Porsche Built a GT3 Convertible and We Have Thoughts

The GT3 S/C Hot off the press, literally revealed yesterday, Porsche unveiled the 911 GT3 S/C, and we had a lot to say. Let's start with what it actually is, because the name does some heavy lifting. S/C stands for Sport Cabriolet, though Porsche being Porsche, they let you sit with that for a second before confirming it. The badge itself is a callback to the 911 SC from the late 1970s, where SC meant Super Carrera, a car that basically defined what the usable everyday 911 looked like before the GT program existed. Using it here is either a brilliant wink at the obsessives in the room or the kind of marketing move that makes you think someone in Zuffenhausen has been deep on Rennlist. Either way, it works. So what did they actually build? Porsche took the lightweight bones of the 911 S/T and dropped in the naturally aspirated 4.0 liter flat six from the GT3. 510 horsepower, 9,000 rpm. And the result is the first ever open top GT3 in production history. Not a limited run. Not 1,948 units. You can actually order one, which is either the most exciting or most controversial sentence in this episode depending on who you ask. The Weight Question This is where the internet was ready to roast Porsche, and they came prepared. The GT3 S/C weighs 1,497 kilograms. That is just 18 kilos more than the standard GT3 coupe and about 30 kilos more than the 991 generation Speedster. For a convertible that number is almost offensive in how good it is. Carbon fiber on the hood, fenders, doors, and rear anti roll bar. Magnesium wheels standard. Carbon ceramics. They even swapped the battery to a lithium ion unit to kill another four kilos. At some point it stops being engineering and starts being a personality disorder, but we respect it. The Roof Here is the thing that split the room a little. This is the first GT3 with a fully automated power top. Twelve seconds. Electric. Works at up to 37 miles per hour. The purists who are already composing their forum posts about how the Speedster had a manual tonneau cover and that was the whole point, we hear you. But if you have ever been caught in a South Florida rain shower at a Cars and Coffee in your suede seat 911, you understand why this exists. Porsche also threw in a heated rigid glass rear window and an integrated electric wind deflector. This is not a race car you bought to trailer. It is a road car they actually want you to live with. Manual Only. No Debate. No PDK option. Not available. The GT3 S/C comes exclusively with the short ratio six speed manual and that is the entire spec sheet on transmission. At $273,000, Porsche is making a pretty clear statement about who this car is for. The chassis is tuned closer to the GT3 Touring than the full winged GT3, which makes sense because you are not taking this to a track day, you are on a mountain road with the roof down and the flat six screaming toward nine thousand rpm with nothing between you and that sound. That is the pitch. That is the whole pitch, and it is a genuinely good one. What It Actually Means The S/C picks up the spiritual thread the Speedster left, but Porsche is clear it is not a direct successor. The Speedster was a numbered tribute. This is a catalog car, which is either democratizing access to the GT3 experience or softening what made the Speedster special. We landed somewhere in the middle on that one. What is not debatable is that the cylinder heads are revised from the previous generation GT3 and the camshafts are the sharper units from the GT3 RS, so the engine is genuinely better. You get more top end character. You get it with the sky above you. At this price, with this spec, Porsche is not asking you to compromise. They are asking you to decide what kind of driver you are. Outro That is the GT3 S/C. Drop your thoughts in the comments, are you buying it, are you waiting for the inevitable RS version, or are you holding out for something that says Mezger on the cam covers. Find us at pcartalk.com for events, support the show at Patreon.com/pcartalk, and follow along at @pcartalk. Big love to the Kimchi Crew, Steve, Leslie, Chris, Ken, Aaron, Matthew, Sean, and Nik. We will see you next week.