Porsche 911 GT3 Cup lobs Down Under

DON’T get too excited. All 25 of the 300km/h Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars that arrived in Australia last week are destined for the race circuit.

The 997-series 911-based GT3 Cup cars, worth $300,000 each, take to the track in Adelaide in March for round one of the 2006 Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup championship.

The Porsche fleet is being prepared for its racing debut at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide from March 23 to 26, the first round of the eight-round national championship.

The 294kW/400Nm GT3 Cup cars are capable of hitting 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds and tip the scales at a feather-weight 1140kg.

Meanwhile, Porsche has recalled 18,600 911 Carreras worldwide to fix problems with welding joints in their exhaust systems.

The vehicles affected are the all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4S models built between April 2004 and October 2005.

In a worst-case scenario, the defective welding joints can lead to the loss of the tailpipe. A spokesman for Porsche Cars Australia said no cars were affected here but as a precaution all Carrera 4S models would be checked. This would take about 25 minutes at no charge to the customer.