neanicu

Yes,it makes sense.
Unfortunately,if before the 991 GT3 came out I was a firm believer that Porsche will be offering a manual,now that rumors are surfacing about Turbo being PDK only,I have zero hope the RS will be any different! 100% PDK only! Really unfortunate!

Macca

I agree. If manual is what you had your heart set on then the future of Porsche (and many other manufacturers) is not on your side. I am trying the new 991 GT3 because I have to join the future at some time. I held back for 10 years because the cars were getting uglier and fatter and less raw. Now I can afford to own both. If I dont like the PDK (unlikely I suspect but possible) I will sell it and buy the 3.8RS even if the wheels will fall off when I drive it....

neanicu

And I'll be sure to write PAG an extensive letter expressing my disappointment about their choice of gear boxes. I could care less whether they'll read it or throw it in the garbage,it will make me feel better...
I think the new GT3 looks amazing and I'd love to own one,but I don't go to the track so I don't care about lap times,but I would sure love playing with one on weekends and rowing thru gears as any other gearhead.

P_collector

Well, while Im fully on your side - Mr Hatz said it the other day very clearly: "No manual in 991 turbo".

The manual is dead in a Porsche. Long live the manual. ..If you ask me, there will also be no manual in the RS..why should there be (if one follows Porsches logic?).

For 997 GT3 owners..in the end - although Im upset..nothing better could have happend. I bet you in 5 years a used 2010 GT3 3.8 will be worth more then the 2013 GT3...just because some people still want to enjoy the fun of a manual..a new Pdk can be bought at every corner again..the manual is on the other side a dying breed..and supply of these cars will rather decrease...

Macca

Yes I am the same but will give PDK a chance. I like tarmac rally and for this the PDK will be fine. If I want to really be a gearhead then I get the gold medallion out, comb my chest wig, freshen up my perm and take the 993 manual for a spin. Its a great car and I cant understand why anyone on this thread who truely is as dedicated to manual gearboxes and changing their own gears and getting nostalgic about driving does just shun the latest greatest thing and go buy themselves an aircooled car. perhaps Im an entirely different demographic but it seems to me that many 997.2 GT3 owners are upset about PDK. Why. They should just keep what they have and be happy that its now more sought after. But no, I suspect I missed an important point, I think many like to buy the new car every time, have the latest and this time has left them stuck. The GT3 has been a great excuse to not only follow the consumer mentality of always buying the next greatest thing but also it has enough street cred to make many FEEL like they are serious car people. I say dont follow the mass mentality and dont worry about owing the latest and greatest. If you are really serious about analogue stay where you are now or even backdate.

Yip, Porsche threw a curve ball this time (although it was 95% certain since Dec it was going to be PDK only), and yes I also lament the passing of the old 6 speed gear box (not the new 7 speed one). But the upside is life just got a whole load easier for hairy chested manual analogy drivers out there. They no longer chase new 911 and can focus on getting better driving the one they have, perhaps improving it a bit or maybe sampling the true analogue air cooled models.

Think how much money Porsche has just saved the true Porsche purists out there! Its a chance to celebrate. Make sure you buy that 3.8RS before prices firm up!

Macca

Porsche.collector. Everything you say makes sense. It will take time. The 993 is only starting to firm up and increase in price now (for good ones). Its been almost 20 years since they were launched.

Porsche/VW has new markets showing much greater growth than NA, Europe etc. I am talking Asia (China, India), South America (Brazil, Argentina) and the Gulf. These people didn't even grow up driving manual and they are becoming richer quickly. Porsche will have no trouble selling everything they make.

For many of us the Cayenne was the nail in the coffin. personally I thought it was the 996 (water cooled at the time. I didn't really start liking 911s again till the 997 came along. Great news is it gives you lots of tie to go back and sample the stuff you missed before (I did this). Its always fun.

