DES GTS

Well said. Using my GT3 for the purpose for which it was created is a particular pleasure, at least for me. I had the privilege of taking a few hot laps around Mosport with Daniel Morad in a "regular" GT3 (not his GT3 Cup car) which showed me what the car can do in the hands of truly skilled driver and why driving it on the street cannot possibly scratch the surface of its immense capabilities!

Para82

I read recently that something like 80% of the 997 GT3 series are tracked. I highly doubt the 991 GT3's are seeing as much track use. I think the automatic trans allows a much larger interested audience into the GT3 - many people today will not (can not) drive a manual transmission. So with a much larger base interested you're going to have more than just you're typical track enthusiasts getting into the car.

Para82

And be happy we have guys who do maintain garage queens, they're keeping it really nice and pretty for the next buyer.

rockitman

I agree about the need to track the car at least once...(you will do more..trust) When you go for the first handful of times you are in the beginning runs groups, which imo are safer than the advanced groups...cars are slower, you don't have multiple cars stuck to your *** like the advanced red groups and the track testosterone is at a much lower level with well run track day outfits...this all points to an enjoyable and safe track day for your car and you.

FORENN

Completely agree.

kyrocks

I disagree. The slower and inexperienced run groups are more dangerous. In the experienced groups, people are usually predictable and the closing speeds aren't as bad as being in the lower run groups. You know what people are going to do and there usually is courteous driving with no one having to prove themselves. This is a generalization of course.

bronson7

This debate will never go away. I truly enjoy the car without taking it to the track, but I'm really getting itchy to go one day. I believe what most say, that you can't really appreciate it's engineering, unless tracked. I will agree with that.

rockitman

Depends on the track day outfit...ime when you first start out you have an instructor keeping the newby drivers in check...Unlike that corvette viral dude chasing the gt3

Ps: another factor is how many cars are there on the track in each run group. Advanced groups seem to have more cars, more chances for incidents.

Kobalt

"Hi, I'm Kobalt, I'm a trackjunkie"

If you are happy with your car and haven't driven on track: Don't try track driving.
When you done it - normal driving is not so fun anymore.

If you like to drive on trackdays - don't try to race in a race series.
When you done that - normal trackday driving is not fun anymore.

If you like normal racing - don't try F1...

So I guess as long you are happy - then everything is fine - driving on a track or not, having the car mostly in the garage or not.

Life is too short not to have fun and to be happy.

rockitman

Hard to argue with that !

GregJGT3

What I find endearing with the GT3 is that you don't have to take it to the track to appreciate the car and have fun with it. I have been racing for 25 years. I do love that experience. What the GT3 allows is you can feel the performance abilities of the car that senses heightened by track experience have honed. The GT3 is so interesting and capable that as you drive it you can get a little nudge of "track feel" in everyday environments. My track days are about 20 days a year. Out of 365 possible days that is not enough "enjoyment" time and getting a lick of that thrill every day really feeds the "beast." For me I don't have to go flat out track/race mode for 30 minutes straight every day. Getting a few minutes here and there (augmented with the pure track days) each time I take it out is great. I appreciate Porsche for making a car that you can use as a DD yet at the same time get some track feel in non-track environments. I may never take the GT3 to the track, I have 7 other cars for that, BUT I bet I get more track feel and enjoyment from my DD GT3 in minutes/year accumulated than I get all year actually on the track...

dntlvet

The 2,000 mile break in has kept some off the track this year.

NateOZ

This is what has me always buying cars like the GT3 - I only get to the track about 20 days a year as well. Fortunately it is about 5 hours of seat time a day so it helps. I find regular street cars far less exciting and have no real plans to track my incoming RS. I do plan on sending my track car to Florida this winter so I can try to do more than 20 days though.

I drive my GT3 to and from the track as my car gets towed for me and it makes that 3 hour round trip much more enjoyable, especially crossing bear mountain etc.

Ceepe

Greg. I respect what you're saying. I think something might have been lost in the thinking behind the OP. I was less trying to get into a judgement of cars that see the track, and cars that don't. And more about how special this particular car is at the limit. And I guess specifically, how that balances with an all around comfortable accessible machine.

It sounds like you have worlds more experience and have owned more Porsche's than I will ever own. I respect the opinions of people like yourself, and all other owners that have contributed to this thread.

The first thing that struck me upon pulling away from the dealership on delivery was how compliant and forgiving the car feels. One could drive this car from coast to coast no problem. I think good times can be had in life using a car like this, no doubt. Great memories, great experiences, great drives. I get all that. But how comfortable this car is to drive, how special it feels all the time, anytime, how intuitive the transmission is, in a sense leads one off the scent. All those things are happening in conjunction with a machine that can hang with the previous elite track offerings. I mean the turn-in alone is mind blowing. The spirit it displays when working hard is amazing, almost alive right there with you. Certainly 7.2RS performance, if not exceeding that. With all that GT comfort that we speak of in there too. Those two things happening, to the degree they're happening, in the same car is nuts. It just seems to me that if one never fully goes the distance with it, that the stuff that we get most of the time in daily life might not seem as grand, or as impressive. Like all things, it comes down to a balance and this one might have the ultimate balance.

I also think I might have had more fun on the streets with my 991 C2S. A slight lift at 40MPH in a turn on a public road would tuck in the nose and have the car dancing around. The same lift in the GT3 does nothing, line unchanged. It's not until I double the speed do I feel the same movement in the GT3. There are times when you can do that kind of thing, but where i live I get very few times, and it's always at the cost of having to set it up perfectly and pretty much worry. At the end of the day I find this GT3 extraordinary. I did right away. But it was not until I saw how far it can explore that the full context and appreciation came into focus.

GregJGT3

Wellllll, sounds like we agree to agree. I certainly will stipulate that the car is not fully known until it is on the limit. My point is that you don't have to get there to appreciate what it is capable of or get a little performance/track nudge from the experience. I am originally prompted by the premise (and title) of this thread I.e. "Unhappy grange queens " and the inference the car belongs and deserves track time and if not given that use it is "unhappy" and a waste of good technology and automotive build execution.