- Richard Hammond fondly revisits the Top Gear circuit in a 911 GT3.
- It’s been over ten years since he last filmed for the legendary show.
- Porsche’s 992.2-gen 911 GT3 arrived last year, sharper than ever.
By Porsche standards, the updates made to the 992.2-generation 911 GT3 were relatively minor. In fact, you’d have to be a serious Porschephile even to notice the visual tweaks. But make no mistake; the new 911 GT3 is an absolutely superb piece of machinery, as none other than Richard Hammond recently discovered.
While it’s been more than a decade since Richard Hammond last presented an episode of Top Gear, he was recently invited to visit its test track and instantly knew that the updated GT3 would be the perfect car for the job.
Read: We Configured Our Dream Porsche 911 GT3 For $292K. Now Show Us Yours
The British journalist takes a blissful trip down memory lane while lapping the famous circuit, waxing lyrical about some of his finest moments at the track during his Top Gear days.
For TG fans, watching him take to the track feels like a blast from the past, back when the show’s team used to conduct its tests at the circuit.
During the heyday of Top Gear, Hammond made no secret of his love for the Porsche 911, often to the dismay of Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
But, as the years have gone by, the excellence of the 911, particularly the track-focused GT-branded model, has continued, and it is still regarded as the best sports car that can be driven on a daily basis on sale. Given increasingly strict emissions regulations, this makes the 992.2 GT3 all the more impressive.
Rather than adopting forced induction or going down the hybrid route like the new 911 Turbo S, the GT3 retains its familiar 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six.
Power output has remained unchanged from the 992.1, at 502 hp, although Porsche had to reduce the peak torque figure from 346 lb-ft (469 Nm) to 331 lb-ft (449 Nm) due to emissions laws. It still revs to 9,000 rpm, and as Hammond discovered, sounds absolutely brilliant.
