Dario gets his GT3
01-18-2015, 06:09 PM
#1
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Dario gets his GT3
From latest online edition of EVO
Champ
by DARIO FRANCHITTI
The days of driving around a car’s flaws with a smile on your face are coming to an end, says Dario, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Logic suggests that a new car will always be better than the car it replaces. This is nearly always the case because rarely does a manufacturer take a backwards step and release a model that’s genuinely worse than before. The new car might be different – and therefore a few of us will declare that it’s not as good – but in reality it will be better. New cars are cleaner, more powerful and offer stronger performance. That makes them better, right?
Before Christmas a 991 GT3 came into my life. It’s a sensational car and I can see why evo holds it in such high regard, but as a diehard Porsche fan and serial 911 owner I was a little hesitant about buying a car that could only be specified with a PDK gearbox. I’m a ‘three pedals’ driver and that interaction you get when changing gear – the mechanical link with the car – is one of the last bastions of driver involvement. Then I experienced the breadth of ability that PDK offers and was happy to change my view.
Heading into the city I can leave the car in Drive and there isn’t a moment when I think a manual would be better. But it was only when I first had the GT3 out on the roads I know really well that I truly appreciated what PDK brings to a car like this. Select Sport mode and change gear yourself with the two paddles and the shifts are amazing: they are so fast – so much faster than I could ever achieve with a manual shift – and the ’box reacts exactly how I expect it to. It even performs perfect heel-and-toe downshifts, something I admit I was never the greatest at – at least not in an IndyCar when I had to change from seventh to first in 100 metres for a hairpin!
‘By the time the 997 arrived it was clear that Porsche was working to eradicate what it considered a flaw but what we all considered to be the car’s most endearing character trait’
But of course you’d expect this technology to outperform the driver – it’s what manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren excel at, developing and honing their products to make them the best they can be. I have always loved the open gate of a manual Ferrari, but can understand that today a pair of paddles on the back of the steering wheel is the quickest and most efficient way to get the best from the company’s glorious engines. Porsche has come to the same conclusion with the GT3, and PDK is the best way to enjoy the car’s performance.
The big question, then, is whether the latest technology-laden sports cars feel like the originals that laid the foundations you and I built our motoring experiences on.
Taking the GT3 as an example, yes they do. You can still bring the engine into play by braking hard into a corner when you turn in and using that rear weight bias to good effect. In this respect it feels very much like a 911. But, and here’s the interesting bit, the steering is now so sharp and quick to react that you don’t need to bring the rear into play. There is so much front-end grip that you don’t need to drive it like you do older 911s.
In pre-1990s 911s the steering wheel kicked and writhed in your hands, feeding back information as you juggled the front end into a corner. The 964, 993 and 996 did it too, but with each generation the sensation faded. By the time the 997 arrived it was clear that Porsche was working to eradicate what it considered a flaw, but what we all considered to be the car’s most endearing character trait.
A car’s personality is always a tricky subject. To some of us it is what draws us in, for others it’s what keeps them away at all costs. But while those of us who enjoy the traits of our favourite cars learn to drive around even the more extreme ones, others spend a lifetime trying to eradicate them. No more so than the manufacturers themselves in a bid to widen a car’s appeal.
The current GT3 is still a 911 at heart, but the classic 911 character has been hidden by its performance. With such high limits it’s harder to experience those traditional traits because opportunities to drive fast on the road are few and far between.
Of course, trackdays are a great way to experience a car’s abilities, but my life has been one big trackday, so I avoid them. This leaves me, then, with one of the most accomplished and fastest road and track cars money can buy, being used purely as an everyday road car. But this suits me just fine, because I have plenty of old cars stuffed with character to enjoy when the mood takes me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dario is a three-time Indy 500 winner and four-time IndyCar champ @dariofranchitti
Champ
by DARIO FRANCHITTI
The days of driving around a car’s flaws with a smile on your face are coming to an end, says Dario, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Logic suggests that a new car will always be better than the car it replaces. This is nearly always the case because rarely does a manufacturer take a backwards step and release a model that’s genuinely worse than before. The new car might be different – and therefore a few of us will declare that it’s not as good – but in reality it will be better. New cars are cleaner, more powerful and offer stronger performance. That makes them better, right?
Before Christmas a 991 GT3 came into my life. It’s a sensational car and I can see why evo holds it in such high regard, but as a diehard Porsche fan and serial 911 owner I was a little hesitant about buying a car that could only be specified with a PDK gearbox. I’m a ‘three pedals’ driver and that interaction you get when changing gear – the mechanical link with the car – is one of the last bastions of driver involvement. Then I experienced the breadth of ability that PDK offers and was happy to change my view.
