I have an 2011 carrera S that I drive on the street and do about 20 DE track days a year. I've been thinking about buying a GT3. I'd want to pay less than $100,000 so I'd be looking at a 2007 or perhaps 2008. I checked the specs on a 2007 and they show 415 hp @ 7,600 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. Redline is 8,400 rpm. My Carrera S produces 385 hp @6,500 and 310 lb-ft @4,400 and redlines at 7,500. Ignoring handling differences for a moment, I'm wondering how much faster the GT3 is going to be?

Thanks.

 

In the hands on anyone less then a pro driver (or really a talented dedicated track person) I bet your not going to see all that big a difference between the two cars. 385hp on new platform in the .2 vs 415 of a 997.1 is less a gap then the same HP on the same platform/motor. Assuming your 997.2 has a few suspension mods It would be closer then one may think....

A gt3 is an amazing car but if you want it purely for better lap times think its a waste of money. If you want it because you simply want a gt3 and feel it will make that track day that much more enjoyable cause hell your in a GT3 than that's OK IMO. Many people who love cars upgrade and spend lots of money to do it whether to have a better car or mods for little back in return just because it satisfies something they want..... If $ no object then chase the dream and get into a 997.1gt3 but you have quite a capable car in that 997.2s

faster, yes, near 40K faster which is the $ amount you may need to spend to get into one, hell no...

 

In a straight line, probably not much of a difference. I could have brought one in the 70's when I got my C4S over 5 years ago. I didn't get it b/c of the lack of rear seats, stiff suspension, and heavy clutch. My C4S has a tpc turbo so on the straights, it's a lot faster than a GT3. I regret not buying a GT3 b/c of the appreciation, my C4S has only depreciated unlike the GT3's. I don't track enough to benefit from the capabilities of a GT3. For it's going rate, I don't think it's worth it unless you really going to use it.

 

From the "for what it's worth" category. I was out with 15 Porsches of varying flavors (993, 997's, 991's, GT3, Turbo 997 and Cayman's) this weekend for a very spirited 300 mile run through the rural mountain roads in north GA. I own a 2009 C2S with a manual tranny and believe me when I tell you the performance in the 997 C2S was more than enough to hang with the big boys. In my opinion, having lived it and to mickfluff's comments, I think it comes down more to driver skills than the pure performance under the drivers seat. While a GT3 is certainly a beast and probably a kick to drive fast on the track, for daily use and the occasional track or spirited run day, my 2009 C2S suits me just fine.

 

Faster in what way? Lap times? Straight line drag racing? Highway passing speed?

The GT3 is one of those special cars that will hold its value (or even increase) much better than your current vehicle, but you're probably not going to ever get the true benefit of what it can do better than your current car unless you're a skilled driver and are on a race track. I can understand wanting to buy one for the simple fact that it is a special car... but if you are looking to make the upgrade simply because it is faster, don't waste your money.

 

The GT3 is not merely the sum of it's parts, it's a whole different animal. The Mezger engine sings to you. I went from track focused 996C2 to a 996GT3 and the difference is measurable. Drive 1 or 2 and your mind will be made up...

 

Agreed. I had a .2 GT3 and the "feel" of the car is more impressive than the speed. There's a directness to it that the regular Carrera doesn't have. You can get there with GT3 LC arms, suspension and whatnot but it'll never be quite the same.

I doubt there's any 997 Gt3s under $100K at this point. I know I can't find one...

 

For what it's worth, you can essentially mirror the suspension of the GT3 for less than $10k installed at all four corners of your C2S with arguably better aftermarket parts. If you're on a budget, I'd suggest staying away from internals and simply upgrade the exhaust flow rate for HP. Otherwise, 4.0 Sharky all the way.

The highly adjustable suspension is the biggest benefit of the GT3 IMO outside any discussion of depreciation/appreciation. So, if you're looking for speed around a track as your primary reason, I'd invest in an upgraded suspension on your C2S before anything. That also allows you to dial in suspension settings required to run grippier R compounds which, in turn, will also help you lap times.

Biggest/Best investment, and most will agree, is an instructor if you think you could use coaching.

Source: I did all this to my GTS.

There are a few... either lower mileage tracked car or higher mileage street. Posted yesterday in GT3 forum:
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...-good-93k.html

 

Thanks everyone. I should have mentioned that while there's plenty of room to improve my driving, I did hire a pro-driver for a day. My Carrera S has minor suspension mods which includes stiffer sway bars, more negative camber than stock and a TPC DSC. I drive to the track so I don't run R compound tires.

I guess its my ego, but when I hit the straightaways the GT's, Turbos, Z06's walk (perhaps run) away from me. The cars are out there but admittedly hard to find. Regardless of where purchased, I think a PPI, DSC report and a compression test are necessary.

 

You can chuck money at the Carrera but it will never be a GT3, that's from my experience. Unless you swap the drive train it's not the same beast. The $40K difference is the engine alone.

 

Yup, pcars aren't designed for straight line speed. You'll never be happy if you let that trump the experience in the turns. My track buddy walks away on straights in his C6 GS but if I'm ever ahead after the straight he's well far away in the rearview after any turn complex as you can see in my profile pic .

 

you have to want the GT3 not because it's faster, but more because of how it makes you feel while you drive it or how you look at it after you park the car to go to work. Many less capable cars pass me on track but i'm still all grins either way.

 

I can see how this may be true but I have experienced otherwise. A few years ago I was at Laguna and in my group was a 2008 GT3RS. I was a better driver (which is not saying much as we were in the C group) and on every straight section I'd catch up the GT3 and on every turn, particularly the exit, he would pull away - and I was much cleaner through the turns. I could have passed him if I pressed but it was a DE, Laguna is very unforgiving if you go off and I did not think risking a $100k+ car was worth the ego boost. The four year old GT3 was simply faster (as a sum total of what it could do around the track) than my GTS - I dunno' I guess it was suspension and a fast revving transmission (hp more quickly put down).

 

I have both a 2010 GT3 and a 2010 C2S (power kit). 2 very different cars indeed. On the track its all about the driver. A well driven C2S will do fine on the track and hang with the "faster" cars. The GT3 just drives, feels and sounds more like a race car. Fun either way.

 

The "feel" of the GT3 is quite different than the other non-GT Porsche's. The two words often used to described the GT3 are "raw" and "visceral". It's the race-car breeding. Its reflexes are hair-trigger quick, and the steering, gear shift, throttle, etc. have a very direct and responsive feel. You sense everything the car is doing. The non-GT 911's feel much more refined and as a result are generally better street cars than the GT3. That doesn't mean you can't go fast on the track with them because you certainly can. Going fast is mostly about the driver rather than the car.