Apeksas school · GT3

How a GT3 car works

Tap any part of a 2026 GT3 car to learn what it does, what it costs, and why races aren't won without it. They call GT3 customer racing — a team simply buys its race car from the manufacturer. Written for beginners — no jargon.

~1 250–1 300 kg
min. weight: ~500–550 AG
power: ~290–305 km/val.
top speed: €450–700 tūkst.
car value*

* All figures are estimates from public sources, not official manufacturer or FIA numbers.

Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) · Porsche Motorsport

Tap a dot on the car or keep scrollingPhoto: Porsche AG / Porsche Motorsport · 911 GT3 R (992)

01 of 12

Production engine

What it is: The heart here is the road supercar's own engine: the Porsche 911 GT3 R runs a 4.2-litre naturally aspirated (no turbo) flat-six, the Ferrari 296 GT3 a 3.0-litre turbo V6, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 a 6.2-litre V8. After a rule set called Balance of Performance levels them, they all make roughly 500–550 hp.
Why it matters: Different engines mean different characters: the Porsche answers instantly, the turbos pull harder off the corners. The balancing rules level them so that drivers decide the race, not factory budgets.
What it costs: €150–300k per unit; Teams buy engines from the manufacturer — with the car or as spare parts.
Remember this: A GT3 engine is a close cousin of the one in a road-going 911 — the factory sells the racing version to customers instead of guarding it as a secret.

02 of 12

Steel brakes with ABS

What it is: Unlike Formula 1 or WEC, GT3 runs steel discs rather than carbon: several times cheaper and easier to swap mid-race. Anti-lock braking (ABS) is allowed too, so the wheels don't lock under braking.
Why it matters: Over long races predictability beats raw bite: steel quietly survives hour after hour, and ABS saves brakes and tyres when an amateur is at the wheel.
What it costs: €8–15k per set; A carbon set on a prototype costs several times more.
Remember this: During night stints the steel discs run at around 700 °C and glow red — that's normal, not a fault.

03 of 12

Tyres

What it is: Single-supplier slicks — Pirelli or Michelin depending on the series — with no tread pattern, so as much rubber as possible touches the road. A fixed number of sets per weekend.
Why it matters: Tyre economy is half the strategy: when to stop, which compound to fit, and whether one set can cover two stints — the runs between pit stops. Dead tyres turn even the fastest car into the slowest thing on track.
What it costs: ~€600–900 per tyre; One car gets through dozens of tyres across a weekend.
Remember this: In long-race pit stops the crew swaps all four wheels along with the tyres — in just a few seconds.

04 of 12

Wing, splitter and diffuser

What it is: A big rear wing, a front splitter (the flat blade under the bumper) and a rear diffuser (a shaped channel under the tail) press the car into the tarmac so it corners faster. There is no moveable, active aero in GT3 — everything is fixed in a rule-defined position.
Why it matters: Aero is part of the performance balancing too: if one car is too quick, the rules can change its wing or splitter settings. So nobody fights for the last millimetre like in Formula 1.
What it costs: €40–80k per package; Wings and bodywork are ordered from the manufacturer's parts catalogue.
Remember this: The same car can be made to run a different wing angle or weight at another track — that's how the rules keep the field level.

05 of 12

Production shell with safety cell

What it is: A GT3 car starts life as a real production supercar body shell — not a from-scratch prototype like in Formula 1 or WEC. The factory reinforces the shell into a racing safety cell.
Why it matters: That's why GT3 is the cheapest way into top-level GT racing: mass production has already paid for the most expensive structure. In a crash every other part is sacrificed — the cell is not.
What it costs: Included in the car's price; A race-ready car is €450–700k, bought straight from the manufacturer.
Remember this: Under the Porsche 911 GT3 R's racing bodywork sits the same 911 shell the factory builds for its road cars.

06 of 12

Suspension

What it is: Each wheel is held by double wishbones — two triangular arms, top and bottom — with adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars (bars that limit body lean in corners). There is no active, computer-controlled suspension — it's all mechanical and dependable.
Why it matters: Mechanical means dependable: there's no electronics to fail at night or in the rain. Dampers and anti-roll bars are tuned for every track — they decide how the car rides the kerbs.
What it costs: €40–70k; A public estimate for the complete suspension package.
Remember this: A mechanic can swap an anti-roll bar in a few minutes in the garage — the cheapest way to change the whole car's behaviour.

