of its 9,000rpm to the absolute fullest.
Ring in the summer season, then, with the sound of an angry 4.0-liter naturally aspirated boxer engine doing its utmost to give you tinnitus. Porsche tells us this new GT3 S/C weighs 1,497kg—35kg more than a GT3 coupe with a six-speed manual (and just 18kg heavier than one with the seven-speed PDK auto).
That’s largely down to deploying the 911 S/T’s “lightweight design,” which incorporates plenty of carbon fiber: The hood, wings, doors, anti-roll bars, and shear plates are all made of the stuff.
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The brakes are also standard-fit carbon (PCCB), saving some 20kg versus Porsche’s cast-iron items. The 20-/21-inch center-lock wheels—also taken from the S/T—are 9kg lighter than regular wheels because they’re made from magnesium. Magnesium features in the automatic roof, too, while even the tiny 40Ah battery gets the lightweight treatment.
All the better to enjoy that supernaturally good six-cylinder engine and six-speed manual—there’s no automatic gearbox on offer, at least not yet. Porsche claims 503hp, and a 0-100kph time and top speed you won’t care about because you’ll be too busy enjoying 9,000rpm of flat-six goodness. (3.9sec and 312kph, if you’re interested.)
Speaking of enjoyment, the GT3 S/C is the first open-top 911 to use a double-wishbone front suspension setup, while the rest of the chassis is basically lifted wholesale from the GT3 Touring.
And when you’re finished enjoying yourself, that new roof with tasty magnesium ribs can close in just 12sec at speeds of up to 50kph, via a handy button inside the cabin. A cabin with lightweight carpets and door panels, two electrically adjustable sports seats (it’s a two-seater only), black leather, a digital dash, and some shift lights.
Want more attitude? Porsche will sell you a ‘Street Style Package’ that takes in gray paint, graphics, gold calipers, updated seat embroidery, and various other trim details. Heck, you can even spec a 911 GT3 S/C watch, too.
“We have already learned with the 911 Speedster and the 718 Spyder RS just how well our high-revving naturally aspirated engine, a particularly dynamic chassis setup, and thorough lightweight construction combine to create a true driver’s car without a roof,” said Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger.
“Combined with the particularly high-grip sports tires and low weight, the car offers driving pleasure on winding roads that was previously virtually unheard of in an open-top car.”
Prices for this open-top car with high-grip sports tires and low weight and a high-revving naturally aspirated engine and a particularly dynamic chassis setup and thorough lightweight construction start at £200,500 (around P16.3 million before taxes). The Street Style pack adds another £24,110 (around P2 million). Want the watch, too? That’ll be another £10,600 (roughly P862,000).
Thing is, though the GT3 S/C is fast, surprisingly simple, and will obviously sound heavenly, Porsche already makes droptop 911s in Carrera, GTS, and Turbo form. The ‘GT3’ badge was always reserved for motorsport-inherited purity. There are, after all, no soft-top Porsche 911 racing cars.
So is this a stretch too far for the Porsche 911 GT3, or a sign that with EVs stumbling, Porsche needs a sure-fire money-printer ASAP?
More photos of the Porsche 911 GT3 S/C:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
