v_rex

Hi everyone!

And I hope everyone reading this is healthy!
I am new around here, but I heard this is the place to have a build thread of the car. If I am mistaken please, don't shoot .

I enjoy having a place to share my stories and get feedback / impressions especially from a community so large and knowledgeable.
During the following post / pages, I want to share with you what the car is, what is feels like and also to share my future experiences with the car. Even if I don't expect a lot of mods, I like to have a thread for each car I own. It brings me a lot of pleasure to revisit some of the experiences and, also, as contributors to my threads, I've had the pleasure to meat awesome people.

As the title says, I am the proud owner of a 718 GT4 in Miami Blue. This is my first GT car from Porsche and my second Porsche overall, after a 981 Cayman Black Edition. The 918 had the 2.7 engine and all the performance upgrades that come standard on a 981 GTS (PASM, PTV, PSE, Sport Chorono). I only added a few cosmetic bits, bigger brakes and I got to enjoy it for 3 years - on and off the track.
Here are a few photos of the car at Nurburgring in 2020:







I truly loved the 981 and the plan was to go for a GT3/ GT3 RS in 2022 and to keep the 981, but I decided I am not up to the level to drive a GT3 / GT3 RS close to their potential. Since the mid-engine platform is much more noob friendly I decided to go for a GT4... But with this move, it made no sense to keep the 981 as well - both financially and because I would not drive it.
So... GT4... but which one 981 or 982 (718)? Well the decision was easy. I live in Romania and buying a GT Porsche car is not quite straightforward. I think some times, the cheapest Porsche can prove to be the most expensive Porsche and to minimize that risk, I bought the cars from German Porsche Dealers. None of dealers that had a 981 GT4 accepted my 981 Black Edition as buy-back, so I had to go with a 718 GT4 (there they accepted the buy-back).
I also had no luck with the Romanian Porsche Dealers as there where no allocations for GT4 available.

Now, what kind of 718 GT4? What color, what spec, new/used? Easy(ish)...
Color: not white, not black, preferably not red
Spec: Bucket Seats, Clubsport, automatic climate control mandatory, preferably rear view camera, not black wheels, cruise control
New/used: I initially wanted a used car - I found one that I really liked but this had ~350 miles and the engine was changed on warranty. In the end, for me, buying a Porsche GT product is beyond a dream, and I decided to go big or go home. .

So, I would like to present you the car I settled for: a brand new 2021 GT4 in Miami Blue.
As it was in the showroom:



When I first say it - all dirty after the Germany - Romania trip:



After giving it its first bath:















Next up - my cars' optional equipment - the good, the bad, the ugly.
Cheers!

KelvinC

Congrats! Car looks absolutely stunning—looking forward to following your journey in this thread.

One thing that’s funny, and you probably noticed this, the color coming through in your photos looks a spot on match for Riviera Blue! I noticed how difficult it was to truly capture the color properly when I picked up my Miami Blue GT4 as well.

Enjoy, and thank you for sharing!

flynlo

Beautiful. If I could order Miami Blue I would. Hopefully the next blue will be close and hopefully it will be offered soon!

v_rex

Thank you for your comments!

You are correct dear sir - sometimes it's teal, sometimes it's similar to Riviera Blue... But i like it not the less . I saw your car looks a lot like mine (or vice-versa). I hope you are also enjoying it!

As I am also writing below, it was a selling point for me that the car is no longer available in Miami Blue. This will make the car more rare and more special.

And, as promised, the cars' optional equipment is:

J5J5 - Miami Blue color - really love this color. Might be a bit too flashy for my taste but it looks awesome. I especially like that the color was only available for one year (available to order until 24.09.2020 and it was not available on the 981 GT4). I think this will make the car slightly more valuable in the future. The Miami Blue color was replaced by Python Green.
79 - Leather Package with grey sticking
003 - Clubsport Package - this was a must for me. It is, as far as I know, not available in US and it contains a bolt-in roll cage in black at the rear including reinforcements with connection to bodyshell and preparation for battery disconnect switch. Supplied ready to install: six-point seat belt for driver’s seat in Black and lightweight motorsport hand-held fire extinguisher with bracket in Aluminium. I had the seat belts and fire extinguisher mounted at the dealer.
519 - Porsche lettering painted in black. I would have skipped this one and saved 170 USD...
534 - interior alarm. Again, I would have skipped this as well. I have full insurance so I don't really care if I have an alarm or not (and where I live you don't pay less insurance if you have an alarm)...
573 - 2 zone climate control. This was also a must for me.
579 - 6 point harness for the passenger - again important for trackdays
583 - smoking package. Everyone has this because it covers the space in the center console, but having the 981 without, I would have also skipped this. On the other had, if I ever install a front axle lift, this might be very useful
630 - Light Design Package - nice to have.
631 - Speed Limit Detection - I would have also skipped this one as I don't rely on the navigation very much.
637 - Park Assist & Rear View Camera - a must also since it makes parking so much easier.
810 - Floor Mats - can't believe you have to pay 100 USD extra for these
9VL - Bose Sound System - useless in a GT4. In fact I think it may be even worse if it weighs more than the standard system. I would have definitely skipped this one as well
P11 - Bucket Seats - these are awesome and were also a must. I have another car with Recaro Pole Position seats and the buckets are way more comfortable than any seats I've ever been in. I can literally drive 1000 miles a day and not have any pains. Yes, it is more difficult to get in and out, but with practice it is quite easy.
P13 - Rain Sensor - nice to have, again, I can't believe you have to pay extra for this...
P1B - Interior trim in anthracite Aluminium
P40 - Navigation + Porsche Connect
QR5 - Sport Chrono Package
XBS - Calipers painted in black - nice to have on a Miami Blue car
XEW - Bi-Xenon & PDLS - can't figure it out why not pay 600 USD more to get the PDLS+ with LED headlights... This is quite bugging me at the moment and one idea is to go for the LED headlights in the future. There are threads for this mod and it appears I only need the new headlights and some coding.
XHX - Seat belts in kreide - these go very well with the rest of the interior.
XUB - Headlight washers in exterior color - I would have saved some money here as well.