07 of 12

6-speed sequential gearbox

What it is: Gears change one at a time — up or down — via paddles at the wheel, like on a motorbike. The six-speed box sits at the back together with the differential (the part that lets the driven wheels spin at different speeds in corners).
Why it matters: A sequential shifts in hundredths of a second and needs no clutch pedal — the driver's feet only cover brake and throttle. Teams usually replace the box once or twice a season.
What it costs: €40–60k; A public estimate for the complete unit, replaced 1–2 times per season.
Remember this: Across a 24-hour race the driver shifts tens of thousands of times — without ever letting go of the wheel.

08 of 12

Roll cage

What it is: A lattice of steel tubes welded into the production shell around the cockpit — a mandatory FIA safety requirement. Together with the reinforced cell it forms the space that must stay intact in a crash.
Why it matters: It's the driver's life insurance: in a rollover or an impact the cage holds the roof and doors so the human stays untouched. The welded tubes also stiffen the shell, making the car more precise in corners.
What it costs: €20–40k; The factory welds the cage in while building the car — you don't buy one separately.
Remember this: The cage adds roughly 40 kg — and multiplies the shell's stiffness several times over.

09 of 12

Cockpit

What it is: A single-seat office with a racing seat, a six-point harness, a window net (which keeps arms inside in a crash) and a dash of mode buttons. Because 2–3 drivers share the car, the pedals and seat inserts adjust in seconds.
Why it matters: Drivers swap in tens of seconds during a pit stop, at the same time as the tyre change. Over a day-long race a slow swap costs more than one missed apex.
What it costs: €15–30k; An estimate for seat, harness, dash and net — the full cockpit package.
Remember this: The same car must comfortably fit drivers from 160 to 195 cm tall — so the pedal box slides back and forth and the seat is reshaped with inserts.

10 of 12

ABS & traction control

What it is: Two electronic aids banned in Formula 1 and WEC prototypes are legal in GT3: ABS stops the wheels locking under braking, and traction control calms wheelspin on acceleration.
Why it matters: GT3 grids mix professionals with amateurs (the so-called gentleman drivers), and the electronics help newcomers be quick and safe. They also save tyres and brakes — less sliding means longer life for both.
What it costs: Included / control units €10–20k; The systems come with the car; teams pay only for extra control units and set-up work.
Remember this: Pros adjust the strength of both aids with dials on the wheel mid-race, matching them to tyre wear.

11 of 12

Fuel tank

What it is: A standard safety tank for petrol with a special filler valve that keeps fuel in even when the car is upside down. In one-hour sprint races a full tank covers the distance; in long races refuelling becomes part of the pit-stop plan.
Why it matters: Fuel maths sets the rhythm: the less you burn, the less often you stop. Every second in the pits is time you never get back on track.
What it costs: €5–10k per season; An estimate for the tank and fuel system; the fuel itself is a separate bill.
Remember this: In a big-race pit stop refuelling happens at the same time as the tyre and driver change — and the tank fills faster than you read this sentence.

12 of 12

18-inch wheels

What it is: Light 18-inch rims held by a single centre nut instead of a road car's five — the crew spins it off with a pneumatic wheel gun in a second. A team brings dozens of ready-made wheel sets to a race.
Why it matters: One nut means all four wheels change in just a few seconds. When the same stop also includes a driver swap, every second costs or gains positions.
What it costs: €2–3k per wheel
Remember this: For one weekend a team keeps dozens of wheel sets ready: some on softer tyres, some on harder ones, and a few on wets.

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The whole: €450–700k for a supercar

Added up, a GT3 car costs like a road supercar — and that's the whole idea: a team simply buys its race car from the manufacturer's catalogue, roll cage already welded in, adds a professional to the driver line-up and goes racing in the biggest GT fields on earth. The most important part still sits in the cockpit — only here there are two of them, and it's the pairing, not the car, that usually wins. Now see who's leading GT racing.

* All figures are estimates from public sources, not official manufacturer or FIA numbers.

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