They'll Be Racing in the Streets Introduced on Wednesday, March 27: 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 A buttoned-down update to an already impressive sports car. It's much quicker off the line than last year's GT3, but the hurdle this time for Porsche will be convincing the faithful that technology marches onward and that there's no longer a need for an on-the-floor stick. Definitely, and the company expects to sell more of these GT3"s than any previous version. What they said: "This car bridges the gap between race car and street car," said Detlev von Platen, president and chief executive of Porsche Cars North America. "Drivers and modern technology are not opponents," he added during the introduction, alluding to the absence of a manual transmission option for the 2014 model. Porsche wants to inspire confidence in drivers (which the company hopes will increase sales). What they didn't say: If you drive it to the 7-Eleven, people will still stare. And there's still no cup holder. Amen to that. Nevertheless, the company continues to pursue the goal of making what amounts to a civilized supercar. Purists may whine about the absence of a manual gearbox, "but don't hit us over the head with a baseball bat until you drive it," Andreas Preuninger, the chief engineer of the GT3, said in an interview. He also said, "It is a shut-up-and-drive-it thing." Perhaps most interesting from a driving and engineering point of view is Porsche's first use of active rear-wheel steering. Below 50 miles per hour, the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the fronts, giving the car a shorter turning radius; at higher speeds, the rears turn in the same direction as the fronts, giving it more cornering stability, according to Mr. Preuninger. A 3.8-liter 6-cyclinder boxer engine, redesigned from the block up, turns out 475 horsepower at 8,250 r.p.m. for claimed 0 to 60 m.p.h. acceleration in 3.3 seconds (0.6 seconds quicker than last year's car). The top speed is 195 m.p.h. (just up a bit from last year's 194). The new transmission shifts so quickly that the rear-drive GT3 gains three-quarters of the length of the car with every shift. There are seven gears and no overdrive. The starting price is $130,400. The GT3 will arrive on American shores in November. Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) much like last year's GT3, with its fixed rear wing design. A new aero package results in some minor changes to the front end. Most of the news is beneath the skin, including an underside engine cover-diffuser for added downforce. Still, the car next to the GT3 at the Porsche display - Jerry Seinfeld's restored 1964 911 - is prettier.