Greater customization and quicker acceleration come to Porsche’s wingless GT3.

You’ve likely made some good life decisions if you’re shopping for a new Porsche 911 GT3. Yet, if you previously found yourself configuring a GT3 in its optional Touring spec, you were limited to one transmission choice (a manual, thankfully) and little else to distinguish your discerning taste other than this subtler-looking GT3’s lack of a giant rear wing—a first-world problem but a legit gripe for this model’s prior 991.2 generation. For the latest, or 992, version, Porsche has opened up more of its option book, which should help buyers of this hardcore 911 feel as special as their car is to drive.

It’s important to note that the no-cost Touring package doesn’t make for a lesser GT3. Sure, the greater downforce produced by the winged version lets it turn quicker lap times on the racetrack. But that’s of little consequence in the real world when the Touring is otherwise mechanically identical. It still packs a 502-hp 4.0-liter flat-six that revs to a 9000-rpm crescendo, painting everything around it with 100 decibels of glorious internal-combustion wail. It features the same unequal-length control-arm front suspension as other new GT3s, complete with ball-joint connections that help render the road surface in braille through the most sublime of electrically assisted helms out there. Rear-axle steering further assists the car’s adherence to chosen vectors, while adaptive dampers maintain strict control over wheel movements. Sharp impacts on shoddy Midwestern pavement are firmly felt yet fall short of being punishing.

HIGHS: Heavenly flat-six exhaust note, stealthy appearance, more model-specific options.

The most significant change for the latest Touring is the availability of a PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, another no-cost selection. Based on the unit from the previous-gen GT3, there are seven speeds compared to the eight found in tamer self-shifting 911s, as well as a chunky mechanical shifter instead of a dinky electronic toggle. This is a welcome source of manual gear control (steering-wheel paddles also are included), although to some, the lever’s resemblance to a stick shift will be a reminder of the marvelous six-speed manual you should have opted for. Either way, it’s your choice now.

The automatic’s contribution to performance, however, is not up for debate. With launch control engaged, a 6500-rpm clutch drop catapults the Touring to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds—similar to the last winged GT3 we tested with the PDK and 0.5 second quicker than one fitted with the manual. The quarter-mile happens in 11.0 seconds flat at 127 mph, handily trouncing the 11.7-second, 122-mph pass of the previous manual-only Touring model. With effortless cruising in gridlock and an almost-telepathic sense of gear selection, the PDK setup is practically faultless.