There’s a new generation of the Porsche 911 brewing but the current 991 series still has some life left in it. In fact, it’s about to spawn a new GT2 variant.
We’ve been spying prototypes for almost a year but now Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has dropped a few details.
Speaking to Drive at last week’s 2017 Geneva auto show, Blume confirmed the GT2 will arrive later this year and that it will follow a similar recipe to its predecessor, albeit with one main difference: it will be offered exclusively with Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission. The previous generation was manual-only.
Drive will still be to rear wheels only, however, meaning only the brave need apply.
2018 Porsche 911 GT2 spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Its powertrain will be the same twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-6 fitted to the 911 Turbo, but with output dialed even higher than the all-wheel-drive car’s Turbo S variant which is rated at 580 horsepower.
The last GT2 came with 530 hp in standard form and as much as 620 hp in RS flavor. Since we're already so late in the 991 911's life cycle, Porsche may end up skipping the GT2 and go straight to a GT2 RS, meaning we could be looking at over 620 hp for the new car.
A debut at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed this June is rumored.
If you prefer a traditional manual transmission, Porsche, unlike its rivals, still has plenty of options. For example, its latest 911 GT3 is now offering both manual and PDK options. Car and Driver has learned that the PDK will be standard but selecting the manual will be a no-cost option. We’re glad to see Porsche really does #GiveAShift.
