It was on 26 January last year when Porsche originally teased the next-generation 911 GT3 in its Super Bowl ad and yet we still haven’t seen the track toy in full. Thankfully, the wait is nearly over as the Zuffenhausen brand announced last week through a teaser that the world premiere would take place on 16 February. Meanwhile, a fresh video has been released to ease the wait until next Tuesday’s big debut.

For whatever reason, Porsche doesn’t explicitly say it’s the GT3, only describing it as the “new GT sports car.” We strongly believe the car being teased here is the GT3 as the 14-second clip shows the car finished in the same blue shade as the one previewed a year ago. In addition, Chris Harris' video for Top Gear at the end of November 2020 showed an identically painted car.

Gallery: 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Prototype: First Ride

Having been invited by Porsche to hop inside a prototype towards the end of last year, we already have some confirmed technical specifications we can share. At the heart of the new 911 GT3 will be an evolution of the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six engine from the 991.2 Speedster. It boasts a 9,000-rpm redline and packs 510 bhp or an extra 10 bhp over the previous-generation GT3 while maintaining the same 1,414-kg (3,116-pound) weight.

Porsche's GT boss, Andreas Preuninger, told us that roughly 80 percent of the engineering team’s efforts were channelled towards making the engine pass increasingly stringent emissions regulations. The remaining 20 percent were used to take the GT3 to the next level, partly achieved by improving aerodynamics as downforce has increased by a whopping 50 percent without affecting drag.

Even though the spring-rate stiffness has gone up by 25 percent, we found the prototype to offer a “compliant, supple ride” after Porsche’s GT division spent countless hours tweaking damping. The rear suspension has been essentially carried over from the 991.2 GT3, meaning it still has a multi-link arrangement with rear-wheel steering.

More changes have occurred at the front suspension where the next-gen model adopts forged aluminium wishbones borrowed from the company’s race cars. The wheels are also bigger than before, measuring 20 inches and 9.5 inches wide at the front axle while the rear boasts 21-inch alloys that are 12 inches wide. The wheels are shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres and come with larger brakes than before.

2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Prototype driver's seat
2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Prototype seats

Inside, the driver gets to choose between using the shift paddles of the seven-speed PDK or the transmission tunnel-mounted shifter. Purists mustn’t worry as there will still be an old-school six-speed manual with three pedals for both the regular GT3 and the more subtle wing-less GT3 Touring.

We will have all the details and a complete image gallery on 16 February when we’ll also broadcast Porsche’s livestream of the premiere event.