Woohoo! The Porsche 911 GT3 is now available as a convertible for the first time

This is the Porsche 911 GT3 S/C. That suffix means it is a GT3 – so a Very Good Porsche – available for the first time without a fixed roof, which means you can enjoy every one of its 9,000rpms to the absolute fullest.

Ring in the summer season then, with the sound of an angry, naturally aspirated 4.0-litre boxer 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 fibre: the bonnet, wings, doors, anti-roll bars and shear plates are all made of the stuff.

The brakes are also standard fit carbon (PCCB), saving some 20kg versus Porsche’s cast iron items. The 20/21in centrelock 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 auto on offer, at least not yet. Porsche claims 503bhp and a 0-62mph time and top speed you won’t care about because you’ll be too busy enjoying 9,000rpms of flat-six goodness. (3.9s and 194mph, 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 12 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph, 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’ (pictured below) that takes in grey 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 tyres 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 tyres and low weight and a high-revving naturally aspirated engine and a particularly dynamic chassis setup and thorough lightweight construction start at £200,500. The Street Style pack adds another £24,110. Want the watch, too? That’ll be another £10,600.

Thing is, though it’s fast, surprisingly simple and will obviously sound heavenly, Porsche already makes drop-top 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 GT3, or a sign that with EVs stumbling, Porsche needs a sure-fire money-printer ASAP?