AeroGT3RedWing

I doubt it will be as easy with all the electronics. The shocks are electronic. Yeah, that'll be fun to mod . . .

Look the sunroof and traction control and SATNAV are all abberations from what the GT3 should be. The C2, C4, turbo, and targas aren't great track cars. The GT2 is (er, will be) sky high on price. There is no way to get a hardcore track car from Porsche anymore, except with the GT3. With the 996 GT3 was the serious enthusiasts last resort and option. The GT3 is the only car we have.

Regardless of whether or not the new car is faster, it's moving away from the track car purpose. How far does it need to move away before someone does something? People say "oh, it's just a sunroof." Do you really think it will stop there. The 998 GT3 will probably have softer suspension aftermore 997 owners bitch about a stiff ride. It may be a "just a sunroof," but let it go uncomplained about and on future generations it will be "just 200 lb rear springs," "just a glass roof," "just a back seat," "just a wet sump block," "just a few 100 more lbs, "just 4WD" or "just a convertible - it still has a rollbar!!!"

If someone doesn't intervene and stop the watering down of the GT3 right here and now while it's something minor like a sunroof and PSM, we will have NO good trackable cars left and I'll have to look to Corvette or Lotus for my kicks. They certainly have no problem selling featureless, trackable cars for $50-70 - even $80k (Exige club sport). I can guarantee you it will be far harder to revert the GT3 back to the good ole' 996 days once it weighs 3500 lbs, has soft suspension that isn't ride height adjustable, and is in Targa trim than it would be now where it's just a sunroof that needs removing.

Larry Herman

So just hang onto your 996GT3. What's the problem? I kept my Carrera for 15 years. Do you have to have the latest & greatest all the time?

AeroGT3RedWing

No, I don't. But in the future I am going to want another track worthy Porsche. I have no intent on buying a 997, but 5-10 years down the road . . . it's scary to think what the GT3 will be then.

But some people do want the latest, and some people just don't own 996's and want a new car. New enthusiasts are going to move into being able to afford these cars every day, so to say everyone should just go buy a 996 GT3 isn't a solution.

Alan Smithee

It's "Real Carreras have 4 cams". A Porschephile would be able to get that right.

Larry Herman

And so might I. If you look at the history of Porsche, there has been an ebb & flow to how cutting edge their top performance cars have been. For some years they are quite soft, and then for a time, they produce some special cars. That usually occurs as a rethink of their objectives. I feel confident, based upon past history, that in the not to distant future they will build another car to set everyone aflame.

enthusiast

About the 964 RS America cars. The sunroof data won't hold up unless you know how many cars were really ordered by customers and how many were dealer configured cars. Dealers usually load them up because it is the American way in the car industry and they make more profit. Why wasn't the limited slip standard??? (options; color, AC, sunroof, radio, and ltd slip)

944 Turbo Cup race cars, cool. Street version 1988 944 Turbo S (951 S) and 1989 944 Turbo, while excellent machines suffered from the same non performance standard features rammed down our throats.

Porsche Purist and who can drive and who cannot drive is not relevant talk. Porsche is marketing one thing and building another. What type of Porsche you want is your business without name calling. Ruining the GT3 for everyone is crazy. The 996 GT3 had too many compromises for a lot of us but I thought it might get better in all respects with the 997 version.

N51

It's all about cycles and you've nailed it.

Noah

mamoroso

I don't think Porsche is going soft at all.
Look at it from a different point of view...
Would you define the Euro 997 GT3 a compromised car? What about the Euro 997 GT3RS? I think the latter went a little further than the 9643/993 RS as an hardcore car.

So we are all pissed that THESE cars are not making it to the US shores... but then again did we ever get an RS over here? Nope, no 2.7 RS, no Carrera Sport Club, no 9664 RS, no 993 RS, no 996 GT3 RS.

These are the iconic cars that made every die-hard Porschephile dream. But here in the US we could only see the pics on the nice European mags.

So maybe we are all disappointed that we got screwed again with watered down versions of the Euro cars... Maybe they should have called them GT3A and GT3 RSA without all the marketing bs.

You say the 996 GT3 was at least closer to the Euro one... Yes that's true.

All I am saying is that Porsche AG is on the right track IMO. And I'd take a Euro 997 GT3 RS without complaining.

Ed Newman

You are correct that this is mostly a US issue. The ROW cars are better, albeit not what many of us would want. How about radio delete, power window delete, power trunk release delete, carpet padding delete, etc.

mamoroso

True, but the RSs never were THAT hardcore. I just do not agree with the notion that Porsche as a marque is going soft and that we'll have to look elsewhere for a real sportscar.

But by that token Porsche never sent a real sportscar to the US until maybe the 996 GT3.

Ed Newman

964 RSA - no sunroof, radio and A/C delete options, manual windows, less padding and noise deadening

911 RS - no sunroof, no radio, no A/C, manual windows, carpet... what carpet!

MJSpeed

993RS Clubsport is pretty hardcore...

Flying Finn

+1

I think the principle of current RSs is "what's the minimum we need to remove from the regular model?", where as in 993 RS CS the principle was "how little we need to add to the BARE shell?".