Richard Hammond Crowns The GT3 The “Purest” Porsche 911, Says Offering A Manual Is A Mistake | Carscoops

Not done with reviewing cars on YouTube, Richard Hammond finally gets his hands on the Porsche 911 GT3, and boy does he love it

Although his pal Jeremy Clarkson is done reviewing cars on film, Richard Hammond clearly isn’t. In his latest review for his YouTube channel, DriveTribe, he finally gets behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 and, unsurprisingly, he is thoroughly impressed and enamored with the experience.

Hammond is an avowed fan of the model line, and like others enjoys getting into a good argument about which is best. He’s even willing to share his hot takes on camera, including the fact that he thinks Porsche gave in to American demands for a manual 911 GT3, and that he wishes they hadn’t, because it isn’t as fast.

In a somewhat milder, but still warm take, he says that after having owned several versions of the sports car, he believes that they only get better with every new generation. Since this is the latest generation, is it therefore the best? Yes.

Read: Porsche’s Manthey Kit Will Shave 4 Seconds Off Your 911 GT3’s ‘Ring Time For The Price Of A Macan

Hammond calls the 911 GT3 “the purest driving experience I can imagine.” And that’s not just because of its race breeding, nor its impressive stats (a 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six, 0-60 in 3.4 seconds), it’s about what those figures, like the 3,164 lb (1,435 kg) curb weight, mean.

“Lightness isn’t just about numbers on a piece of paper, it’s something you feel,” Hammond says. “You can feel it in the way it accelerates, yes, also the way it changes direction. The steering is unlike anything else, it’s otherworldly, and that’s a combination of these sticky Michelin tires, the extra track at the front — it is wide — and lightness.”

That makes the car so compelling and enjoyable to drive that it makes it hard to focus on anything else… like talking on camera. However, the really impressive thing about the 911, is the fact that it’s a delight even when you don’t own the most focused, most impressive version. And Hammond should know, because as he reveals at the end of the video, he owns a 911 GTS convertible with all the luxury features, and he loves it intensely.