Happy Friday, Everyone!

After owning a 997.1 GT3 for 3 months, I wanted to finally give my impressions of driving this car.

First my background: My first 911 was an '86 Carrera that I bought in 1998. I joined the Porsche Owners Club the following year and started racing with them. I loved this car -> rawness, linear throttle and even the 915 transmission. It took work and skill to drive this car fast on the track. I ended up winning a POC championship 2000 (damn - that's many moons ago). Besides competing with this car on the track, I drove it everywhere else. It was my daily driver and it just a ton of fun to drive. A few years later I fell in love with the look of the 993 C4S. To this day, I still think this is the best looking 911 every produced. Anyway, I was able to get one in 2003 and I was thrilled to get my dream car. But, truth be told and I don't want to offend any 993 owners out there, this car seemed to be missing something for me. For starters, I did not like the flywheel. It drove me nuts because with the Carrera I was used to the RPMs coming back down quickly whenever I Heel & Toe'd. Even though I eventually installed an RS Clutch & Flywheel (which helped A LOT!!), there was something still missing for me with this car (soft suspension, SUV ride height which I fixed by installing PSS9s was another big one). After 21 years of ownership I finally decided to part ways with it earlier this year.

Enter the 997.1 GT3: I wanted to get a car that required a driver to work for it, and one where the driver could feel everything in the car: steering, throttle response, engine sound, shifting, clutch, etc. Well, I definitely found what I was looking for in a 997.1 GT3! I remembered when I first drove this car, I was literally going 10 mph in the parking lot and I couldn't believe how much I could feel in this car. It was truly amazing. I am also very fortunate to live in a mountain community called Wrightwood in SoCal. The Mountain High Ski Resort is less than 10 minutes from my house (5 minutes in the GT3!). I have Angeles Crest Hwy right in my backyard as I live less than a mile away from it, so I'm able to take the GT3 out for a spirited drive any time. This morning I took it out for another adventure and this car just puts the biggest smile on my face. It's pure magic above 4,000 RPMs and the car is so responsive with the throttle & weight transfer. These types of drives hit all of my senses (audio, visual and physical) and every day I come back from them, I always remind myself how thankful I am to have such a wonderful car. Then, after I've parked the GT3 in the garage, I usually end up staring at it for another 20-30 minutes. For me, this is the greatest 911 ever built...

Cheers,

Rich



(the above picture was taken back in May after I waxed it for the first time)

 

Rich - congrats again on the car and thanks for sharing your experience with it. I resonate with your comment about how it feels exciting driving it around a parking lot. It's one of my favorite things about the car. I hear a lot of people say "I don't want a GT3 because I'll need to get it out on track to get the most from it". I actually think just the opposite, the best part about it is that I can drive it through my neighborhood and it actually feels as special as when I take it on a backroad.

Also, I'll agree, the 993 C4S is one of my favorite looking 911's. A friend of mine had one in black with an Aerokit. But appreciate you sharing your honest thoughts about the driving/ownership experience.

 

Thanks so much, Bxstr!

When I first got the car, my immediate plan was to take it to the track. In fact, I had a fire extinguisher and harnesses installed as soon as I picked up the car. However, like you mentioned, you don't need a track to enjoy this car. I get so much satisfaction driving it up here on Angeles Crest Hwy, or Big Pines Hwy, that it really satisfies and fulfills the "I gotta take it to the track" taste buds - and this is coming from a former track guy!

There's a car reviewer on YouTube called Tedward and last month he posted on IG that the 997.1 GT3 is his favorite 911. I tend to agree with him!

 

great * nice pick up * slow rolling is extraordinary

 

I whole heartedly agree with you. But driving this car on track really cranks up the driving experience if that's what you're looking for. I know its not for everyone and honestly it can be intimidating and a bit scary at times. And once you do track it, the canyon runs and street driving leave a little empty space, still a great driving pleasure though. For myself there are other issues like trying to exercise self control driving on public roadways and dealing with speed limits, cops, cyclists, bikers, rocks/road hazards, slow cars, etc.

Anyways, you can't go wrong with a 7.1GT3, but you should take it up to buttownwillow

 

I’m at month 1.5 of ownership and feel the exact same way! Perfect to go for nice drives on fun roads with no destination.

I do still have 2 e36 m3s, 1 of which is an s54 powered race car, but the want to do some laps in the gt3 is real!

 

Hey, Belinko!

Having had a decent amount of track & competition experience, I completely agree with you about tracking this car! 👍 👍👍

I do have an event scheduled at the Streets of Willow in October, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there. Love the idea about going to Buttonwillow. What a fantastic track! I raced there once with the POC and I also instructed there once, as well. But that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Which club do you run with?

 

Congrats on your GT3!!

 

Congrats, Rich. Love the enthusiasm. Similar thoughts here.

 

Thanks a lot, pcar1! 🤙🏽

 

Everyone’s experience is unique and magical. There is no right or wrong about its use. I just want to experience the most out of the car and not focus on the “value” for someone else to enjoy when I’m dust and bones. This is one of the last raw experiences where they dropped a race motor in a car and focused on pure driving. No PTS/CXX nonsense where people get lost on subtle options to brag about rather than drive.

 

Hi Rich, have you meet up with the SGVBC club and done the Friday am run up to Newcombs. It's a fun drive as there are tons of flat sixes making all kinds of noise through that canyon. Celebs are a regular occurrence and a full Newcombs parking lot is a regular occurrence. They meet Friday's at 8:00AM in the parking lot, upper deck, across the street from Target and that Shell gas station. I know it's a far drive from your place but after the destination, you could just continue and drive home.

 

It’s funny you should bring that up because I’ve been wanting to go for a while, but I’m not too crazy about going the back way. I keep hoping that they would open ACH just west of Mt High because it would only be about a 30-min drive from where I live. Hopefully soon!

 

Rich, all I can say is I'm 18 years into my ownership (and 156K miles) of your predecessor and I still feel exactly the same as the day I bought it. Your 997 is even a better example of the GT3 line (in my opinion), so I completely get what you are experiencing. Don't expect it to wear off.

 

Take it to an autocross some time. Not as intense as the race track, but you can still stretch its legs a bit.