FFaust

^ Kind of scary isn't it if you are thinking of mods.

911SLOW

LWFW is a go! Mk1 clubsport had it from factory.. : )

Seats I would stay with something that is period correct. 997GT seats are not plus what would be the advantage with them? they offer same support like 996 gt3 recaros give or take and are heavier too..

Brakes are an issue with mk1 especially if you track it. The 4p fronts were inadequate. True.

Real cups I love and hate, mostly hate : )

One trick with the mk1 is not to try and make it a mk2 or try to compete with the 997.1 it will never happen and in the process you will ruin a great car. Let it be and enjoy it for what it is.

Mk1 thread will happen eventually..

911SLOW

I never driven a US GT3 but I don't see anything changed dramatically vs the RoW cars.

different :

dme map
front height
no clubsport package / support
bumpers /crash bars
belt buckles
tank (not 90L)
etc

details..

Mike76

I run the Mk2 tyre sizes on my Mk1 rims without any issues. I think only the rear is dfferent as Mk1 was 285 and Mk2 is 295. I think you can run the Mk2 rims on the Mk1, just need to remove the front spacers.

Mk2 brake upgrade is very common here for Mk1 track cars. I would have no qualms in doing that either. The other things I have done are:

1. Toe links
2. Bilstein Cup Coilovers with remote cannisters. The guys on here swear by the Motons which are similar money but they were not available in Australia at the time and my suspension guy used to work for Bilstein and will only use them and Eibach springs.
3. Piggyback ECU tuned for cams and exhaust
4. Cup cams
5. Peter Starr exhaust - no cats or muffler, just a resonator
6. Induction air box and filter.
Can't think of anything else at the moment.

This makes it a pretty quick track car, but a pig for everyday driving. I don't care though and still often drive it on the road. I love Mk2s and 997s, but I like the cachet of the original GT3 Clubsport.

Mike

DanH

Yes but they were asking for a 997 GT3 at the time and couldn't borrow one. I think it was more a vote for the GT3 in general, not a specific iteration. People put too much store in magazine articles when the truth is things like this get dictated by logistics etc!

My friend actually was the guy who lent it to them. I have driven the car and I didn't like the setup or damping at all, and I know the setup was compromised as the spring platforms were seized!

jlasuncion

@John, I value your advice and it's good to know you approve of the lwfw. I like the gt2 seats because it folds forward and i can stuff my bag in the back. I plan to keep the original seats for the future, they are hard to live with on track. I guess i will do the 6 pot too.
@mike Your car is already nicely modified to your liking, I think I will stop with the brakes and tires but stick to the orig size to maintain the delicate balance. Will just buy slicks or intermediates for my other car to fill my craving for grip.

micahbones

Definitely agree with you about the tendency to overvalue a magazine's/writer's opinion. Generally I don't respect much the opinion of car mags/blogs, with evo & Excellence consistent exceptions. In this case I decided to further quote evo because that article seemed to echo somewhat John's thoughts about the 996 mk1. Furthermore, Americans can only rely on the opinions of others about this iteration of the GT3 since we don't have access to them here. : )

Very interesting about the suspension setup of your friend's car at the time...damn.

Larry Cable

Don't worry, the mkI Clubsport had an LWFW and was 2/10ths faster 0-60 than its sister as a result!

side airbags wont work ...

the front brakes on the mkI are its only achilles heel in my opinion, especially for the track, even with SRF or similar and track pads, with spirited driving the mkI quickly overwhelmed the 4 pot TT calipers and rotors ...

definitely the mkII front brakes, then the LWFW, the mkI might also benefit (although I have no experience with this myself) with a 2-way adjustable suspension such as a KW or similar.

Larry Cable

For those interested GTPurelyPorsche did a GT3 megatest in their Jan 2010 issue that includes a mkI, and the 997.1 & .2's also ... worth a read!

Larry Cable

I was lucky enough to own a 1999 mk I "Clubsport" when I lived in the UK back in 2001. What you have to remember about the mk I is that it raised the bar on what Porsche delivered in terms of normall aspirated 911's that came before it.

The Clubsport had a LWFW and the usual interior options: recaros, cage, fire ext, battery cutoff switch, and 6pts ...

The car was significantly quicker and more nimble than just about anything else on the road, with a few exceptions (much more expensive too) that do not immediately spring to mind. This I think is what made it SO special ... it was just amazingly f***ingly good! - not just the engine, but the ridigity of the chassis and its amazing handling!

The only flaw(*) in the old girl was her front anchors ... the TT 4 pot calipers and 350mm rotors were not up to the task of sprited track driving; even with SRF or similar and some decent track pads the car quickly overwhelmed the front braking system ... but ... you were driving like a madman compared to
anything else out there, perhaps with the exception of a Caterham ...

The steering and suspension were precise, if a little "skittish" at the limit but razor sharp ... it, like the mkII following it (and the RS) are a scalpel ... use it right, you can perform miracles, but in the wrong
hands it can be dangerous.

I took the CS to the Nordschleife in August of 2001 for the 1st time, what a blast, way too much car for a Ring newbie ... but the ideal ride for the ring ... still makes me smile!

here is my car, my 1st GT3!

(*) there was a problem with a couple of cooling hoses that split under pressure on track!

DanH

Lovely car Larry. Did you get to any UK trackdays when you lived here?

I too remember what it was like on trackdays when people started turning up in these. I had a little lotus Elise and couldn't believe the pace these things rocketed past. Then I got a noble, which was fun when it worked. Finally, just after I got married I got the 6RS. I beat my wife into submission by talking about it non stop whilst on honeymoon - the dealer had called me to offer me the car I now have whilst we were in Brazil and I couldn't stop looking at it on the web on the hotel internet terminal, even though it was 20k GBP over budget and not a standard 6GT3 mk2 like I'd registered interest in!

Larry Cable

I did ... I ran Brands at least once (and one of my tail lights fell out going around clearways/clark ... I remember coming back around and thinking "that looks like a 996 tail light ... poor bastard" ... that was me). blew my coolant
hoses at Bedford Autodrome and sat in a line to get off the track while a marshall held us all up chatting to his mate, and last but not least I loved
Oulton Park, and had a very major "off" when I failed to turn at "island", the
car slid over wet grass all the way to Shell!

happy times

Larry Cable

sounds like a fair deal ... after all she got the ring and the man ... right?

micahbones

I second that!

micahbones

Was just looking on PixelMags for the past issue to download on my iPad...is it the Sept. 2010 issue?