Heading into the city I can leave the car in Drive and there isn’t a moment when I think a manual would be better. But it was only when I first had the GT3 out on the roads I know really well that I truly appreciated what PDK brings to a car like this. Select Sport mode and change gear yourself with the two paddles and the shifts are amazing: they are so fast – so much faster than I could ever achieve with a manual shift – and the ’box reacts exactly how I expect it to. It even performs perfect heel-and-toe downshifts, something I admit I was never the greatest at – at least not in an IndyCar when I had to change from seventh to first in 100 metres for a hairpin!
‘By the time the 997 arrived it was clear that Porsche was working to eradicate what it considered a flaw but what we all considered to be the car’s most endearing character trait’
But of course you’d expect this technology to outperform the driver – it’s what manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren excel at, developing and honing their products to make them the best they can be. I have always loved the open gate of a manual Ferrari, but can understand that today a pair of paddles on the back of the steering wheel is the quickest and most efficient way to get the best from the company’s glorious engines. Porsche has come to the same conclusion with the GT3, and PDK is the best way to enjoy the car’s performance.
The big question, then, is whether the latest technology-laden sports cars feel like the originals that laid the foundations you and I built our motoring experiences on.
Taking the GT3 as an example, yes they do. You can still bring the engine into play by braking hard into a corner when you turn in and using that rear weight bias to good effect. In this respect it feels very much like a 911. But, and here’s the interesting bit, the steering is now so sharp and quick to react that you don’t need to bring the rear into play. There is so much front-end grip that you don’t need to drive it like you do older 911s.
In pre-1990s 911s the steering wheel kicked and writhed in your hands, feeding back information as you juggled the front end into a corner. The 964, 993 and 996 did it too, but with each generation the sensation faded. By the time the 997 arrived it was clear that Porsche was working to eradicate what it considered a flaw, but what we all considered to be the car’s most endearing character trait.
A car’s personality is always a tricky subject. To some of us it is what draws us in, for others it’s what keeps them away at all costs. But while those of us who enjoy the traits of our favourite cars learn to drive around even the more extreme ones, others spend a lifetime trying to eradicate them. No more so than the manufacturers themselves in a bid to widen a car’s appeal.
The current GT3 is still a 911 at heart, but the classic 911 character has been hidden by its performance. With such high limits it’s harder to experience those traditional traits because opportunities to drive fast on the road are few and far between.
Of course, trackdays are a great way to experience a car’s abilities, but my life has been one big trackday, so I avoid them. This leaves me, then, with one of the most accomplished and fastest road and track cars money can buy, being used purely as an everyday road car. But this suits me just fine, because I have plenty of old cars stuffed with character to enjoy when the mood takes me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dario is a three-time Indy 500 winner and four-time IndyCar champ @dariofranchitti
01-18-2015, 07:40 PM
#5
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Thank you for posting. A terrific read.
01-18-2015, 08:08 PM
#7
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The current GT3 is still a 911 at heart, but the classic 911 character has been hidden by its performance. With such high limits it’s harder to experience those traditional traits because opportunities to drive fast on the road are few and far between.
Of course, trackdays are a great way to experience a car’s abilities, but my life has been one big trackday, so I avoid them. This leaves me, then, with one of the most accomplished and fastest road and track cars money can buy, being used purely as an everyday road car. But this suits me just fine, because I have plenty of old cars stuffed with character to enjoy when the mood takes me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Of course, trackdays are a great way to experience a car’s abilities, but my life has been one big trackday, so I avoid them. This leaves me, then, with one of the most accomplished and fastest road and track cars money can buy, being used purely as an everyday road car. But this suits me just fine, because I have plenty of old cars stuffed with character to enjoy when the mood takes me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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01-19-2015, 12:06 AM
#9
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Even a "diehard" 3 pedals pro race driver like Dario Franchitti admits that the 991 GT3 is a fantastic car despite the PDK-S and lack of a manual transmission. We are also seeing more and more people on the forum who has/previously had the 997 GT3 also praise the 991 GT3 as a big "improvement" over the older car. And we all know that almost all reviews of the car from the auto journalists are immensely positive. The PDK-S just "fits" the 991 GT3 drivetrain so well. And coming from tracking front engine RWD cars previously, I LOVE the fact that the 991 chassis is "easier to drive" because it has less understeer and snap oversteer that was typical of previous 911's, yet retain the benefits of a rear engine design to shorten braking distances and power out of corners.
