Porsche 911 GT3 S/C review: a 9,000rpm nat-asp flat-six and no roof…

What in the name of Fisher Price is that?

Harsh. This is the Porsche 911 GT3 S/C, and it’s a little bit controversial.

Because of the blue paint and red stickers? I get it…

Well, yes and no. The red graphics you see above come as part of a new £24,110 Street Style Package, which you don’t have to have. The real controversy comes from the fact that this is essentially a Porsche 911 GT3 Cabriolet.

What’s wrong with that?

Precisely. Some people will tell you that the GT department should only do track cars, and that convertibles can’t be proper track cars. Those people may forget that the 991 Speedster was the work of Andreas Preuninger’s team, and the boss says that they were convinced it was the right time to do this S/C after the success of the Boxster-based 718 Spyder RS and the slightly softer 911 GT3 Touring coupe.

In fact, around 50 per cent of GT3s are now ordered as Tourings (and two-thirds of those are specced with a manual gearbox), so clearly GT customers also fancy something that’s a “driver’s car for the road rather than a track tool with a wing”. Those are Preuninger’s own words.

“After eight or nine weeks on the market, we think we made the right decision,” says Preuninger about the S/C. “We have had way more orders than we anticipated. I think it’s something we should have done earlier.”

So, what makes an S/C?

Great question. Remember the epic 911 S/T from a couple of years ago? Well, lots of the best bits of that car have been transplanted onto a 911 Carrera Cabriolet body to make the S/C. Things like lightweight carbon fibre bonnet, doors and front wings, as well as a carbon shear plate and anti-roll bars.

It also gets the 20/21in magnesium centrelock wheels from the S/T which save over 9kg per alloy. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard too, chopping off another 20kg or so of unsprung mass at each corner.

That’s a lot of carbon. Is it a featherweight?

It’s certainly not that lardy. With all of those carbon bits fitted as standard the S/C tips the scales at 1,497kg, which means it only weighs 35kg more than a standard GT3 coupe with the manual gearbox and no lightweighting options.

And speaking of manuals, it’s a six-speed stick and three pedals or nothing here. “If you want a cruiser, buy a Turbo,” says Preuninger.

Worth noting that the S/C is also the first 911 Cab to get double wishbone front suspension, and the roof on this latest drop-top generation features plenty of magnesium to save even more weight.

You haven’t mentioned the engine yet…

How remiss of me. It’s the standard GT3 engine, but that’s rather underselling it. This is a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six that revs all the way to 9,000rpm and makes 503bhp and 332lb ft of torque. The 0-62mph sprint takes 3.9 seconds if you can get your shifts right, and it’ll top out at 194mph. Hold onto your hats.

What’s it actually like to drive, then?

Special. And as you’d expect from a GT3, it isn’t the floppy mess that internet commenters might have you believe. In fact, the standard 992 Cabriolet was already 25 per cent stiffer than the previous 991, so with that carbon shear plate fitted you won’t feel any flex in the body unless you’re at maximum attack on track. I drove the S/C on the roads where Preuninger and co signed it off.

The suspension is exactly the same setup as you’ll find on the GT3 Touring. The development team tried softer settings but found that the chassis could cope with a bit more bite, so there’s almost no body roll through corners. Still flows nicely and feels expensively damped on poor surfaces, though.

There’s huge grip from the front end, and light but communicative steering, plus a firm brake pedal and serious stopping power from the carbon ceramics. Nothing has been toned down for the S/C and you’ve still got normal, sport and race modes, so it’s still every bit the GT3.

How’s that engine?

Chopping the roof off the GT3 makes the flat-six even more of the main event. Being naturally aspirated its response is immediate, and there’s so much variation in its sound across the rev range. At idle and around town you get a motorsport-spec chunter, before a few more revs provide access to a bassy mid-range. Go chasing the limiter and it becomes a full, primal metallic scream. You’ll be dropping the roof (in 12 seconds at speeds up to 31mph) at every opportunity to hear this thing in all its glory.

Of course, it is significantly down on power vs a McLaren Artura Spider or Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, but neither of those can match the Porsche's noise or its communication with the driver.

Anything else I need to know?

The manual gearbox gets a stubby little lever and a meaty action, and you might remember that with the 992.2 update the GT3 range was treated to eight per cent shorter ratios. That certainly helps to punt you out of low gear corners, but you’ll still be doing illegal speeds at the top of second gear. We’d still like even shorter gearing, especially given the S/C’s road bias. More shifts equals more engagement.

What is it like on the inside?

Pretty airy if you’ve got the roof down, but it rarely feels overly blustery and you can electronically raise a wind deflector that provides even more protection. You’ll have noticed that the S/C does without rear seats, but Porsche will sell you an 80-litre lockable storage box to stick back there as an accessory. Useful space, and remember you’ve still got a frunk up front.

Elsewhere, the interior gets a newly updated infotainment system with crisp graphics and quick responses. Plus, to carry on the theme there are lightweight carpets and fabric door pulls, with plenty of standard fit carbon trim too. Unfortunately, you’ll need to fork out just over £5k for the excellent carbon bucket seats, though.

Ah yes, speaking of money…

Yeah, it ain’t cheap. Prices start at £200,500, which makes the S/C just over £40k more than a bewinged GT3. Ouch. There’s a huge amount of kit as standard on the drop-top though, so when you start adding the equivalent lightweight bits to the coupe it quickly crests £200k, at which point the cabrio starts to look like much better value.

But be warned, because we still managed to get one to cost over £260,000 on Porsche’s rather addictive configurator. Given paint to sample shades are just under £15k and an Exclusive Manufaktur leather pack is almost £8k, it’s not even that difficult.

Any more info on that Street Style Pack?

If you’re a fan of those stripes, you’ll need to pay just over £24k for the Sonderwunsch-designed option pack. The rather bold look also adds red stripes inside the alloy wheels and brake calipers finished in ‘Victory Gold’, while the interior features four-tone braided leather and an open-pore wood gear knob.

Final thoughts, please…

Porsche knows that the US will be the biggest market for the S/C, but if you’re actually planning to use your GT3 we wouldn’t discount it as an option over here either. With the roof up it can be calm and composed, with road and wind noise relatively well suppressed. Get that fabric folded back though, stick it in sport mode and the soundtrack is life-affirming. Porsche does it again.