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Hello! Given that I have been a huge beneficiary of this great forum for quite a while, I thought I’d share my GT3 experience. My dad and I are lifetime Porsche enthusiasts – my dad used to be an instructor with PCA in the early 1980s and I grew up riding to school in his 1990 911 C2 (and later ended up doing a lot of track driving). Well, 25 years later, he and I decided to go 50/50 to purchase a new GT3 together.
We’ve been following the new GT3 since the press introduction and finally decided to take the leap this past August. Since I live in the Bay Area year-round and he and my mom (both retired) live in Orange County from July-Dec, I’ll get the car the first half of the year and he’ll get the car the other half. I’ve also had a 981BS since 2013 and have a F355 as a weekend car. Finding a GT3 proved challenging at the time but thanks to some persistent phone calling, my dad found an allocation slot in LA at Pacific Porsche. White with leather interior, lift, large fuel tank and Sound Plus / PCM.
Four months later, our new GT3 arrived on 12/30 and our sales guy was nice enough to send us a bunch of pictures. Due to family/work commitments I had to wait ten (long) days before flying down to pick her up (along with my wonderful wife). We spent this past Friday and Saturday driving her back up via 101 and then Highway 1 from Cambria through Big Sur.
Wow is all I can say. The wait was definitely worth it and this car is unbelievable! So dialed-in, so capable, so stuck to the road. I’ve been fortunate to drive a lot of great cars in the past and it only took 15 minutes of wide open curves to realize that nothing I have driven compares to this car. The first day was driving mainly on straight highways, so I had only a glimpse of what this car is all about. The second day, we woke up in our hotel in Cambria and headed up Highway 1 into Big Sur. Traffic was light, the sun was out and I felt like I was 17 years old again (I’m 36). This car is so much fun and I still have a big wide grin on my face! Below is a video montage of the Big Sur drive, courtesy of my new GoPro. Thanks again to everyone for all of the great info and I look forward to seeing some of you locally at upcoming track events.
What a great first drive in a great car. Were there any areas on PCH where there was road construction? A few years back I did that drive in my 997S and there were areas that weren't even paved. I'm planning on doing the drive in my GT3 this month and was a little concerned regarding road condition.
Congrats on your new car! Love the color! And congrats on living in California where you can drive
that road! The best there is! Period! Had a chance to ride my bicycle from Half Moon Bay
to Cambria 2 years ago in October and dreamed of driving a GT3 on it! You lucky man!
Thanks everyone for the kind words - my dad and I do get along well, so I am lucky. But it's also good that he's 3000 miles away the first half of the year, so we're not fighting for those GT3 keys all the time
We drove Highway 1 starting in Cambria and then all the way until Highway 17 in Santa Cruz. The road was generally in great shape. In the southern part of Big Sur, there was still some evidence of the big landslide that took out part of the highway a couple of years ago - there is one section that is one lane with signals on either side and there is a new short covered section / bridge. Overall, though, I thought the road was in great shape - smooth and plenty wide enough to make driving enjoyable.
I know of some folks who do that bicycle trip as well (they go from SF to Santa Monica) - very impressive! Those are great pics. We did see a few bicyclists and I imagine they were having a great time - sunny weather and perhaps a bit more time to take in the scenery since it is going by a bit slower.
My wife is definitely a keeper - she indulges my car passion and even goes along for the ride. Having young kids (4 yr. old daughter and 1 yr. old son) can be tough sometimes, so a break every once in a while is huge - we were gone 34 hours and it felt like 5 days!
Her photography skills were also much appreciated and we got a lot of nice shots along the way. I'd recommend this drive to everyone - I only regret it being a bit too far to manage for a day trip.
But it's also good that he's 3000 miles away the first half of the year, so we're not fighting for those GT3 keys all the time
I was thinking that it's a good job you've got a couple of other toys as I'm not sure how you could give up the keys to this thing for half a year? Even if it is your Dad!!!!
Thanks for the story and pics - that was a great way to pick up the car. Also good to see another Bay Area GT3. Just a perception but it seems the Norcal guys are out doing the Socal guys in terms of numbers?
01-12-2015, 01:30 AM
GT3 Pickup and Drive through Big Sur
And congrats on living in California where you can drive
