On a Rohrl

Former rally great Walter Rohrl admits he was one of the slowest drivers going into a corner. "But I was the fastest coming out."

That's why his being thrilled by the performance and handling of the new Porsche GT3 carries much weight.

These days Rohrl is a test driver for Porsche, in between running his driving school and competing in mountain-bike races for 50-year-olds in southern Germany. And part of the testing for the GT3 included setting a lap record for production cars around the 20.8km Nurburgring track, notorious for its twists and turns.

Lapping the famous circuit in under eight minutes in a standard street car was considered impossible. But Rohrl, twice world rally champion, did it in 7m 56s.

"This is the most exiting model in the Porsche line-up," Rohrl said. "The GT3 is power all the way, in every situation.

"Even when it's revving at more than 7000, the engine still gives you shattering performance and wonderful response.

"Its steering is smooth and precise. Whatever bend you are taking the GT3 will get you round it smoothly, safely and at top speed. It has the kind of suspension you otherwise only see in motorsport."

It is also the kind of car most people see in their dreams.

The first GT3 will arrive in New Zealand in September priced at $239,000. It is powered by a water-cooled 3.6-litre flat-six engine producing 265kW at 7200 rpm and 370Nm of pulling power at 5000 rpm and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Driven sensibly, the 1350kg supercar can return 100km for about 12litres, or 23mpg. Driven quickly it will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4.8s.

Top speed? Um, about 302 km/h, your honour.- Alastair Sloane