Z06

If they come out with a 997 GT3 who are they going to compete with.....or compare it to....now that the Lambo, Ford GT, Z06 and the Ferrari are making at least a 100 HP more.....

I would guess one of the problems of having the engine behind the rear wheels is not being able to go very big in displacement....

What do you think Porsche can or will do to step up to the new high HP competion?

XSpeedFreakX

The 997 Turbo and GT2 will play the numbers game for Porsche. If the new Turbo comes in at the rumored 470-480hp, the next GT2 will surely break 500hp. But because of the competition, expect the 997 GT3 to have some some seriously well sorted chassis tuning that will allow it to turn fast laps.

Yargk

The rumor a while back was that the GT3 was going to make 40X hp with the x being anything. So the Ferrari, lambo, and Z06 will have less than 100 hp more. However, you have a point because these cars will make between 80-90 hp more than the next GT3. Rumors also state that the 997 GT3 turns better lap times than the RS which I think is not at all out of the question since the RS is only a bit faster than the 996 GT3 when on comparable rubber. The point is that although at 40x hp, the GT3 will be slower in a straight line, it give better lap times than the lambo and Ferrari since the RS does and probably close lap times to the ford GT. So you'd do well against these more expensive cars at the track. The Z06 is the only real problem as I see it because it will not only be faster in a straight line, but also cheaper and have comparable handling. Hopefully Porsche will make the GT3 a little more powerful, lighter, and even more track honed than they first intended. I think minor improvements in all these areas could maybe make it competitive with the Z06, but maybe that's just a dream.

JS

The Turbo is going to be the car your thinking of, the GT3 doesnt have to have the most power, it needs to be light.

GrantG

The new GT3 will compete with the F430 pretty well, I think. The current GT3 competes pretty well with the F360 and CS (I think it beats it in most areas despite a power deficit). We don't yet know the spec for the 997GT3 motor. If it's only 400hp, then I'm hoping there'll be some attention to weight loss in the chassis.

For the $$$, it will be quite a bit cheaper than all the cars you mentioned except the Z06 (which is staggering in its performace/cost ratio).

richardp996

I can't wait for some official news to come out on the darn car. The anticipation keeps getting worse and worse as the days draw by.

pedsurg

While we're on the topic of the "997 GT3" I'd like the board's thoughts on trannys. It has been said on the rennlist (997 board I think) the the new 997 tranny (yes the Jap one) is as much an improvement over the 996 tranny as the G50 when compared to the G15. While I realize we'll need many years to collect info/data re the durability of the new tranny, most agree it's a delight to use. Does anyone wish to speculate what Porsche might have in store for the 997 GT3?
Thanks
Jack

Sean

For once, I think the Corvette Z06 is going to be a real competitor for Porsche and the GT3. The specs on the new car look amazing.

For the next GT3, I'd like to see Porsche embrace features like functional (not cosmetic) carbon fiber fenders, balsa wood floor panels, magnesium engine cradle, all-aluminum chassis, etc. to save weight. What's impressive about the Z06 is not only the 7.0L 500 HP engine, but also the full integration of lightweight racing materials throughout the car.

Mikey

Unless 997GT3 has 445hp motor with a sequential and weight at 2900lbs. For now I am confident it will be no problem keeping up with ANYTHING that comes out in 2006 with the existing 996GT3.

Gallardo = slower than 996GT3 now, with 600hp it will be exciting!
F430 = more bling for sure, not faster than a 360CS
Z06 = clearly a safety compromise but may turn out to be as fast as 996GT3 (we'll see) for 50% cost

Sun Ra

i bet 06 z06 may be faster under certain conditions than 04 gt3, altho' it may have even more trouble with bumps

at spring mountain last year we took rupert's class in 2004 z06 - which were as fast on that track as 04 gt3... altho' we didnt compare with racers, just decent track drivers

Mikey

Saying that the 04 Z06 is as fast as the 04 GT3 is like saying a Chevy Impala carries 5 passengers as comfortably and quickly as a BMW 530. So what is lost?

The devil is in the details! There are are a million things that are different! The ergonomics, the qulaity of the leather, the way the door fits, the gold plated airbag sensor, the thousands of hours of high speed testing at the track, the plating on the sheet metal. Was the gearbox design inspired by a minivan or an Indy car? The quality of the Bosch spark plug. I can go on forever .... That Z06 probably was likely fitted with Michelin tires. How would you like to travel at 150MPH on street Firestone tires? What happenes if your test was continued for 48hours ... what would be the fatigue on the drivers? What if each car had 20,000 miles on the odo at the time of the test?

Anyhow the truth sucks but it is reality:

Sean

The devil is in the details!

GM is focusing on details like a magnesium engine cradle, 6-piston brakes, dry sump 500 HP engine, carbon fiber fenders and hood, all-aluminum chassis, carbon fiber and balsa wood (!) floor panels. The new Z06 is replete with details inspired not by minivans, but by the Corvette factory race car. I've never really wanted a Corvette in my life, but the new Z06 may change all that.

Meanwhile Porsche is rolling out the "sport chrono," PASM, "carbon-look" and "aluminum-look" cosmetics. PAG has abandoned factory racing, and is selling more SUVs than sports cars, and recently made news by publicly floating the idea of selling a Toyota-powered hybrid. There's a huge disconnect between "the new Porsche" and the way Porsche has done business in the past.

MacGT3

Gentlemen, I am new to the club and consider it an honor to have read your many posts for some time now. I own both a 2003 Z06 and a 2005 GT3. I have had the opportunity to drive both at high speeds at Summit Point and VIR. They are very different cars with very different driving indiosyncracies. The way I have explained the experience to my grown sons is as if one was fortunate enough to have two beautiful mistresses, both extroidinary, both very different and both very much in love with how you handle them...I intend to buy the new Z06 but I never intend to lose my GT3.

Mikey

Let's go over the details:

The GT3 doesn't need the Magnesium cradle, because the MOTOR weighs half as much at comparable outputs, and revs to 8350RPM.

purchased at NAPA autoparts. Compare that with F1 technology carbon brakes available on the GT2/GT3 and some F cars.

Technology from the truck division with enough torque to pull a house and knock you off the road with the slightest input error.

Trading off driver protection and safety for excessive motor weight. Nothing to protect when knocked off the road as discussed above.


The whole Vette racing thing is a hoax. There seem to be 4 Vettes for every other brand on the track. ALMS is more football than motorsports.

Well what do you do as an encore when you invented the GT3! I think both the CGT and Cayenne are marvelous engineering. If you can't afford to buy the best then STFU and go drive a Vette.

Mike Buck

speaking of details

As good as the new Z06 will be, it would probably be even better if it came with decent tires . . . like Michelins. GM won't put French maker tires on its American classic though, even if it is a superior product.

C5-R ALMS teams used to run Goodyears, now run Michelins . . . and pay way more than the other teams for the same tires. Price would be less if street vette ran Michelins.

that's the word from my buddy in the biz


makes ya wonder where else GM compromised