Insight: Exploring Porsche and Ferrari's New GT3 Challengers

John Dagys gets an inside look at the new Porsche 911 GT3 R and Ferrari 296 GT3...

Rivals on the track, particularly in the GTE-Pro class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Porsche and Ferrari are set to roll out new GT3 customer offerings next year.

Both officially unveiled during last weekend’s TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, Sportscar365 was given a detailed look at the two new challengers that will join the new-for-2022 BMW’s M4 GT3 in being specifically designed to the FIA’s latest set of GT3 regulations.

The new Porsche 911 GT3 R and Ferrari 296 GT3 employ similar solutions and enhancements, yet the two manufacturers have taken different approaches, specifically in the powertrain department.

Based on the Type 992 model of its iconic 911, Porsche has opted to base its all-new race car around the road-going 911 GT3 instead of the GT3 RS that formed the foundation of the 991 II GT3 racer that debuted in 2019.

"We did some cherry-picking there,” explains Porsche 911 GT3 R product manager Maximilian Mueller. “We looked at different features of the car, aerodynamically, what features does it have? How does it look? Then we picked our best compromise on what we can use of the car."