My potentially unpopular thoughts on the GT3 as track car
 

I race a 2275# spec miata and I don't think the weight, presence of abs, or even presence of esc takes away from the GT3 being a fantastic track car.
A track car only needs to serve 2 purposes:

1). It's fun
2). It's reliable

GT3 succeeds in both. The weight of the car is indiscernible to me unlike in a camaro or mustang. The active suspension is as stiff as I would want it to be given that it runs on street tires. I think you are confusing race car with track car. I make a distinction between the two. If you want a 'race car' feel, then you need to get a cup. GT3 isn't a race car. It's a track car. You don't need to trailer it. It is street legal. You can drive it comfortably home. You can drive it anywhere you want.

Where will you find 1/2 ton of weight savings on this car if it will be street legal? Not possible. You are asking for a cup car.

+1

I just had my first weekend at the track with the .2GT3. I agree with some of your comments. It is a big heavy car compared to race cars and even older Porsches. Driving behind a pair of 914 on the track I felt like I was driving a monster truck.

I can't comment much on the chassis stiffness, as it's stiffer than anything I've driven.

But I don't agree on the power curve. I think it's really smooth and very predictable. There is a slight change around 4K, but looking at my data from this weekend, I never fell below 4500rpms during most of my runs.

No Restraint in its Roots
 

997.2 GT3 does the same at 4200RPM upon varying cams, it feels very linear although the take up is at a much faster rate, but it can be overwhelming to some. E.g. On the highway, I will start a pass on an unwieldy Prius contender, complete it and look down to see astonishing extra legal speeds displayed.
It is an exercise in restraint that I keep failing at.

Is that really so bad?
:)
I think not and IMHO would suggest you change this point from a negative to a positive

I think the .2 GT3 is a fantastically entertaining street car which was, and is, my, primary expectation. As an occasional track day car it meets my admittedly low expectations. All the modern Porsches are too large but one can argue, for instance, that the Ferrari 458 (last NA V8) is proportionately much larger than the 308/355 that went before it. It should not come as a revelation that the GT3 is primarily a street car and not a true race car.

With the Dr's opinion :
cann't put a license plate on a race car .
But I have one on the back of my GT3 car
which happens to have thousands of miles on track,
and generally ahead of the pack
which happily keeps bringing me back!

agree w joe's comments on this 100% - one's perspective is all a function of what one has as a frame of reference

grip is real good on a cup 2 unless u compare it to a true slick
gt3/rs is really good on track till u compare it to a cup car
hellcat 700 hp is fast off the line until u compare it to a dragster

gt3/rs is a dual purpose car that can be driven on the street yet provide thrills on track without melting

OP, we try not to flame anyone here, and appreciate your comments and feedback. The way I look at it, when I was in the market for a "toy" I wanted something that was street legal first, and track capable second. Maybe 80/20. So any comparison and comments about the car would be from that perspective. I also wanted some creature comforts, and reliability. I suspect most guys that bought a GT3 had a similar perspective going in. In that context, the GT3 is light, nimble, super capable on track, and a great dual purpose toy. Nothing else like it in this price range. If any of us prioritized the track above all else, meaning street legal wasn't required, we would have bought something else. What is this Alcantara and leather crap all over the place?! :D

Track-only cars will always be better for the track, because they do not have to make compromises that the GT3 makes for the street. I personally didn't want a track-only car, but at some point might reconsider. So I think your situation is more about expecting the GT3 to be more of a track car, when that was never the primary aim. Maybe you should look at a Cup car? It sounds like you really want a track car, and not a street car that is track capable.

+1. this is a trackable street car, not the other way around. if the GT3 wasn't a good road car first, it would be a failure. there's a Cup car available for a reason.

I pretty much agree with all of this, and the other posters above as well (all of which have been refreshingly civilized!!).

Yes point of reference is everything and I should clarify that I didn't mean to compare it to race cars (but I did sorry!). I guess my main beef is with many of the reviews and some of the posts on here that make this thing out to be 'the race car you can drive on the road' etc etc. I think this aspect of it was wildly over-blown and exaggerated. As other's have pointed out, this is a street car that is track capable, not the other way round as some reviews make out.

Compared to what?

-Not big and heavy compared to whatever else is in the showroom now that's dependable and you can daily drive.
-A track car that's street legal is a compromise in general?
-Why wouldn't staying over 4000rpm in any condition on track be an issue? You should never be under 6K?
-What's the ABS issue?

half a ton isn't going to happen unless you go back in time.

Maybe you need a pre 1990 911?
Times before the smart phone were "better" some can, some can't.

Also, to follow the cup car line of thought, most any real race car (that cannot be driven on the street) will spank a GT3 on the track.

Trackable street car - good term.

Hey everybody, water is wet........