In 10 years time porsche will not be the company we new 10 years ago and many on this board will be gone. Ive been on this board 12 years and never intend to sell my air cooled ride so youll see me here for another decade at least. For many of us the Porsche brand will have become so diluted well probably be buying another brand by then or a tesla and give up...there is no stopping progress.

neanicu

While I am far from the hairy chested description,I do not fit into the '' latest and greatest '' either since I have a 996 TT. I am just a guy who can afford a new 911 right now,but I've never been '' into just '' a Carrera or Carrera S. I like a little bit more fun and a Turbo or a GT3 fit into that description. While the new Turbo is going to be expensive,Porsche did good on the new GT3. Like I said before,I am very excited about the 9K engine and all the other stuff,not so much about the PDK. I've driven the 991 S PDK and I'm not going to say anything about it in respect to people who like it,except IT IS NOT FOR ME!

mike2727

Let me start by saying I am in no way trying to bash the new GT3, I like the car, I like it so much I put a deposit, but I do have my reservations
I find it sarcastically funny that a lot of people repeat Porsche in saying "that with a track oriented car" and "for best laptimes" etc, while at the samye time that same Porsche Company, denies you warranty when you actually take the car to the track (I am not going to list the examples, because they have been voiced over and over again), Porsche also makes this very clear in the owners manual, that track use will void your warranty

So please explain how these contradictions should make me feel better as a potential 991 GT3 customer ?

Again I am not bashing the new GT3, you could say Porsche has made it very difficult to say the least to believe them

I will wait to see the maintenance schedules (for track miles) for the nummerous new and not so new technologies incorporated in the new GT3

Mike

Guest89

You make great points. A BIG part of it is the speculation, anticipation, early adoption, etc. People enjoy that - it's personally rewarding to park a shiny, $$$, BRAND NEW Porsche in front of your house and admire the fruits of your labor; there is (occasionally) some minor celebrity associated with it.

The older cars are great - I drive one every day. But I would like the company to make new cars that I would want to purchase and enjoy, rather than be consigned to history already. Eventually I, and many others who are critical of the new "GT3", will decide I want to buy a new sports car, and when confronted with a sea of automatic transmission, extensively computer-controlled, light steering, overweight cars, I would probably still go for a 911 over an M3, Maserati, Aston Martin, Audi, etc.

It just doesn't sit well with me that the company would neglect their most fervent customers, who spend hours every day reading, digesting, learning, and expressing opinions and concerns about these products to chase a more fickle audience that is often less concerned with the substance of the cars, rather than the image and the status they confer.

Many of the customers that the company has ignored will be at Sebring all weekend, hoping against hope that Porsche has something for their fresher competition. Others will be watching all day on TV, like me. A significant portion of the new target market couldn't find Sebring on a map or tell you anything about the place.

neanicu

If you look at prices right now,for the money you can get a nice 7.2 RS...around 140K,I could've specced a brand new 991 GT3 in the color I want(white) with nice red dev stiching etc,but when I see that lever that says +/- and freakin' Drive,I get pissed!

StirlingMoss

Well, with a different perspective:

1. The lap times on the N-ring have become the benchmark, like it or not. Porsche cannot release a new GT3 which does not post a great lap time. It simply needs to be number one in it's class. RWS might shave off a few seconds, hence the car has RWS. This applies to the decision for manual as well.

2. Voiding the warranty by tracking the car is not an issue in Europe. Why this is the case in the US I don't know, but I find it ridiculous. I guess this applies to all brands? If not, I would have switched brand a long time ago.

mike2727

Well it is clear that Porsche or PCNA does not want us in the US to take it to the track to further confirm this no bucket seats were crash tested by Porsche for the US
I have nothing against the PDK, RWS etc, but if the warranty is void when you take it to the track, they can keep it, it is clear to me the direction Porsche has gone as far as the US market is concerned, come time to place the final order, and the buckets are still not offered, I am out
Very disappointed, I was looking forward to owning the GT3 as a street/track car

Mike

mike2727

Forgot to make clear I cannot stand the contradiction, offering a track oriented car but at the same time voiding the warranty if you do, that is what I meantw with my statement

Mike

StirlingMoss

I totally agree, this is ridiculous.

Larry Cable

its bordering on deceitful, they market the car repeatedly as "track oriented" ... then they wont warranty it if you take a lap in it?

you cant have your cake and eat it too...