Philip in AL

Doesn't it make sense, that if the 997S handles as well, and is almost as fast as the 996GT3, then the 997 GT3 is sure to out handle AND out outperform the current GT3 in every catagory?

GT3BB

I saw somewhere that the Cup track times are a few seconds faster than the 996 times.

mooty

997GT3 will for sure be faster than 996GT3. better chassis, most likely stiffer too.

DanH

Yes but the cups now have a sequential box, an electric power steering pump moved to the front & no ABS. I suspect almost all of the speed increase is down to this, and very little of that translates to the road car.

The stiffness argument is probably irrelevant too. A fair number of us have cages in our cars which is near the ultimate in stiffness, and its not adding seconds onto lap times!

I'm sure Porsche will pull out a faster ring time to justify the new car, but in reality how different is it likely to be? Its based on the same engine, and even if they quote 400 bhp, most mk2s that have been tested that I know of have put out near that anyway.

Thats ignoring the fact that every evolution of the 911 seems to remove some of its character.

I'm sure it will be a good car, but I'll be surprised if its as big an improvement as some seem to think.

Z06

It will have more torque and a bit more HP..I do not think it will be much quicker than the GT3 996 12.0 1/4, maybe 11.80 1/4 mile.... 997 will have a little more jump comming out of the corners.

..larger tires, at least they will fit better.. better aerodynamics.. overall it will be a bit quicker...and of course it will have the new look ...

as much as I may like the new 997 GT3 the car I have now is great.... to spend alot of money for a little gain, it's not worth it...

cosmos

I too do not think it will be a WOW look at the difference type thing. What I do think it will do is hide the mistakes that bad drivers make and make them appear better than they really are.

The 997 GT3 will mask most of the traits that the 911 has, just as each incarnation of the previous model. The 993 did it compared to the 964 and the 996 did it compared to the 993, so it is logical that the 997 will do it compared to the 996.

What you will see is people who have less driving skill drive the 997 GT3 just as fast as people in the 996 GT3 who have more skill.

From here on out, I can't see the next model of any car, wether it be the e46 M3 to the e90 M3 or even the 996 TT to the 997 TT be that much faster. These were very competant chassis to begin with, and the power plants are not rising is power that much.

This is also my opinon and should be taken with a grain of NaCl

DanH

Well its easy to boost the power in the turbos, but I think you are right for the NA engines. Its not going to be a revolution, especially as they apparently aren't increasing the size of the block.

In fact if they really want to improve performance, I wonder if they'll go for DSG boxes and possibly optimise the gear ratios a bit.

fryd

In other words, spend your money on driving lessons and not on trading your 996 for a 997 (GT3). That's where your lap times will really improve. [I can speak from experience!]

DanH

Yep!

I was bitching on here only the other day about too much steering chatter and deflection in corners on my RS. Had a driving instructor with me on Sat and he asked if I'd driven many 911s. I was taking corners all wrong with not enough throttle which was putting too much weight on the front causing the steering to kick a lot. He got me going in slower, using more power through the corner then blasting out, oh and holding the wheel much more lightly (without hooking my thumbs). It was a revelation, I'm no longer fighting the car and its not getting deflected as much which appears to have been largely down to my poor technique!

FixedWing

I don't see it. The chassis are basically identical. the components on the 996 GT3 are already very good. The set-up also is well thought out. So where is there room for meaningful improvement?

Where I see potential is a) more power and b) the addition of PSM. How much more power is practical? And how well wil PSM go down with the community?

So if there is going to be a difference I think it will be small -- much less than the improvement of the 996 GT3 Mk2 over the 996 GT3 Mk1.

Stephen

GT3Bob

But John,
Will the factory ever get the alignment and camber correct? The 996 gt3 was never a good street car, and mostly a good track car. It only becomes a REALLY great track car after some fine tuning of bars, suspension, camber and tires. Is there a political reason why the car cannot come track ready "out of the box"?

nuf whining... GT3Bob

Nordschleife

Bob
The GT3 is a street car that you can take to the track. In their home territory many of them are daily drivers. It is reasonable to ship the car ex factory in street mode. People tracking the car will have their own set up preferences.

R+C

Philip in AL

I think you guys may be missing what I'm really getting at. What I mean is that obviously Porsche has done something "right" with the new 997 S platform. The car is "almost" as fast, in EVERY aspect as the 996 GT3. So doesn't it reason that the 997 GT3 will be a faster and better handling car than the 997 S? AND THEREFORE, will be faster and better handling than our 996 GT3's! In other words, ANY increase to performance and handling to a 997 S (as they will do to get the GT3) will undoubtedly make it faster and handle better than our 996 GT 3.

GrantG

I think the 997GT3 will be a significant improvement. I expect that the GT3 will incorporate the imroved geometry of the RS suspension at a minimum (and maybe improve upon it). I also would not be surprised to see a 3.8L dry-sump motor which would add a bit more torque. For those who like PCCB, the next GT3 will have a much better setup than the carbons on the GT3 MkII.

NJ-GT

In my opinion it won't be worth the upgrade for existing 996GT3 owners, even with a 997GT3 dry sump.

My perception is that the 997GT3 will have a base price of $110k. Adding PCCB and some minor options I have on my car, it might hit $125k.

Is the 997GT3 going to be that much better than the 996GT3 to justify an almost $50k upgrade? $50k is a huge down payment on a second car such as the Cayman S, 06 Z06, air cooled 993S, 997S, etc. Is the 997GT3 going to be more special than a cheaper 996GT2?

I might get a 997GT3, when my car is out of warranty. I might get it on an used market where the price will be fair, after taking a big hit on MSRP due to excessive production. Trading my '04 996GT3 on 2008 for an used '08 997GT3 with extended warranty.