2010 Mansory Porsche Panamera

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First Test: 2010 Porsche 911 GT3

It's the sound that hits you first. Roll into the throttle at 2000 rpm and rising above the raspy whir behind is a single sonorous wail -- like the bass notes belted out by the Wagner tubas of Der Ring des Nibelungen.

This Wagnerian tone lasts for only a second as the rapidly soaring engine speed leans out the brassy resonance and elevates the pitch to that familiar flat-six howl. But this is no normal Porsche 911, this is the 2010 Porsche GT3 -- the purest evolution of the breed.

As in versions past, the GT3 badge means normally aspirated power and a heavy focus on racing -- a tradition Porsche does not take lightly.

Just look at the intensive give and take that went into the 2010 GT3's engine development. Displacement jumps from 3.6 to 3.8 liters via enlarged cylinder bores (100 mm to 102.7 mm) that require steel liners weighing 7.7 pounds more than the previous version. Stricter European emission standards demanded a more sophisticated version of VarioCam, Porsche's adjustable intake and exhaust camshaft system. This added another 4.4 pounds, yet Porsche claims the 2010 GT3's entire engine weighs 2.2 pounds less the previous version.