The 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 does not feel like your average $150,000 sports car. The engine clatters as it fires up. At idle it sounds like a bunch of bolts rattling around in an oil drum. The noise comes up through the cabin with shocking clarity because there’s less sound-deadening than usual and no rear seats. The whole car vibrates more than a new car should and you wonder if you’ve already broken it.

In fact, the GT3 doesn’t feel like any other sports car, at any price. I simply don’t have a point of reference for it. Lamborghinis, Veyrons—they all feel more civilized. The GT3 is very… raw.

Lineage

Such an extreme machine needs a bit of context.

The GT3’s earliest ancestor is probably the highly collectible Carrera RS 2.7, an ultra-light race-ready sports car from the early ‘70s. It too had no rear seats or sound-deadening. Read any car magazine and they’ll tell you it’s one of the best driver’s cars of all time.

Fast forward to the late ‘90s and Porsche is having a bit of trouble convincing its loyal fans and car critics that the new 911—codenamed 996— still has its edge. The result is two new, hardcore versions of the 911 called the GT3 and GT3 RS. They’re lighter, more powerful and more focused. They were instant hits with critics and enthusiasts alike.

Since then, every new generation of 911 brings with it a new GT3 and GT3 RS.

A fiery start

The launch of this latest GT3—codenamed 991—was mired by a nasty recall. Some unlucky European owners discovered the car’s engine could catch fire. The culprit turned out to be a little (albeit important) screw deep inside the crankcase.

Porsche didn’t propose some quick fix or a patch job. Instead, Porsche recalled all GT3s to have their entire engines replaced. They also extended the warranty by one year or 100,000 miles. Some owners were apparently even compensated for having to park their new GT3s until the engines were replaced. A note to other automakers: this is how you handle a screw up.

Falling into it

So, what’s it like? It’s low. Impossibly low. Dropping into one feels like someone pulled the chair out from underneath you. You get ready to hit the ground to the sound of uproarious laughter, but instead you land in a deeply bolstered seat.

The cabin feels reassuringly like that of any other 911. Except there’s a big empty space where the back seats should be, and Alcantara cloth covers the steering wheel and gear lever. The later controls a trick 7-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic. Pull both paddle shifters in and it’s like pressing in the clutch: a great trick for fast, smoky starts and other assorted hooliganism.

There’s no manual option this time. A pity, yes - get over it. This PDK is involving. It’s blink-of-an-eye fast, delivering a sharp wallop with every shift.

Peak power

The 3.8-litre flat-six engine is jammed full of exotic materials and motorsport-derived engineering. It revs to an ear-splitting 9,000 rpm, while peak output of 475 horsepower comes in at 8,250 rpm. Maximum torque of 324 lb-ft comes at an astronomical 6,250 rpm.

On the road, the effect is entirely unnatural. It’s anti-social to rev a car to 8,000 rpm on city streets. People look at you and not in a good way. The GT3 is best on bits of open road.

The power comes instantly and builds and builds. It’s manic. The sound is incredible, like a race car trapped in an echo chamber. There’s a cold mechanical buzz to it.

Steering feel—and the feel through the seat—is predictably good. Of course, there’s not much chance to test this without a track. So my overriding impression of the GT3 is of a car with no extra mass, no fat. There’s no inertia to overcome on any of the controls. You just get pure speed and sound.

The verdict

It’s hard to judge the GT3 because there’s so much myth and hype around it. Driving on city streets, you can only learn so much about a car like this. It needs more space to run. But what you can learn is that it’s a very special machine. It’s more raw than anything else I’ve driven, supercars included.

The Porsche GT3 is a car for those who need to feed a very serious automotive addiction. The myth and the hype may just be true.