Nizer

Don't count on it. Pat Long driving a 996 GT3 would easily smoke most new 991 GT3 owners. You will always be better served spending money on coaching vs on performance.

But, I agree with the overall thrust of your post. AFAIC, the whole Nurburgring Arms Race that the Germans started and now seems to have sucked in every performance car manufacturer is idiotic. There's no public road (at least in US) where one can sanely/safely exploit the potential of any of these cars going back 3-4 generations, let alone what's produced today. And as performance and price escalate the downside risk of tracking street cars grows exponentially.

Conekilr

Most modern cars offer way more performance than can be safely used on the streets but cars like the GT3 are more aimed at the enthusiast who not only would take the car to the occasional track day, but also have an appreciation for the engineering/technology that makes these cars what they are and show what they are capable of.

For me the GT3 will be a weekend car used for some weekend cruising/dinner out with the wife, spirited drives in less populated areas and some track days (3-5 per year) where I can comfortably drive to about 7-8/10ths. Will I ever get to or want to find the limits of this car, perhaps, but it's not necessary for me but it's nice to know that I have a car that's capable of getting me to within 7-8/10ths of my race car.
Yes, there will be the occasional C&C/car show to share the passion with other car enthusiast...

I am very excited to get this car and all these amazing results are making the wait so much harder..

Conekilr

Couldn't agree more but it's still nice to be able to own cars like these as we don't know when the party will be over !!

Manifold

I dunno, and I have a 997.1 C2S with 6MT, and maybe I should just be content with it. The car is plenty engaging on the road at reasonable speeds, plenty fast on the track and challenging in a fun way, and not too expensive if I wreck it. What I really want is either a 997 GT3 at a good price (I think they're currently overpriced) or a manual 991 GT3 which exploits the 991 platform but is otherwise very similar to a 997 GT3. I think the root of the problem is that the 991 GT3, while a helluva car, isn't what I hoped for, and so far I'm unable to embrace it for my use.

MaxLTV

It's been the case for well over a decade. Even BRZ is an overkill for street driving most of the time. On top of that, the roads are so broken down that I can often drive faster in Cayenne or X5 than in my track M3. Frustrating, but fortunately track time is relatively cheap.

Nizer

Agreed. EOD, these are bragging rights, hey look at me toys. If you can and want to then you should.

CBejbl

Describes me almost perfectly.

Sonnen Porsche

Braking distance is very impressive!

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...toppers-page-4

135 feet is the shortest stop I have seen on a stock car. I managed that same distance on a modified 2006 Evo MR with an Alcon front brake kit and Toyo RA1 tires.

ShakeNBake

Key bit. Cars stop faster on track tires

911dev

ditto!

Mike in CA

Same here and....

agree completely.

tmg57

@Conekilr nailed it. I suspect the majority of GT3 owners will fit his profile. Of course, there will be people at both ends of the distribution curve that won't use the car the same way. Dedicated "track rats" at one end and "garage queen" detailers at the other. Nobody will be completely happy, but it seems that Porsche has done a pretty good job of appealing to the big middle group. In marketing, that's a nice place to be.

Manifold

I do dozens of track days a year, so for me a car that's tracked only 3 to 5 days is mainly a street car. For that use, I'd be much more interested in the M3/4 than the 991 GT3.

tmg57

Right. The new 991 GT3 IS a street car. The fact that it will be an outstanding track performer just adds to its desirability.

BTW, I wouldn't drive an M3 if you dropped one off in my driveway with the title on the front seat.

911dev

But then your track days and street time would be far less fun.