997 RS 4.0 Featured Car for 000 Magazine
08-24-2021 | 08:01 AM
#31
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08-24-2021 | 09:51 AM
#32
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That is the first time I've seen any 7-rs in the UK/Europe with the folding buckets more typical of US cars. Then again, it's a "left hook" as they say; so who knows? Congrats and have fun getting some real use out of it! I'm sure we'll get to see a few YouTube videos chronicling it.
08-24-2021 | 01:33 PM
#33
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Certainly don’t miss some of those in the 991RS forums.
The 997RS is just a more genuine car from a drivers stand point is the best way I can explain it. The connection is pure, raw and unfiltered, very mechanical, involving and mandates two way communication between you and it and your communication needs to be proper for optimal results.
Driving shoes recommended.
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08-24-2021 | 08:31 PM
#34
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08-25-2021 | 09:01 AM
#36
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JWW noted himself in his review ( a great one btw) of the the 3.8RS that arguably many believe it’s the sweet spot of the water cooled era.
And yes, if Chris Harris says it would be his pick that’s an epic endorsement.
And yes, if Chris Harris says it would be his pick that’s an epic endorsement.
08-25-2021 | 03:19 PM
#37
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08-25-2021 | 08:04 PM
#38
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Look, the 4.0 is an epic car. So is the 3.8RS. Harris’ pick and other reviews cement this. I think Pete Stout agrees too.
Very simply I believe the 4.0 price of admission is in large part due to its more limited production numbers. The 3.8 achieved its “epic” status despite being produced in larger numbers ( but still a very low production car) and not as an end of era special.
Leaves one wondering what’s more impressive?
Very simply I believe the 4.0 price of admission is in large part due to its more limited production numbers. The 3.8 achieved its “epic” status despite being produced in larger numbers ( but still a very low production car) and not as an end of era special.
Leaves one wondering what’s more impressive?
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08-25-2021 | 08:34 PM
#39
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Chris doesn't get into splitting hairs/hows/whys on RS 3.8, so his preference may well be aesthetics/colors, less preciousness, a personal/emotional connection, etc etc.
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08-25-2021 | 08:46 PM
#40
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08-25-2021 | 08:55 PM
#41
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😉
08-25-2021 | 11:15 PM
#42
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I think the old 991rs Waxer kidnapped the new-and-improved 997rs Waxer. I promise the world won’t fall off its axis if someone makes a comment about another car edging out a 3.8rs even if it happens to be the one car that is almost its clone except for the fact it’s just better in ever way except per-dollar 
My neighbor’s apartment is on the same floor with 2x a better view, 2x the sq footage, more recently done and done more nicely. It’s better and that’s ok!
Ps I own neither and I’d be tempted to go 3.8rs if I went back to a 997. But I’d fight anyone that told me a 4.0 isn’t better.
My neighbor’s apartment is on the same floor with 2x a better view, 2x the sq footage, more recently done and done more nicely. It’s better and that’s ok!
Ps I own neither and I’d be tempted to go 3.8rs if I went back to a 997. But I’d fight anyone that told me a 4.0 isn’t better.
Last edited by Jrtaylor9; 08-25-2021 at 11:20 PM.
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08-25-2021 | 11:58 PM
#43
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Have to say the question is a tough one. Picking one 911…pfft. Ah, what am I saying? I know which it would be.
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08-26-2021 | 02:16 AM
#44
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... and I had to read this one twice:....
A subject near and dear to my heart- a couple of my favorite 911s period, and as owner of a 991.2 GT3 Touring it's a question I've asked myself on quite a few occasions. Is the 997 4.0 RS a better drive than the 991.2 GT3? The answer, of course, depends on what you mean by "better"?
First the obvious: the 991.2 is more capable overall. On the near side it's more livable- more supple suspension, less NVH, easier to get my wife into for dinner or weekend trips. It's also easier to drive both slowly and quickly- slicker gearshift, lighter clutch, flat shift and rev matching (for those, like me, who will stoop to using such things). The far side of the envelope is broader as well largely thanks to the rear wheel steering and torque vectoring. These combine to keep the tail behind the nose like an invisible magnet when you're going merely very fast. When you push to "too fast" they magically let you recover from slip angles that would have seen the 997 backwards. The confidence this inspires and hence the length to which you can push on road or track is scarcely believable.
There as some just as obvious points for the 997 RS 4.0. It's a more visceral car overall- you simply feel and hear more. More road (less supple suspension, better steering feel). More vibration (engine, gearbox). More chatter (single mass flywheel). More grit when you ring it out (oil pump, engine tuning?). After feeling all of that it's easy to call the 991 too refined. It also feels smaller which is a big plus in my book, though the 991 is one of those cars that shrinks around you when you start going fast. Finally, and this is completely subjective, the 997 still just looks better to my eyes. Wing and all (this coming from a guy that loves the Touring's smoother backside).
The above will be enough for many to conclude which they'd prefer. I might liken the 991.2 to fine wine, a drink you can enjoy with nearly any meal (if you're European, anyway), while the 997 RS 4.0 is more like a finely aged Islay scotch- a highly distilled and acquired taste that's only suitable for certain occasions. Unfortunately for me I like both wine and scotch, which leaves me with something of a dilemma.
