You might think hanging a 420-pound, 500-hp 4.0-liter hunk of flat-six over the back wheels of the 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 would make it hard to handle at speed (or otherwise). You might also think adding rear-wheel steering would accentuate that skittishness. You, and probably some physicists, would be wrong on both accounts. Sure, on cold tires, in the morning around a roundabout, the race-bred GT3 can, and will, slide its tail sideways without warning. It IS still for the hard-core. But exiting a sweeper at 80 mph with foot to floor? It’s planted like an old oak tree, even over the shiny, red-and-white curbing at Circuit Guadix in southern Spain. Like we said, it IS for the hard-core.

The GT3 is the track car from the track car brand. It’s been 18 years since the first 911 GT3 premiered, and since then, it's gone from hiding a 355-hp 3.6-liter flat-six to today’s 500-hp, 911 GT3 Cup-derived 4.0. It’s the only naturally aspirated 911 you can buy right now.

Peak power is at a screaming 8,250 rpm while all 339 lb-ft of twist are available at 6,000 rpm. The seven-speed PDK-equipped GT3 is faster than the stick, with a sprint time of 3.2 seconds using launch control; the six-speed manual takes 3.8 seconds. The GT3 doesn’t get a seventh manual gear like the Carrera; Porsche tells us that’s because the GT3 doesn’t need a cruising gear. It's not for cruising. The PDK car takes 11 seconds flat to get to 124 mph, which we can basically verify after hammering down arrow-straight, desolate back roads near Granada. Terminal velocities (197 mph, PDK; 198 mph, 6MT) are achieved in top gear for both.

BASE PRICE: $144,650

POWERTRAIN: 4.0-liter H6, RWD, 6-speed manual or 7-speed PDK

OUTPUT: 500 hp at 8,250 rpm; 339 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm

CURB WEIGHT: 3,116 lb (6MT); 3,153 lb (PDK)

0-60 MPH: 3.8 sec (6MT); 3.2 sec (PDK)

PROS: Sublime on the track; doesn't feel sketchy at the limit

CONS: Rear wing impedes rearview visibility