GT3

Porsche made a lot of people angry when it launched the last 911 GT3. It was more powerful, better looking and much, much faster than the car it replaced, but there was no manual gearbox option. Along with an all-new engine, the stick-shift is now back to placate the purists.

As good as the Acura NSX's hybrid setup is, what would happen if it was replaced by a lightweight, rear drive setup? The race-spec NSX GT3 launched at this year's New York Auto Show finally provides some answers.

The latest addition to Porsche's 911 range isn't another road-going special. Instead, Porsche has taken the production 911 GT3 RS and turned it into a fully-fledged GT3 racer, designed to be quicker and easier on the wallet than the car it replaces.

The brand new Audi R8 has only been out for a matter of weeks, but Ingolstadt’s engineers have already turned it into a GT3 racer. Audi has engineered its new R8 racer to meet the more stringent safety standards applied to Le Mans prototypes.

Porsche has used the 2015 Geneva Motor Show to unveil its most track-ready, stripped-back 911 yet - the new 911 GT3 RS. Whereas the last GT3 was all about driver involvement, however, this new one eschews its predecessor's slick-shifting manual gearbox for a fast-shifting double-clutch unit.

Mercedes-AMG has unveiled its new GT3 racer. It is an altogether more hedonistic and angry-looking version of its GT sibling, which looks positively sedentary in comparison. The GT3 will race in the FIA GT3 Championship.

Aston Martin has applied some GT3 magic to its Vantage, turning its compact V12 sports car into a limited edition road-going racer. With just 100 GT3’s to be built, Aston Martin has thrown all of its racing experience into what it describes as its "most performance focused road-going Vantage."

The BMW M6 GT3 has taken to the track for the first time in Germany. The car was put through its paces at the BMW plant in Dingolfing. Having been announced last year, this marks the start of its testing period.

Lamborghini has confirmed its intention to tackle the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2015 with its Huracan GT3. The hottest Huracan will be rubbing panels with McLaren's 650S GT3 and BMW's Z4 GT3 across five different tracks, including the legendary Nurburgring.

Lamborghini's Gallardo GT3 partner Reiter Engineering has announced a new version of the car. The GT3 is a modified race-spec version of the famous Gallardo. The new upgrade will make the car wider, lighter and more powerful than the existing Gallardo FL2 GT3 version.

Cadillac continues to shake its reputation for producing heavy, thirsty, slow cars with a brace of performance cars that can challenge the best Europe has to offer. Cadillac has now decided to take the fight to the racetrack with its new ASTV.R that meets FIA GT3 specifications.

BMW has announced a new addition to its line-up of GT racing models. The BMW M6 GT3 will replace the BMW Z4 GT3 from 2016. Development of the car is underway, with initial tests planned for the first quarter of 2015.