I'll caveat my conclusion by saying that I haven't driven both cars back to back. I've been lucky enough to get some great real world test time in the 4.0 next to a 3.8 (shout-out to Mooty). I've also had the opportunity to slide the 3.8 RS around on a closed course (bow to Steve L) and obviously I've done the same with my 991.2 Touring, but I haven't had the 991.2 and the RS 4.0 in the same place at the same time. With that said, I have them RS 3.8 < 991.2 GT3 < RS 4.0 on my own personal list as to what I'd most want in my garage. I found a far bigger gap between the 3.8 than 4.0 than I'd expected, and I absolutely fell in love with the 4.0. I admit to loving my Touring as well (my wife has largely accepted my polygamy in this area), but not quite as much as the 4.0. What puts the 997 ahead for me isn't the extra feel, which I think is largely counterbalanced by the wider breadth of the 991...
My true love, I've finally realized, is for the 911 itself, in all its shapes and sizes. From an early 912 (sacrilege, I know) to 993 GT2 to today's 991s, there is something wrong with all of them that somehow grows on you until it feels exactly right. For me it's that wayward tail rotating, and the way you need to catch it with a quick dab of counter-steer on turn-in when you're really getting after it. That feeling of balancing a 911's tail on the knife-edge (and getting it right) on both the entrance and exit of a corner is my nirvana: simultaneously tricky, thrilling and fast. And it's that exact feeling that rear wheel steering is largely designed to eliminate. Yes you can still enjoy lurid slides under power on exit, but the 991.2 doesn't need to rotate on turn-in, it just turns and goes. By every rational standard that's better- it means quicker transitions, faster slaloms and generally more faithful response to the driver's inputs. Yet somehow to me that makes it less of a 911, and that means for all its greatness I love it slightly less. So for me the 997 RS 4.0 is a better drive than the 991.2, but I'll stipulate that it's a slightly certifiable conclusion based on my own personal psychosis.
First the obvious: the 991.2 is more capable overall. On the near side it's more livable- more supple suspension, less NVH, easier to get my wife into for dinner or weekend trips. It's also easier to drive both slowly and quickly- slicker gearshift, lighter clutch, flat shift and rev matching (for those, like me, who will stoop to using such things). The far side of the envelope is broader as well largely thanks to the rear wheel steering and torque vectoring. These combine to keep the tail behind the nose like an invisible magnet when you're going merely very fast. When you push to "too fast" they magically let you recover from slip angles that would have seen the 997 backwards. The confidence this inspires and hence the length to which you can push on road or track is scarcely believable.
There as some just as obvious points for the 997 RS 4.0. It's a more visceral car overall- you simply feel and hear more. More road (less supple suspension, better steering feel). More vibration (engine, gearbox). More chatter (single mass flywheel). More grit when you ring it out (oil pump, engine tuning?). After feeling all of that it's easy to call the 991 too refined. It also feels smaller which is a big plus in my book, though the 991 is one of those cars that shrinks around you when you start going fast. Finally, and this is completely subjective, the 997 still just looks better to my eyes. Wing and all (this coming from a guy that loves the Touring's smoother backside).
The above will be enough for many to conclude which they'd prefer. I might liken the 991.2 to fine wine, a drink you can enjoy with nearly any meal (if you're European, anyway), while the 997 RS 4.0 is more like a finely aged Islay scotch- a highly distilled and acquired taste that's only suitable for certain occasions. Unfortunately for me I like both wine and scotch, which leaves me with something of a dilemma.
I'll caveat my conclusion by saying that I haven't driven both cars back to back. I've been lucky enough to get some great real world test time in the 4.0 next to a 3.8 (shout-out to Mooty). I've also had the opportunity to slide the 3.8 RS around on a closed course (bow to Steve L) and obviously I've done the same with my 991.2 Touring, but I haven't had the 991.2 and the RS 4.0 in the same place at the same time. With that said, I have them RS 3.8 < 991.2 GT3 < RS 4.0 on my own personal list as to what I'd most want in my garage. I found a far bigger gap between the 3.8 than 4.0 than I'd expected, and I absolutely fell in love with the 4.0. I admit to loving my Touring as well (my wife has largely accepted my polygamy in this area), but not quite as much as the 4.0. What puts the 997 ahead for me isn't the extra feel, which I think is largely counterbalanced by the wider breadth of the 991...
My true love, I've finally realized, is for the 911 itself, in all its shapes and sizes. From an early 912 (sacrilege, I know) to 993 GT2 to today's 991s, there is something wrong with all of them that somehow grows on you until it feels exactly right. For me it's that wayward tail rotating, and the way you need to catch it with a quick dab of counter-steer on turn-in when you're really getting after it. That feeling of balancing a 911's tail on the knife-edge (and getting it right) on both the entrance and exit of a corner is my nirvana: simultaneously tricky, thrilling and fast. And it's that exact feeling that rear wheel steering is largely designed to eliminate. Yes you can still enjoy lurid slides under power on exit, but the 991.2 doesn't need to rotate on turn-in, it just turns and goes. By every rational standard that's better- it means quicker transitions, faster slaloms and generally more faithful response to the driver's inputs. Yet somehow to me that makes it less of a 911, and that means for all its greatness I love it slightly less. So for me the 997 RS 4.0 is a better drive than the 991.2, but I'll stipulate that it's a slightly certifiable conclusion based on my own personal psychosis.
08-26-2021 | 05:19 AM
#45
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Secondly, you didn’t say whether it’s your favorite based on color, drive, aesthetics etc …. 😉
😎