Story audio is generated using AIHearing a Porsche GT3 rev is one of life’s special pleasures. Especially when it gets into its screamer zone as it approaches its 9,000rpm redline.The banshee wail, combined with its visceral driving sensations, is what has drawn serious driving enthusiasts to Porsche’s normally aspirated 911 flagship over the years. For those who find its looks too flamboyant, however, there is a “sleeper” version called the 911 GT3 with Touring Package that differs from the regular 911 GT3 through its understated exterior styling. It dispenses with the giant fixed swan-neck rear wing and replaces it with an active rear spoiler that pops up to provide extra downforce at higher speeds but preserves the classic 911 silhouette when tucked away.Mechanically, both cars share the same high-revving 4.0l naturally aspirated flat-six engine with outputs of 375kW and 450Nm, rear-wheel drive and track-ready suspension.With the flat-six wailing behind you and an empty road spooling ahead, life is good, and every kilometre is an occasionThe Touring Package also introduces a body-coloured front apron, unique badging, extended black leather interior touchpoints and optional rear seats.The new 911 GT3 goes all in on lightweight design, including lighter wheels and battery than its predecessor, and tips the scales at 1,420kg. It can be made even lighter with Weissach and Leichtbau packages and customised with tailor-made options.I experienced the new GT3 Touring at its South African media launch in the Western Cape earlier this week.The GT3 puts driver involvement before outright power and performance. Picture: (DENIS DROPPA) Being handed the keys to such an iconic driver’s car feels like it should be accompanied by a brief that self-destructs after a few seconds. It has the sense of embarking on a mission, some heroic adventure.And so it was. The car doesn’t disappoint with its gloriously unfiltered driving nature — even without the giant rear wing.When the GT3 takes on a mountain pass or winding country road, it hasn’t come to lose or draw. There are much more powerful sports cars, but ultimate numbers to impress your braai buddies aren’t what the GT3 is about. It’s more about the intimate connection between car and driver, maximum feel and feedback, and emotion.Driving the GT3, you feel plugged into its DNA. With the flat-six wailing behind you and an empty road spooling ahead, life is good, and every kilometre is an occasion.The smaller pop-up spoiler has less high-speed aerodynamic downforce than the regular GT3’s fixed wing, but special teardrop-shaped trailing arms on the double-wishbone front axle help to increase downforce and improve brake cooling. The difference will come into play more on a track, but in my drive on public roads in the Western Cape earlier this week there was grip aplenty.A giant invisible hand pressed the GT3 into the road as I tackled Du Toitskloof Pass, the scenic and snaking mountain road between Paarl and Worcester that bypasses the tolled Huguenot tunnel. This planted feel is accentuated by an anti-dive system that noticeably reduces pitching when braking.The lively steering is better tuned than the previous-generation GT3, feeling less twitchy at the centre position without losing its directness. Optimised damper tuning makes the car handle better over bumps too, though it still bucks around prominently enough to hold your attention. The GT3 prefers smooth tar with its racetrack-focused suspension and low-profile tyres — 255/35 ZR20s (front) and 315/30 ZR21s (rear).Nothing is asleep about this “sleeper”. Those tyres thump loudly over cats’ eyes, and the firm suspension makes bumpy roads a seismic event. Everything about the car is about the thrill of driving. Raw and unfiltered, like a cage fight.True purists will probably opt for the six-speed manual, but the PDK auto I drove is one of the world’s best gearboxes. It shuffles through gears with a prestidigitator’s smooth sleight of hand. And the two-pedal version is also half a second quicker from 0-100km/h (3.4 vs 3.9 seconds), facilitated by a launch-control system that is child’s play to use.At a Du Toitskloof Pass viewpoint, a pair of fellow travellers asked us to demonstrate the launch control when we drove off so they could film it. We were happy to oblige — the punchy acceleration and the engine wail never get old.Both the PDK and manual GT3 have a final-drive ratio that is 8% shorter than in the predecessor. The shorter gear ratios enhance the car’s response, making quick work of blitzing past long trucks on country roads.The lightweight sport bucket seats are a R168,000 option. Picture: (DENIS DROPPA) The digital instrument panel has various display modes, including a track screen that reduces the displays to key data on tyres, oil and water, and flashes to indicate the optimal shift point to the driver. The tachometer can be rotated to make the 9,000rpm limit appear at 12 o’clock on the dial. Very cool.The core philosophy of the GT3 is to rely on lightweight engineering and simplicity. Porsche has a laser focus on who the car is being engineered for, and the GT3 doesn’t pretend to be an all-rounder. It is a grungy Porsche that rebels against a polished demeanour and everyday driveability.The base GT3 Touring model is priced at R4.7m, but a raft of options is available, including ceramic composite brakes (R283,000), lightweight sport bucket seats (R168,000), an extended interior leather package (R143,000), a front-axle lifting system (R84,000) and tinted HD-Matrix LED headlights (R78,000).Hardly a bargain, but it’s the last of its kind, and the screaming naturally aspirated flat-six will soon be history. The next GT3 will almost certainly be turbocharged (and perhaps even a hybrid) due to stricter European emissions standards, and this non-turbo 992.2 version could well become a collectible classic that appreciates in value.Business Day