All in all I am quite pleased with the car's options except for the LED headlights and the absence of the Cruise Control. The dealer installed the Cruise Control for free as part of the negotiation - so that's one less thing to worry about.
One option that some people go for are the Carbon Ceramic brakes. I was looking for a car with normal steel brakes because the cost of PCCB replacement is huge and I would live in fear that a stone might end up between the pad and the rotor. Additionally, the 19 inch BBS CH-R wheels can't fit the PCCB GT4's so I can get to use these wheels for short winter trips.
Am I missing something? Something I am wrong about? Feel free to let me know .

Next up - installing the winter wheels and taking a closer look at the differences with the Porsche I am used with (981 Cayman).

And one more photo I keep forgetting to post:

LZRD GRN

A beauty!

Spoken by someone who did Python as Miami was no longer available....

And that great Manthey Racing plate frame!

Enjoy!

LZRD GRN

BTW, just noticed your location!

Isn't the famous Transfagarasan highway in Romania?

You must take the car there.....

Apologize if my geography is incorrect...

v_rex

Thanks!
Ha ha, yes, I think Python Green stands out as much as the Miami Blue does . Great color, btw (I was tempted by one offer for the Python Green car but the wheels were back and it didn't have all the optional equipment I wanted)!
Yes, got the plate frames last year when my other plate frames melted ))) after intensive Nurburgring usage

Your geography knowledge is correct. Transfagarasanul (the "ul" at the end stands for "the") is a great mountain pass, but because of TopGear it is crouded all summer long (it is opened only a few month per year).
It's relatively close to where I leave (2 1/2 hours of driving) but I actually doubt I will visit it with the GT4... One reason is that I have to get up at 4PM to get there and truly enjoy it and the other reason is that there are nicer mountain passes in Romania. Just that TopGear didn't know of them at the time...

Here is a film I've made from Transfagarasanul back in 2021:


The other video I've made with a nicer mountain pass was deleted because of the background music . 9 years ago you could have used whatever music you wanted ...

Cheers!

LZRD GRN

Thanks v_rex!

That is one great road!

I did live in Europe for 20 yr, did most of the French/German/Swiss/Austrian passes, many on motorbikes, but never got to Romania....

Did a Leipzig delivery (MacanS) then to Poznan and south to Budapest, next time I will surely continue your country!

Then you can share those other great roads!

Cheers!

v_rex

@LZRD GRN Let me know when you are around and I can point you to a few interesting things to see .


And to continue the story with the winter wheels...
I kept the 19inch BBS CH-R that I had on the 981 Cayman. The wheels fit - just. As I said above they don't fit if the GT4 has the optional PCCB.

Before:



After:



As I finished the job it stated snowing, so just in time!



With the wheels off, I also got to look a bit at what's underneath the skin...
The following information is known to all GT4 owners but not to GTS ones - so it might be interesting for the latter.
First of all, brake cooling. There is a lot of it . Here is the front wheel arch:



You can also notice the brake ducts are rubber - so they will be upgraded in due course.

As the car sits very low, I also wanted to lift the car - who in there right mind would do such a thing to a GT4!?
But, Porsche thought of lunatics like myself and I managed to lift the car by 1 mm (0.04 inch) - this how much thread I had left. You can see I can drop the car by at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) - but that won't happen unless I have a front axle lift... Here is the stock height.





It is a similar story in the back... Loads of room to go lower but, because of the constraint in the front, I only went 1 mm (0.04 inch) higher. Here is the stock height.





Also one neat thing is that the car comes with a "Driving on a race track" brochure. How many cars have this?



Since it was specified in the brochure how to change the rear wing setting, I did just just that...



