What's all this about?

This is it, then. The moment all Porsche 911 fans have been waiting for. Following a stellar start by the 992-generation cars, including a more invigorating Turbo S than ever seen before and also a brilliantly perverse Carrera S manual, this is the 'biggie'. It's the all-new 911 GT3.

Squee!

Well, quite. It follows on from the quite magical 991.2 GT3 and, like that car, it has a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated engine (glory be!) and the choice of either a six-speed manual (DOUBLE glory be!) or dual-clutch PDK transmission. However, unlike the old GT3, power is now up to 510hp, a figure only seen or bettered in the 991 nat-asp family by either the outrageously good Speedster or the 'full hardcore' RS derivative. There should be one of those latter brutes due along in the future 992 range, too.

Anyway, 510 horses means the GT3 is preposterously fast, for something with no turbos bolted to it. In fact, it is one of the quickest naturally aspirated cars around the Nordschleife and is 17 seconds faster than its direct predecessor, which itself was not exactly tardy at the Green Hell, as the 992 can dip beneath the seven-minute barrier. Yup, seven minutes; remember, when the original GT3 arrived as a 3.6-litre, 360hp wonder in the 996 line in 1999, it was only a sub-eight car around the 'Ring. Crikey. Anyway, the 992 GT3 can cover the full 12.9-mile loop in 6:59.927s, while it'll run the older 12.8-mile benchmark layout in 6:55.2s. For more road-based performance data, try 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds on for size, or how about a top speed of 198mph for the PDK model and 199mph for the manual? Astounding stuff from Stuttgart.

It really is a 'race car for the road', then. Oh, and no groaning and rolling your eyes at that hoary old nonsense phrase; because the 992 GT3 actually has a race-car engine, as well as other touches that come direct from Porsche's involvement in top-level motorsport. The company says the 4.0-litre flat-six in the GT3 is 'practically unchanged' from the one you'd find in a GT3 Cup car, while the GT3 R has a development of the same motor. Meanwhile, that manually adjustable rear wing with overhanging swan-neck supports and the rear diffuser are directly developed from the same items you'd find on a 911 RSR. These are all really senior Porsche Motorsport competition vehicles we're listing here, in case you're wondering.

I wasn't wondering anything, other than 'it looks awesome'. Can you tell me more about it?

If we can prevent ourselves from drowning in our own drool, then we'll give it a whirl, as there's soooo much good stuff here. Like: it has double-wishbone front suspension, not MacPherson struts; the aerodynamics on it offer more downforce yet negligible additional drag to the car when compared to the 991 GT3; despite the bodywork being wider, the forged alloys being bigger and the 'technical content' of the 992 being greater than the old model, the weight is the same - 1,418kg for the manual car, 1,435kg for the PDK; it has a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic bonnet, thinner glazing in the glasshouse, optimised brakes discs and a 10kg-lighter sports exhaust system to help keep the weight off and sharpen its driving experience to the nth degree; and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres can be specified if you need even more track-day grip than the standard rubber can provide. It's a seriously, seriously concentrated 911, this.

Inside, the 992's cabin architecture looks more magnificent than ever with the GT3 touches, but there's also a new feature for the two-screen digital cluster. Either side of a 10,000rpm analogue rev counter (*bites back of knuckles, resumes typing*), the usual TFT screens can show satnav mapping and audio functions and so on. But, at the press of a button, they go into Track Screen, flashing up the all-important circuit data of tyre pressures, oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel levels and water temperature, as well as offering a visual gearchange assistant in the form of coloured bars to either side of the tacho, plus a shift-up light from the motorsport 911s.

Porsche's Exclusive Manufaktur range of goodies will be brought to bear on the 992 GT3, offering owners an even greater degree of personalisation scope. Upgrades here will include a lightweight, carbon-fibre roof, carbon fibre for the door-mirror caps, darkened LED Matrix headlights, smoked Exclusive Design rear lights with reduced red content, the ability to have a painted pinstripe around the circumference of the black alloy wheels in either Guards Red or Shark Blue, and the option to have various interior details - the rev counter's face, the dial of the dash-top Sport Chrono stopwatch, the seatbelts and bits of the trim finishings - in either body colour or another hue of the customer's choosing. Porsche Design will even offer an exclusive 'individual chronograph' (that's a 'watch', to you and us), which is styled to match the GT3, only to buyers of this car.

Needless to say, we are giddy with excitement at the thought of a go in this thing. So, a few final details and thoughts: you'll get between 21.7- and 21.9mpg from the 992 GT3, with 283-304g/km of CO₂ emissions to go with it, and the car is compliant with the Euro 6d-TEMP-EVAP-ISC emissions standards; if you can somehow get your name down on the order banks for the 992 911 GT3, you'll need at least £123,100 to secure one of your own; and we are very, very hopeful that it might even surpass our favourite driver's Porsche of all, the sublime 718 Cayman GT4, when we get a go behind the wheel. That's an incredibly high dynamic bar to have to clear, but here's hoping, nonetheless.