The Porsche 992.2-generation 911 GT3 has set the fastest lap time around the Nurburgring for a manual-transmission production car. The GT3 with a Weissach package lapped the Nordschleife (20.832km track) in 6:56.294 minutes, beating the previous record held by an opponent by more than 9.5 seconds.

It was even faster than the previous model (992) with PDK by 3.633 seconds. Like the official lap of its predecessor, the GT3 was fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires (255/35 R20 at the front, and 315/30 R21 at the rear).

Behind the wheel was Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister. The lap was achieved with an ambient temperature of 12° and a track temperature of 27°.

The GT3’s power remains at 503hp, but further sharpening of the handling has yielded an increase in performance.

“The new 911 GT3 inspires even more confidence at the limit than the previous model,” said Bergmeister. “I was faster in almost every corner. We learned a lot from the 911 GT3 RS, especially with the chassis. The car is much more stable on bumps and over the curbs. And thanks to the 8% shorter gear ratio, there is notably more drive from the rear axle when accelerating with the same engine power.”

“More and more 911 GT3 customers are opting for the six-speed manual transmission,” shared director of the GT Model Line Andreas Preuninger. “And more and more often, we are asked by these customers how fast a 911 GT3 with manual transmission would be on the Nordschleife. We have now answered this question, and although we know that the variant with PDK is significantly faster, we drove our official lap time with a six-speed manual gearbox. Even without the automated, super-fast, and precise gearshifts of the PDK—and with a conventional instead of electronically controlled limited-slip differential—the new 911 GT3 shaved around 3.6 seconds off the time of its predecessor with PDK.”