KEY POINTS:
Porsche is working as hard as any premium-brand carmaker to clean up its cars. Over the past 15 years, it has reduced fuel consumption by 1.7 per cent every year. By 2012, fuel efficiency of its range will have improved by 20 per cent compared with 1995, despite significant increases in power and performance. The company is even bringing in petrol-electric hybrids from 2009.
I really don't care about any of that at the moment, because I've been to the Eastern Creek racing circuit, near Sydney, to drive the new Porsche 911 GT2 as fast as I dare.
Less is more in 911 badging, so a GT2 is the next step up from a GT3.
It's the ultimate roadgoing Porsche, packing a more powerful version of the 3.6-litre twin-turbo engine from the 911 Turbo (the GT3 is naturally aspirated), but with rear-drive instead of the all-wheel-drive underpinnings of the Turbo. The GT2 is also 145kg lighter than the Turbo.
The ideal track-day weapon, then, assuming you can put the $450,000 price tag to the back of your mind. The 305kW GT3 is "only" $270,000, while the 353kW 911 Turbo is $320,000.
The GT2 is crammed with 911 firsts. It has a new-design expansion-type intake manifold that boosts power and saves fuel, a launch assistant that gets the car off the line at maximum possible speed by modulating the engine and clutch, a titanium exhaust system that's 30 per cent lighter than on the 911 Turbo, and genuine glass/carbon fibre-reinforced bucket racing seats that also have a folding backrest. It's also the only 911 to have Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) as standard.
With 390kW and rear-drive, the GT2 sounds like a handful. It's not. In fact, with the sheer level of communication between car and driver, all that weight (and therefore traction) at the rear and several acres of rubber underneath, the GT2 is awesome around a circuit, even for an average driver such as me. Treat it with respect and the GT2 will reward you with rocket-sled acceleration in a straight line, and bum-bobbing action through the fastest corners.
It attacks the track, but it's not a hard-core racer. The GT2 is a comfortable express, and features Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and, for the first time on any GT2 model, a stability control system, which can be turned off if necessary, of course. But not by me.
If you look up "exclusive" in the dictionary, there's a picture of a 911 GT2. Only three cars are expected to land in New Zealand this year. Indeed, there are currently only two GT2s in Australia - and both were at Eastern Creek for the media drive. One was the black car you see here, which belongs to Porsche Australia. The other belongs to motor racing legend Jim Richards - he'll drive it in the Targa Tasmania road race, which starts on April 15.
Richards - ever-polite and professional - was on hand for hot laps of the circuit in his GT2. It's an indication of the power and performance of the base package that his car is showroom standard, apart from stiffer springs and the usual racing accoutrements.
With just 800km on the clock, this was the first time Richard had driven his new car in anger.
"In truth, it's probably not capable of winning [Targa] in this trim," said Richards through the intercom as the GT2 whipped down the back straight at 250km/h. "If we had more time there are things we'd do. But it's going to be interesting to see how it does. It feels pretty good, actually."
Among the changes planned for Richards' car are a new engine management chip that boosts peak power to 427kW. Rather him than me.
