911Jetta

Natural competitors? Future car magazine group tests...

Half the price of a 458.
The upcoming F-type GT3 Jag?
The M4?
Corvette of course...

The Geneva show continues the trend of exciting sports cars coming to market. I think the 991 GT3 is a stunner, and it has moved the game on in many way.
This redesign definitely has a wider design envelope, and will attract a broader audience (PDK will see to that alone).


Honestly, is the 991 GT3, now in a class all by itself? Is this the end of GT3 vs. M3 comparisons?
I don't care how much torque a twin-T. M4 has...I'll take 9,000 RPM any day!

I see the 991 GT3 stealing a lot of sales from BMW...

Alan Smithee

I don't see the GT3 stealing any sales from BMW - the upcoming M4 will most likely be half the base price of a 991 GT3, and the M6 is a completely different type of car.

Guest89

Tough to reconcile the things in bold.

I think it's pretty improbable that current M3 owners and aspirant M4 buyers will say "****, I gotta have dat new 991 Porsh GT3" and then purchase a car that costs roughly twice what they paid or planned to pay.

The obvious, natural comparison test will be the GT-R. Now that Porsche has abandoned any connection whatsoever with the race cars - apart from the mirrors - and traded in the unique emphasis on the driving experience/involvement for outright pace, there's nowhere to hide and no excuses to make when the GT-R trounces it in a comparo.

jumper5836

Lotus Exige V6
upcoming Renault Alpine

MaxLTV

There is more than a dozen of people on M3post.com with deposits on GT3 already, so it does happen... People do not always buy the most expensive car they can afford, so for some the leap to a higher price point is possible if there is a good enough reason.

I am one of those, actually. Was looking to jump ship from BMW for a while. I am fairly immune to the price, but CS 997.2 left me wanting compared to the M3 (I know it's faster, but some things were not as pleasant, and for so much more money I wanted to have no regrets), CS 991 was better than M3 in almost every way, enough to justify the jump, though a bit too docile, and 991 GT3 should hit the spot.

StirlingMoss

These are the five key competitors:
- Ferrari 458 Italia
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
- Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro
- Corvette ZR1
- Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2

wanna911

Agree, and don't forget the Viper. The GT3 drew people in with it's genuine race car like feel and endurance. An analog driver connect that was not matched in anything GT. The 991 is far more mainstream and people looking for magazine bragging rights will pick a GT-R, which is growing increasingly durable, a Corvette, or Viper which are growing more refined, or simply a 997. They are going to succeed in stealing the guys who would have bought a Turbo into a GT3.

Guest89

The M3 demographic is a bit different from the existing GT3 demographic; of course there are people who could afford either, or even both, who are driving an M3 for whatever reason (practicality, more stealthy, 4 doors, etc.), but there are also LOTS of young guys who are driving the M3 because it's a great blend of performance, badge prestige, style, and practicality at a price that's not too far out of reach. A decent white collar job out of school and/or a roommate to split costs, and you can definitely afford a used M3, even a new one if you're willing to compromise a bit more. There are lots of guys on there in that bucket, and this article substantiates my claim: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25352526/

FWIW, I'm a member of Gen Y myself, and I always wanted an E9X M3 while in school. I test drove and almost made an offer on one about 13 months ago. But I bought a 993 instead.

That said, it's a really big forum, and it's not a surprise that there's a nontrivial number of people with deposits down on the 991 GT3.

fxz

:-) let s say it, the only competitor will be the new tri-Turbo

Alan Smithee

The 458 is at least twice the cost of a GT3, so only a few will cross-shop them. The sporting versions of Maserati and Aston Martin, however, are in the GT3's price range.

StirlingMoss

At least twice the cost? Not here. The 991 GT3 is 2/3 of a new 458.

Alan Smithee

GT3 is $131k in the US; you would be very hard pressed to find a new 458 here for less than $260k.

StirlingMoss

Interesting. Here the GT3 is equivalent to $200k and the 458 $300k. I think about the same relative difference in Germany.

Seems the GT3 is a bargain in the US

GrantG

I think the new C7 Corvette Z06 and ZR1 will be competition.

TRAKCAR

+1. and the regular Corvette track pack as well, the Viper as well when the ACR arrives.