Now that the core versions of the 992-generation Porsche 911 Carrera have been launched, the attention inevitably shifts to the racier GT3. We've already spotted the new GT3 out testing without too much camouflage and sporting a particularly large rear wing and vents on the hood, just two of the changes that set the GT3 apart from lesser 911s. We've also heard the GT3's 4.0-liter flat-six engine from early 2018 tests, but a new video has emerged of the GT3 blitzing the Nurburgring and sounding as resonant as only a naturally-aspirated Porsche motor can.

Although the 911 Carrera's turbocharged engine sounds pretty good, the GT3 is on another level. The high-revving engine is expected to produce in the region of 550 horsepower, easily distancing it from the smaller Porsche Cayman GT4 which also uses a 4.0-liter flat-six but which manages a tamer 414 hp. It should also be more powerful than the outgoing GT3's 500 hp, and that car already hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds when equipped with the PDK transmission. It sounds like that's exactly what's used in the GT3 heard here, as the gear changes sound wickedly fast.

A Touring variant of the GT3 is also in the cards and it'll use an old-school manual gearbox, although it's unlikely that it'll be as quick as the PDK. Ever since the 996 GT3 launched back in 1999 - a spiritual successor to the homologation special that was the 1973 911 Carrera RS - purists have hankered after these raw, lighter, less sanitized versions of the 911. Following this GT3 should be the even more hardcore GT3 RS. Yes, the next few months will be an exciting time for Porsche 911 fans. With its fantastic engine and an exhaust note that will be music to the ears of gearheads everywhere, we can't wait for the new GT3 to arrive.