Porsche 911 GT2: the lowdown
It's a fittingly epic backdrop for one of next year's hottest cars: the most hard-core derivative yet of the 997-generation 911, the GT2. Scooped deep in the Californian desert, our photographer reported temperatures of 125deg Fahrenheit, or 52deg Centigrade, as Porsche engineers completed hot-weather testing. And this 911 will be hot. As expected, the GT2 will use the Turbo engine in a rear-drive package plundering the best bits from across the (increasingly broad) 911 model range. Think of it as the most focused, hardest 911 to date and you get the idea.
So it's going to be fast then?
Oh yes. With weight trimmed down to around 1485kg and the Turbo's punchy, bi-blower 3.6-litre flat six tuned for more power, we hear that the GT2 will become the first production 911 to hit the magical 200mph mark. Those zealous Zuffenhausen types clearly think there is no such thing as too much power - the GT2 has a boost to a fulsome 525bhp; the engine is beefed up with uprated cooling systems for the oil and water, while components like the conrods and crankshaft are new, stronger items and the gear ratios will be shortened for sprinting. It'll be easy to spot the priciest 911: an adjustable rear wing is fitted at the rear, while the bodywork is peppered with cooling ducts to manage the heat generated by that muscle-bound engine and large ceramic brakes. If the GT2 can cope in desert conditions, so the thinking goes, it should cope anywhere...
What else do I get for my £120,000?
One-hundred-and-twenty grand? No, the GT2 won't be cheap when it arrives in the UK in early 2008, but you will get a very focused sports car. We hear that the GT2 will get track-biased suspension set-up from the GT3 and - never has less is more been more appropriate - the GT2 has been on a rather expensive diet programme. Losing four-wheel drive hardware, air-con, heavy-metal brakes and most sound deadening material means a 100kg saving over the Turbo. Budget-conscious types will surely wince at the logic of paying more for less, but you can't argue with the 354bhp-per-tonne power-to-weight estimate. If our sources prove right, it'll become the hardest 911 at a stroke. The GT2 arrives here in early 2008. Owners of the new Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera will be glancing nervously in their rear-view mirrors...