It's funny.....I've never owned a car that has received so much praise from almost every source. Most of the people who still question/criticize the 991 GT3 tend to be ones who haven't really driven it for any significant time. I'm sure there are some who really don't like the 991 GT3 despite driving it, but I suspect this is a small minority of people.
It's funny.....I've never owned a car that has received so much praise from almost every source. Most of the people who still question/criticize the 991 GT3 tend to be ones who haven't really driven it for any significant time. I'm sure there are some who really don't like the 991 GT3 despite driving it, but I suspect this is a small minority of people.
01-19-2015, 01:25 AM
#10
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Best 911 EVER
There has never been a better 911 ever, period.
Anyone who keeps saying a 3 pedal this, or a more flawed chassis dynamic makes for a more interesting drivers car purely just has not spent enough time behind the wheel of this car.
Yes, the limits are so high that they are hard to reach on the street, but the car never stops reminding you, whether in traffic with a noisy flywheel or just cruising down the street feeling every ripple in the road, that this is a VERY dynamic and focused machine. Yes it has pdk, rear steer, PASM, blah blah blah, but unlike most cars today with all the gizmos, it still feels very analog and old school, which truly is why it really is the best 911 ever.
I cut my teeth in pro racing mostly with Porsche's, had amazing success with the marque, have won most every endurance race with them and a couple championships flogging these rear engine marvels. However, thus said, honestly, I am not a Porsche-phile can only drive a Porsche geek, I am just a real passionate car guy. i love all cars and currently have other cars in the GT3 category from other manufacturers but every time I go to work or slalom a canyon in my GT3 I am dumbfounded about how great this cars is, not to mention it's 150k...., which to me is AMAZING value.
If it doesn't become one of those "cars of our time" a true classic, weather its two years from now or twenty, than I know nothing about cars, and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it. It's a perfect balance of useability and ultimate performance. Drive it to dinner, drive it to work or go wring it's neck in a canyon or auto cross or track event...it doesn't care, nor will you because you will never feel like you brought he wrong car to dinner or to the track.
Cheers,
Anyone who keeps saying a 3 pedal this, or a more flawed chassis dynamic makes for a more interesting drivers car purely just has not spent enough time behind the wheel of this car.
Yes, the limits are so high that they are hard to reach on the street, but the car never stops reminding you, whether in traffic with a noisy flywheel or just cruising down the street feeling every ripple in the road, that this is a VERY dynamic and focused machine. Yes it has pdk, rear steer, PASM, blah blah blah, but unlike most cars today with all the gizmos, it still feels very analog and old school, which truly is why it really is the best 911 ever.
I cut my teeth in pro racing mostly with Porsche's, had amazing success with the marque, have won most every endurance race with them and a couple championships flogging these rear engine marvels. However, thus said, honestly, I am not a Porsche-phile can only drive a Porsche geek, I am just a real passionate car guy. i love all cars and currently have other cars in the GT3 category from other manufacturers but every time I go to work or slalom a canyon in my GT3 I am dumbfounded about how great this cars is, not to mention it's 150k...., which to me is AMAZING value.
If it doesn't become one of those "cars of our time" a true classic, weather its two years from now or twenty, than I know nothing about cars, and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it. It's a perfect balance of useability and ultimate performance. Drive it to dinner, drive it to work or go wring it's neck in a canyon or auto cross or track event...it doesn't care, nor will you because you will never feel like you brought he wrong car to dinner or to the track.
Cheers,
01-19-2015, 01:29 AM
#11
GT3 player par excellence
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^ right on, cort!
i just drove the same route back to back in my 4.0 and 991gt3. different for sure and i am not so ure the 4.0 is better !
i just drove the same route back to back in my 4.0 and 991gt3. different for sure and i am not so ure the 4.0 is better !
01-19-2015, 04:17 AM
#13
Race Director
These articles are killing me as my car sits covered in my garage with charger awaiting the Spring. I should of took her out today as we were 45 and sunny but roads filled with salt. Came very close but did not want to have to deal with cleaning her ect next weekend when it could be negative degrees and snow falling.
Great read. It does not take long when you first get in to this car that you realize you are driving something special.
Great read. It does not take long when you first get in to this car that you realize you are driving something special.
01-19-2015, 04:42 AM
#15
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Great reading
if you consider also the Electric future
and the limited production
our GT3 will be a classic value in
very few years
if you consider also the Electric future
and the limited production
our GT3 will be a classic value in
very few years