When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Love this car. I just wished automotive journalists didn’t start this trend of working for auction sites which makes them completely biased in their reviews.
It’s no different than pump and dump schemes of the big Wall Street players back in the day of the 80’s and 90’s. The research “analysts” would write glowing reports while their bankers sold deals in the companies. Same s@it different market.
Love this car. I just wished automotive journalists didn’t start this trend of working for auction sites which makes them completely biased in their reviews.
It’s no different than pump and dump schemes of the big Wall Street players back in the day of the 80’s and 90’s. The research “analysts” would write glowing reports while their bankers sold deals in the companies. Same s@it different market.
if you're listening to any sell-side analyst that's on you
Chris does love these cars though, if there is an angle here besides paid promotion for cars being listed on his auction site, I don't really see it.
Chris Harris regularly bangs on about the 996.2 GT3 and particularly how good the steering is on the podcast, so he is a genuine fan. It's worth noting that he is NOT a fan of the 996.1 GT3 and was fairly critical of them in an article he wrote about 10 years back.
Chris Harris regularly bangs on about the 996.2 GT3 and particularly how good the steering is on the podcast, so he is a genuine fan. It's worth noting that he is NOT a fan of the 996.1 GT3 and was fairly critical of them in an article he wrote about 10 years back.
He talks a good game. But the steering is identical on both cars, only the spring and damper rates differ… A Mk 1 can be made to turn in and steer just like a Mk 2.
The RS steering is however different, I found my car pointy to the degree it was nervous and followed cambers and tramlined badly, great on track, less than ideal on the road. Overall I thought it the worst iteration of a 996 GT3 for road use.
Mine lasted all of 3 months before I sold it and went back to a Manthey fettled Mk 1 that was far superior on the road, sounded better, and was even more responsive north of 5k rpm.
FWIW Harris is fast losing credibility in the UK since losing the Top Gear gig. He’s sold his soul to an auction site and in the process is fast becoming a laughing stock.
As an aside, I found myself on the Bilstein stand at the Autosport show (the UK’s biggest annual Motorsport show) in January 2014.
I got chatting to a gentleman who seemed to know his onions when it came to all things Porsche.
I happened to mention I owned a 964 RS, whereby he replied he too had owned one since 2007.
"Great cars, really fun to drive" he opined gently.
As said gentleman seemed happy to chat, I cheekily ventured to ask him which he thought was the best 996 generation GT3.
He thought for a moment, and after a brief pause replied "I think the original 360 horsepower version. It's a nice car to drive"
"Ahh, I have one of those" I responded "and I watched you driving a yellow one as course car on Rally Deutschland 2001"
"Ah yes, that car had done 70,000kms, it was wonderful car ! On the fast stages in Saarland we were as fast as or faster than the WRC cars" (the car was fitted with PCCB brakes)
So who was the mystery man on the Bilstein stand ....... ?
^^^ I wasn’t talking about the steering between the two cars. It was more surrounding gearbox weakness, lack of brakes and probably lack of claimed HP. All things that have been addressed in most 996.1 over time. For the record I love all of them and would not hesitate to own a 996.1 in the right colour. I did not find 996 RS to be anything hugely special in comparison to my lightly fettled 6.2 when I drove both cars back to back on track. Grateful for the experience but did not get out wishing I had one! The greatest thing about the RS is the look IMO.
Great RW story. Everyone in Porsche has a favourite GT3. Some like 6.1, others 6.2 others 7.2. The 996 cars are clear favourites of mine.
^^^ I wasn’t talking about the steering between the two cars. It was more surrounding gearbox weakness, lack of brakes and probably lack of claimed HP. All things that have been addressed in most 996.1 over time. For the record I love all of them and would not hesitate to own a 996.1 in the right colour. I did not find 996 RS to be anything hugely special in comparison to my lightly fettled 6.2 when I drove both cars back to back on track. Grateful for the experience but did not get out wishing I had one! The greatest thing about the RS is the look IMO.
Great RW story. Everyone in Porsche has a favourite GT3. Some like 6.1, others 6.2 others 7.2. The 996 cars are clear favourites of mine.
Harris decided to denigrate the Mk 1 in a feature on the PistonHeads forum many years ago, I and other owners were robust in our defence of the cars, but rather than play nice, he continued his denigration. It didn’t do him any favours IMO, but worse still, he’s continued to up the ante ever since. It makes him look a bit silly really as the car was what it was, the seminal GT3.
Harris maintains it was only marginally quicker than a 996.1 C2, that the brakes were suspect (yet he’s never denigrated the 996 Turbo fitted with essentially the same brakes with its an additional 60hp, more torque, and which I imagine would have carried a 150-200kg weight penalty ?) Go figure.
The Mk 1 GT3 transmission used less durable phosphor bronze synchro hubs, which drivers without any mechanical sympathy managed to destroy, I’ve owned four Mk 1’s, all had perfect gearboxes despite being tracked by previous owners … Again go figure.
For sure, the Mk 2 cars were an improvement, as has every new iteration of the GT3 been, but that doesn’t automatically render the previous generation a POS as Harris seems to suggests the Mk 1 is…
I couldn’t agree more, the 996 GT3RS wasn’t significantly better than a 996.2 GT3, and I too would maintain you’re better off buying a 996.2 GT3 and fettling it, whilst still saving a large chunk of cash over buying the RS version.
The RS is “one for the collectors” due to its rarity. But they are all wonderful, analogue cars.
01-30-2024, 07:28 AM
