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In the world of factory-built, production-based race cars, the 911 GT3 is king. It has won more international sports-car championships than any other series production car on earth, racking up race victories from Le Mans to Daytona, Sebring to Spa. In its various GT3 R/RS/RSR and Cup configurations, more than 800 996-based GT3s have been sold worldwide since 2000, making it the most prolific GT race car in motorsport.

Porsche's latest iteration, the 997-based 911 GT3 Cup, takes the new street GT3 in a racetrack-only direction, eschewing all creature comforts in favor of light weight and uncompromising performance. Gone is all interior trim, replaced by a sturdy rollcage and lightweight racing seat. Gone too are the street GT3's ABS, traction control and PASM electronics. The doors, rear bumper and rear deck/wing are carbon fiber. The side/rear windows are plastic instead of glass. Curb weight drops from north of 3000 lb. down to 2500 lb., while its sticker price jumps to $140,000.

Mechanically, the new GT3 Cup gets the full competition treatment. Its suspension utilizes proven racing components, namely uprights from the Le Mans-winning GT3 RSR, Sachs racing shocks with double-coil springs and blade-type adjustable anti-roll bars front and rear. The brake system mates 15.0-in. rotors with 6-piston calipers up front and 13.8-in. rotors with 4-piston calipers in back. Sticky Michelin racing slicks roll on 3-piece 18-in. centerlock BBS wheels. A new nose and wider/higher rear wing mean a significant downforce increase over the 2005 996 model.

Under the rear deck, the 3.6-liter flat-6 pumps out an even 400 bhp at 7300 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. of torque at 6500 rpm, which is 10 bhp more than the 2005 car. This is actually less than the 415 bhp generated by the street GT3, which is due to the GT3 Cup's engine being based on that of the 996 GT3 rather than the newer 997-based street GT3 engine. The road car's lighter internal components, 3-stage variable intake manifold and higher-revving nature (8400-rpm redline vs. 8200 rpm) account for that additional 15 bhp.

This matters little in the GT3 Cup, whose lighter weight more than makes up for the power difference. Also separating it from both the street GT3 and the 996-based GT3 Cup is a new 6-speed sequential racing gearbox. Based on the transmission originally developed on the 996 GT3 RSR, this newest gearbox employs "no-lift" full-throttle upshifts to drastically reduce shift times and ensure practically uninterrupted power delivery under hard acceleration.

To learn what makes the new GT3 Cup tick, we tested it in the environment for which it was designed — racing. This meant driving it at one of the world's most demanding circuits, Sebring International Raceway, where yours truly competed in the season-opening round of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin. Held as a support race for the 12 Hours of Sebring ALMS event, this 45-minute sprint race would feature a 40-car field made up entirely of 996- and 997-based GT3 Cup cars. Intended as a series for amateur and semi-professional drivers, it was the perfect setting for shaking down Porsche's latest GT3.

The expert crew at Farnbacher Loles, of Danbury, Connecticut, prepared my GT3 Cup to perfection, keeping it compliant enough for Sebring's notoriously rough and bumpy surface, but stiff enough to remain stable in the faster sections. Winners in SPEED World Challenge, Porsche Michelin Supercup, IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, these guys know a thing or two about racing GT3s.

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