Review 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 6-speed manual unleashes green hell

The "green hell" of the Nürburgring is cool, but have you ever tried to cauterize the equally perverse roadways of your backyard in a 502-horsepower hero-maker with ballet-like legs and a killer heart?

If you've ever driven a 2022 Porsche 911 GT3, you've had that experience, and the GT3 makes its mission statement with two very important elements: the six-speed manual shift lever and the python green paint job, the perfect shade.

I want to take this metaphor to its most obvious pinnacle: the GT3 has the ability to move through dimensions as easily as a snake. Its sinister reputation is almost overstated. Its natural beauty must be studied before it can be appreciated. Its natural beauty must be studied before it can be appreciated. Such is the feeling that erupts when one tries to extract all the glory from a manual-shift GT3 in Porsche's U.S. home state of Georgia.

Hulk Smash.

When you bring this 911 to life, the trees, hills, grass, and cars all covered in green are enveloped in a gale-force exhilaration.

Muscular, angry when it needs to be, docile otherwise, this bannered 911 makes hulk turns as it coaxes you out of a deep parking lot in a valley outside of Atlanta. A bit of nose lift helped me get safely onto the street without damaging the surface, but a slip of the throttle reminded me of what was underfoot and what was about to happen.

Once clear of the suburbs, we were off to the races, or to Chorale Performance: 502 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque, up just 2 hp and 7 lb-ft from the previous GT3. 4.0-liter displacement and a 9,000-rpm bandwidth made the GT3 While shaving a bit off the low-speed response, the GT3 elicits a sonorous roar that rises through the top end; the GT3 is a car meant to be driven majestically at speeds in the triple digits and above.

I don't have to preach to the choir when the four lanes change to two; the GT3 sings to the rafters. In this case, the rafters are occupied by a few crazy squirrels and a skunk that commutes across my favorite semi-rural road with the same existential dread I feel when I sign on to Twitter every morning.

The Porsche's PDK would never leave me unread, but in this case, the transmission is a special, catch-it-will-it-last-moment, six-speed manual, geared with a top-over-thunk that resonates deep within the driver, The left pedal can tap out a coded message to the clutch with deft precision. But if you believe in things like organic produce and long-form novels, the manual reels off sensual pleasures that the PDK shifter does not. It is the difference between a video game and a crossword puzzle, a different skill set, a different pleasure center.

911 GT3 manual: 911 GT3 manual: great, glorious, and good

As you turn off the wide two-lane road onto the narrow road that connects logging and mining towns, it becomes clear that the GT3 manual is a pot of gold. The local gas station owner could not be more wary as the car starts off with less power. Its Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires barely make a sound each time it creeps from a start, and I did so several times to generate the silly grip and laughter that the GT3 manufactures like a widget.

At 3,126 pounds, the six-speed manual GT3 is easier than the electric car I stoked down the same aisle. The 911s of this generation are wider cars and needle through the stripe-free road with the precision of a sewing machine. The GT3's ride and handling are supported by many factors that set it apart from other 911s, but its relatively light weight (just 11 pounds more than the previous generation GT3), improved double-wishbone front suspension, and friendly steering earn it credit. The wider tires, 20 inches in the front and 21 inches in the rear, add stability, and the GT3 is poised and barking as it exits a corner. Porsche's electric motor steering is the benchmark for feedback and smooth variable ratio power output.

The tenacious GT3 owes much to its more extravagant bodywork. The front diffuser and adjustable spoiler can be switched between road and track modes, increasing downforce by 50% in the daily runner position and up to 150% in the performance position. (If you want flashy performance with a less obvious wing, try the GT3 Touring with retractable spoiler.) As for braking. As long as you know what the Salmon P. Chase looks like, there's no moment of fear; the 911 GT3's carbon ceramic package makes nearly every situation stopable.

If you want to stick with something less positive, the GT3 can be stiff and unforgiving. The digital displays are comically chopped up by the steering wheel, as is the rear view.

Stunning stickers

And, of course, the price. A stock 911 GT3 with a no-cost manual transmission costs $161,100. Dyeing it python green is $4,220. Leather interior is another $4,730, carbon ceramic brakes another $10,110, free full racing bucket seats with a six-speed manual are $5,900, and a front axle lift that lifts your chin like an orthopedic surgeon's masterpiece is $3,670. Charging a $1,350 destination charge and $1,700 gas, this green hornet comes to $195,850.

You can try to convince me that there is a better 911, but remember, you can be wrong. Few cars offer the intuitive supercar feel without the need for a wild ride and upper body strength. I don't think the super high price is morally wrong, either. After all, it has two kidneys.

Nor is this a car that limits its thrills to a select handful of privateer trucks or closed roads. The barren hills of Germany may be the right place for such thrills, but why leave the countryside when there are pure green country roads at your back door? The Python Green blends in perfectly with the lush northern Georgia hills, providing cover before the 911 GT3 strikes next.

Put another way, the Nürburgring is great, but have you ever rushed down a road with poor visibility, brought your car to a quick stop while your heart is racing, half expecting, oh, the county police who are asking questions to make a J-turn behind you? Same thing.

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Porsche, in writing this test drive review and at the same time humbly bragging about how many people don't get to enjoy this car, gave us a manual gearbox Python Green GT3 to gave it to us.