I also removed the front spoilers to "balance the car" Porsche says. I am not sure how much difference this makes, but that fact that Porsche went the extra mile and made these spoilers removable says a lot, in my eyes.



Porsche says not to use the wings' aggressive setting on the street but I'm not willing to change the setting every time I do a track day. It might increase the drag but I am not concerned as I don't intend to do 300+ km/h (186 mph) runs in the near future and the gas consumption (mpg) is not great either way... Also mpg is not the reason one would buy such a car in the first place.

Next up, first driving impressions...

halfmonkey

The rumor that has been floating around for a while is that Shark Blue is the replacement. Rumor has it that Shark Blue is to VW Cornflower Blue. Go to the 28 minute mark in the video below and this is supposedly the new blue.

flynlo

I actually did a search and came upon a thread with that video. I am getting close to ordering. Something tells me it won't be out until the 2022 models are announced an up on the configurator. I would be a little irritated if it came out right after I got my car.

v_rex

My money is on the fact that the new blue color will be available for Model Year 2023 onward (so it might not even get to be displayed on the 982 generation).
But the GT3 looks stunning in that shade of blue .

v_rex

Returning with initial driving impressions. And I say "initial" because the car manual advises for a 3000 Km (1864 Miles) bedding in / running in for the car. That means no full throttle and not exceeding 4000 RPM (yes, just like a diesel ). It was a big surprise when I read this - yes, I am one of those who read the manuals - since with all the previous cars the bedding in was half. And after 620 Miles I was allowed to reach maximum RPM... So, I am currently suffering a bit. I only got to 650 Km (400 Miles) yesterday and the words below are based on my impressions so far.When people ask me how the car feels, I can't stop not thinking of this video:
Please bear in mind my comparison is mainly with my VW Golf/Rabbit mk5 (with numerous mods for track usage) and the previous 981 Cayman Black Edition.

Direction - "telepathic". I am amazed how well it steers. I thought the 981 Cayman's steering was good, but this is truly sublime.

Suspension - "firm but refined". It feels stiffer than the 981 Cayman and similarly stiff to the VW Golf (Bilstein B16 Coilovers), but much more refined than both. It feels like an expensive suspension.

Body roll/control - "amazing". No roll, no drama...

Gearbox - "bolt action rifle". OMG, I love the gearbox - short, precise, not jerky. It is miles better than the 981 ones -and I thought that was close to perfect...

Sound - "what a disappointment...". On cold startup the sound is ok, as well as when the car is stationary. In motion, I can hear more engine sound but less exhaust sound. Considering I previously had the 981 - with Porsche Sport Exhaust & Sport Chrono which many people say it's the best sounding 981, even better than the 981 GTS (this is coming from people that had both) - the sound of the GT4 is considerably worse.

Rev-mathing - "even better than the 981". The rev-matching function (that comes with Sport Chrono) was a very nice touch on the 981 and Porsche have made it even better on the GT4.

Start/Stop- "livable". I did not expect to write about this, but I could really live with this turned on. On the precious cars I owned or drove, the Start/Stop button was horrible and was the first button I pressed after I started the car.

Seats - "comfortable with a lumbar support pad". I am used with bucket seats since I used to daily drive the Golf (which has Recaro Pole Position bucket seats). The 718 seats are similar (a bit worse actually) and are comfortable if you add a lumbar support pad. I borrowed one from the Golf:

















So, all in all the 718 is a car I like but not currently love... I think/hope things will change after I use the car on the track.

If people are not tracking the car, I think the 981 is marginally better for daily driving and occasional spirited drives. If you take into account the fact that the 981 Cayman Black Edition is a third of the price of the 718 GT4, it is not even a contest :smiley:.

So, I am eagerly waiting for the time I can use all the tachometer and rev counter .

Stay safe!

rooster17

You’ll have to come back after you have completed break-in and spent some time above 4K RPM. Your impression is based on incomplete data.

I agree, driving around for 400 miles at no full throttle and less than 4K RPM will leave a driver wondering what all the fuss is about. You are quite nice in your review for those limitations. I can only imagine what the journalist would say if that’s how they drove them.

v_rex

Not quite 3000km, but I consider the brake-in/running-in done. It has been a very difficult not not exceed 4000RPM...



In the past 100km I reached 8000RPM a couple of times and, OMG, the car sounds so much better than the 981 did between 6-8k RPM. Below 6k, the 981 sounds better, though. I would say the 981 engine sound is "all show and no go" while the GT4 is the reverse. All in all, I would say the sound is great, I don't think I need more volume. But I would not exclude an exhaust in the future .

The car is a dream to drive - I feel it is much more balanced than the 981. The only issue I have is that I had a few grinds when changing from first to second - which, by reading the dedicated thread, I understand is a break-in/running-in issue and I hope that this is the case as well.

A week ago I also got to install PPF (3M) on the frontal part of the car and the side skirts and vents.











So, I am ready for the first track day! Too bad the weather is very cold - unusually cold for the period - right now and I still have the winter tires.