Porsche 911 GT3 has two years left without hybrid or turbo

The Porsche 911 GT3’s 503bhp naturally aspirated flat six has only around two years left on sale without being turbocharged or electrified, according to Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger. 

The 4.0-litre engine has powered the GT3 since the ‘991.2’ generation of 2018 and is also fitted in the 911 S/T, 911 GT3 RS, 718 Cayman GT4 RS and 718 Spyder RS, in different tunes. 

It is one of just two Porsche engines not to feature forced induction or a hybrid element. The other is the closely related 4.0-litre flat six in the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and 718 Boxster GTS 4.0. 

But Preuninger suggests the updated 911 GT3 could be the free-breathing flat six final outing, because it can’t be made compliant with increasingly stringent emissions regulations in its current form. 

“It could live forever without the laws coming,” he told Autocar, referring to new Euro 7 standards, effective from 2026. “I don’t think we can handle Euro 7 without electrification or without turbos. [As it stands] we can sell this car for another two years, but it depends on the markets.” 

One solution would be to switch the GT3 to a variation of the new hybrid system used by the 911 GTS. This draws power from a 3.6-litre turbocharged engine paired with a gearbox-mounted electric motor to make 473bhp. Rivals from Lamborghini and Ferrari all now use turbocharged engines or hybrid set-ups. 

However, Preuninger suggested the two cars have different use cases that require different powertrains. He said: “For the GTS, this is a great [set-up]. In straight-line performance, it’s as fast as a GT3 and maybe even quicker off the line. 

“But I couldn’t care less: for a GT3, a straight is the connection between two curves. “The system itself is the right approach to put electrification in a sports car, but there’s a reason we don’t use that on a GT3. We would have had to use the PDK II – the gearbox we have in the standard Carrera, which is more than 20kg heavier than our ‘Sport’ PDK.” 

Q&A – Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger

The car is no more powerful than before – was it difficult even to maintain 503bhp?

“The new car is Euro 6 ‘AP’ [compliant, so with] a third less nitrous oxides, 40% less particulate emissions – this was the biggest challenge, to keep 9000rpm and the [same] power, and to stay away from turbocharging and electrification, because we know that’s not what the customer wants – and it adds weight to the car at the wrong end of the car, at the back. 

“So we’d rather cut the final drive ratio to make the car a little more lively, instead of making the car heavier and not puristic.”

Will you be reprising the GT2 badge? We’ve seen what might be a prototype on the Nordschleife.

“That’s just a concept car, not a new model about to be released. My absolute inner wish is to make a GT2 RS, yes, but it’s not going to be there in the next couple of months.”