Sporty Battle Tank

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Sporty Battle Tank
Sporty Battle Tank

Video: Sporty Battle Tank

Video: Sporty Battle Tank
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It used to be Märklin model trains, Carrera trains or Big Jim. Men never stop loving their toys. If spending your free time also brings a real increase in pleasure, it will not only be called the Porsche 911 GT3 from May onwards.

By Stefan Grundhoff and Wolfgang Gomoll

Roland Kussmaul is not a man of big words. The Porsche man answers in the best engineering manner precisely and in clear words. Only smiling eyes betray the rogue of the legendary screwdriver and former head of the performance department in Zuffenhausen. One of his babies is the new GT 3: The new street artist is based on the Porsche 911 GT 3 RSR, which is used in the American Le Mans Series. “There is a direct relationship between the two models, as we use the GT 3 as a homologation model for GT racing,” explains the long-time racing operations manager.

Frontier area without limits

You step into the narrow valance and immediately know what's going on. The sports bucket seats are narrow, but still comfortable for everyday use. The steering wheel and gear stick are covered with suede and offer a great grip. The carbon parts inside are a matter of taste. Nice is different, but here at least every gram counts in racing trim. The first GT 3 meters are unspectacular. The 3.8 liter boxer does not roar and the slight increase in performance from 415 to 435 hp is hardly noticeable. It looks very different on the winding country roads in the area. Even when the GT 3 is topping 315 km / h - its home is winding curves. If you don't have the Nordschleife or the ups and downs of Spa, then please head to the foothills of the Alps or the Swabian Alb.

You can't go wrong behind the wheel. Just don't let the tachometer fall below the 5,000 tours and grin, laugh or smile. The limit range of the new 911 GT 3 does not seem to know any limits, just because of the 305 tires in the rear.

New rear wing

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Steering behavior, braking and the snappy gearshift - the gain in pleasure is gigantic. As is to be feared, after a few moments you will be merged with the 1.5-ton car. The Swabian implements every little steering movement. Snappy, but never too pointed, hungry but never impetuous. A fascinating world between turning point, counter-steering and braking. Passed vehicles become tiny in the rearview mirror in fractions of a second. Not much of them can be seen through the annoying rear wing anyway. It must be gigantic because of the contact pressure.

As soon as it comes to the “newcomer”, even the reserved Swabian Roland Kussmaul raves and describes him as a “really big step”. Development began three years ago and the main focus was on improving the aerodynamic contact pressure. Mission possible: This has been increased by a factor of 2.5 and is the result of meticulous detailed work. Most noticeable are the new rear wing and the radically changed radiator and air duct architecture, which are directly derived from racing. The newly designed slots in front of the trunk lid show that the air from the front and center radiator is not directed under the vehicle but above it. This increases the contact pressure and improves driving stability when braking.

In 4.1 seconds to 100 km / h

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The exhaust air from the side coolers is also recycled. It does not go down, but is used for brake cooling. This cooling air is 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature, but still a lot colder than the brake, which can be up to 650 degrees warm. The rest is led to the outside through slits in the rear fairing, which act like mini diffusers. Consequently, the rear wing forms the dignified conclusion. It is no longer curved in an S-shape, but basically consists of two supports and a board, as in racing, on which lateral tail units direct the air flow.

In any case, it was clear that Porsche would be able to cope with the engine: the displacement increased from 3.6 to 3.8 liters and the power to 435 horses. 0 to 100 km / h in 4.1 seconds, 0 to 200 km / h in 12.3 - you can also get used to the prospective consumption of 12.8 liters per 100 kilometers. The 430 Nm torque at 6,250 rpm have lost their horror in times of turbo, diesel power and barrel organs. "Since a lot of torque is available early, you can actually do everything in sixth gear," says Kussmaul.

Highlight engine suspension

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Behind the wheel it seems anything but realistic. If you want to be on the move quickly, you should switch gear appropriately. One of the highlights of the new GT3 is the engine suspension. The engine mounts are not made of rubber. The counter-movements of the motor are controlled electrically. “It works in a similar way to a Magnetic Ride chassis and with the help of sensors,” explains Roland Kussmaul. However, two extra kilograms that this suspension weighs in the rear of an exceptional sports car like the GT3 are tricky.

Roland Kussmaul was also skeptical: "When the technicians came up with the idea, I just thought: 'I hope I can talk them out of it again,'" he says. Now every GT has 3. On the test track in Weissach there was a lap time advantage of two tenths despite the unfavorably stored additional weight. Customers who like to take a detour to the racetrack will be just as enthusiastic about the technological fine-tuning as the new racing stability program. "Even die-hard professionals are no slower on race tracks in dry conditions with the system switched on than without it," explains Development Manager Andreas Preuninger, "of course the system can be switched off gradually or even completely." Of the previous model, 5,200 vehicles were produced. 1.200 of them as racing version 997 GT 3 RSR.

Parallels to the main battle tank

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But Roland Kussmaul has not always tried racing versions. When he helped develop the Leopard II battle tank as a young Porsche employee at Krauss-Maffei, he had to pay the hard way. Among other things, Kussmaul was responsible for the pedals of the 55-ton monster. As befits a sports car specialist, the Swabian tried to achieve the best compromise between weight and performance: Since a pressure weight of 40 kilograms was sufficient for emergency braking, he calculated a maximum load of 100 kg. It happened as it had to: When a tank jerked because of a bit too much idling, the driver panicked and pressed the brakes vehemently. The pedal broke off. The leopard then broke through the brick wall of the hall and left its silhouette. “It was like in a movie,” laughs Kussmaul.

As different as Leo II and GT 3 are. There are parallels. Only a few have the opportunity to move one or the other vehicle once. At least the Porsche 911 GT 3 everyone can dream of in their own garage from May. The toy for the weekend costs a mere 116,947 euros. That should be worth your play instinct.

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