This year’s Autosport International at Birmingham NEC will host a pair of highly acclaimed Porsches. They are the two members of the decorated 911 GT3 family, the 991 Series. The road-going GT3 will make its show debut alongside the racing version, the GT3 Cup.

After making its public debut at NEC, the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup gears up for its UK track debut at the start of the 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship. The GT3 Cup is the best-selling racing car of all time, and Porsche expects the new model to continue the success of its predecessors. And it seems well prepared for the job.

Porsche 991 GT3 Cup is powered by a rear-mounted, 3.8-litre flat-six engine developing 460 hp. The power is delivered via a six-speed ‘dog-type’ gearbox developed by Porsche Motorsport to the rear wheels. The transmission, for the first time in a Cup car, is operated by paddles on the steering wheel.

Save the racing paraphernalia that adorns the exterior and interior of the GT3 Cup car, it is very similar to the road-going GT3. That should tell you what kind of a monster the road-going car is. With 475 hp it is even more powerful than the racing car, and with a Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch gearbox it is easier to drive as well. It doesn’t have the racing suspension, the lightweight body, racing wheels and tires. But it has a host of electronic systems and a new rear-wheel-steering system tht can turn even the clumsiest driver into a pro – on road and track.

The new Porsche 991 GT3 goes from 3.5 seconds, and 124 mph in less than 12 seconds, and has a top speed of 195 mph. It costs £100,540 in the UK.