Maxem

These photos date stamped 7 March 2015. The day we went to collect Lola from the rebuild I believe. Good times on highway 22

Maxem

....

Maxem

And of course, the Lola rebuild slowed this thing down.....March 2015 progress. Ironically back there two years later.

996tnz

If those shots don't get the air-cooled juices flowing out there, nothing would Dave.

In other news, Ruf's throwback special:



http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-...t-look-review/

Do like!

John McM

That date suggests a seven month wait. You could be getting the T back in late June

I suspect the total time to pull Herman's engine, split the case, replace the nose bearing O ring, reassemble then refit is going to be three months. In the meantime I'll drive the Project car and build confidence with longer trips. I'd be in for an air cooled run of highway 22. Can't promise I'd be running 7/10ths but I'd be there.

Maxem

Quite nice, seen a lot on it in the last few days but need to read up. Not a Porsche Chassis apparently. I wonder if it drives like an old 911 or a 991?

996tnz

With independent suspension and engine subframes on a carbon fibre tub, I'd suspect nearer the latter. Tried to find out if she lacks PSM and ideally ABS but no answer there yet. With what I did find talking her up as reflecting the 'pure analogue' heritage of RUF, I remain hopeful though, if not exactly expectant!

Macca

Photos don't do this car justice. It's a solid green, very much a "jelly bean" colour but perfectly suited to a GT4. I'm in love. Anyone want a 991 GT3 for a sharp price ;-) ?

Pel

Damn it was out there today collecting my wof, should have taken a look down the factory floor...

Runtothehills

Is the GT4 the last of the Brexit specials to come in? I’ve had a chance to drive my BMW ‘Brexit Special’ M4 for a few months now. So thought I would put down some thoughts on it here.

Remembering this is a stop –gap until the next Porsche! But which one? It definitely hasn’t helped test-driving a new 718 Cayman and for your reminder Macca of the 10year Porsche warranty viability here. Hmmmm.

This M4 was a chance to own some modern metal and the perfect break from the old school 911, a bit of a reset button to remember what makes the Porsches so fun.

It’s a surprisingly big car after the 964, so it feels big on the road, there’s no nimbleness- it is a brute rather than lithe. More hot-rod than sports car. In fact, from the view over the bonnet, I’ve often thought I’m driving a new Mustang, so I looked up to see how the two compare –the new Ford Mustang and M4 very close in size! I do miss the cheeky driving that the 911 warranted.

So I call it a muscle car, With 430hp and no weight over the rear – it’s a blast. Reviewers have said it can be a ‘spiky’ drive, and that’s half the fun, fun in 1st and second out of corners, but when you’re driving around a quicker corner in third or fourth and all that torque comes in at once… lets just say its still taking some getting used to. Big difference when the Super Sports are warmed up though, traction is there but disappears with just a fraction too much throttle.

Dat boost is great. I had a couple of side by side highway runs with an RS5 on the way back from Matakana on the weekend, The M4 was a good couple of car lengths ahead both times. Good sport!

The rev matching manual is a new one for me, noticeable especially shifting down from 2nd to 1st. The blip is quick enough and fine for around town, it can be turned off completely in the most aggressive ‘Sport Plus’ throttle mode. The 3 driving modes – Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus are different enough. This is what I was most keen to see – if a modern car with the adjustable like this can be a comfy cruiser one day, fearless racer the next. This is kind of true, but having 3 modes for steering weighting is overkill – just one good one would be better. The 3 suspension and throttle settings seem well-configured. Comfort is super-soft, Sport is nicely tuned, and Sport plus is about as firm as the 964 was. With much more ‘travel’ Its also in this mode that the occasional loss of traction over corrugated, cambered bumps can happen… it will be interesting how that feels on the track. In the end are the modes better, or would it be better to have just the one? Yeah, I tend to flick through them depending on road but 80% of the time ‘Sport’ across the majority of settings seems best. The adjustable suspension is probably the most rewarding adjustable feature.

The sound of these cars has also come under criticism, compared to the last V8 M3s, of course it will never sound so sweet! To me the off-throttle sound is crude, it could be a Mazda 6, not a bad sound, just nothing exciting. On throttle it’s, well loud. To me it could be a modern interpretation of a what a turbo E30 M3 might be like? It’s saving grace is a fantastic cackle and raspiness following lift-off at high RPM.

The Interiors of the F82 (new generation) M4 are brilliant, one of the reasons I went for the M4. Large screen with super responsive graphics, nav and media input. The I-drive is a brilliant setup to use. Having that iPad-size screen up-high there looks strange, but works bloody well, especially for B-road runs, to quickly zoom and pan, to find where the next section of road leads to. Imma tech geek so having the Spotify app, M-Power meter and all that built in **** is fun to play with.

The killer app is the TPMS. Been able to check individual tyre pressure and temperature is a revelation, especially for something like this where traction is so imperative to the drive. I think I would struggle with the early gen tech of say a 997.1 now.

What else? First track day with it will be on Taupo on the 26th so keen to see how it goes on track.

The big reason for buying the M4 was as a stop–gap while I consider the next Porsche, and to try some modern metal, and to take advantage of the Brexit pricing and hopefully come out with no depreciation after a few months driving.

Buying the M4 from the UK was super-easy. Lincoln was the local broker who I would absolutely recommend. He got his UK contact out to check the car, send video, pick it up, arrange all VAT purchase, shipping and compliance. The M4 arrived in my driveway 3 days after it landed here, with a KPH speedo, updated NZ maps, all good-to-go.

There were a couple of Vat-Q M4s to look at time of buying, including a Dark Grey M4 DCT with red interior. In the end, the Mineral White/ Merino Black M4 manual might have safer resale in NZ. Although there are now a couple white M4s that have been sitting for a few weeks now!

Owning the Beemer just reconfirms what makes Porsches so good, the balance, the design, the way they drive. It’s a blast, I want both! So what next? A 964 out of japan, or a new 718? Stoked to see that Steve R has bought one in. I drove a 718 the other day, they feel good. Getting in one of them is like getting in the 964 again, just fits right. A Manual 718 S in Guards Red with PASM would be fun…

John McM

Sam, the manual 964 market has bolted with good examples > $80k. It's even more expensive to get one out of Japan, if you can find RHD. If you love the 718S then it's a no brainer to buy new as long as depreciation doesnt worry you.

Pel

Are GT3 allocations available in NZ or will they likely already be fully subscribed?

nzskater

Pel, surely a U.K. slot is the right move?

Macca, that GT4 looks evil in green. Love it. Can't wait to see it in the flesh.

Walt, why you would want a car without modern ABS is beyond me. You're a mad man.

The RUF seems to have taken the internet by storm, I've seen more media on it than the 991.2 GT3!!

Pel

I'm not sure a UK slot is available for a kiwi boy off the street not named Macca 😂

Macca

I love that road. I drove it twice this week and once last week. Once the week before. I can get from Taupo to Auckland as quick that way as SHW1. It just take more concentration ;-)