At Rennsport III last weekend I heard lots of rumors about GT3 production ending in December 07. Does anyone know the real story?

 

this is correct

 

Any info out there on what might follow the GT3 and when? I'd love to have one of these cars but it looks like I'm too late to get a new one.

 

Yes, it is true, but I see no reason that you can't get a very low mileage used one at MSRP. If I don't like mine, then I will sell it to you at a very fair price; I'm not in this to make a profit, only get the best car in the world, maybe.

btw, I can't find that darn link where it talks about the '08 changes including the production end dates for the GT3/RS; anybody have this? I just found it the other day with a search, and now I can't find it again.

 

Here it is:

 

Thanks for that info. I surprised that Porsche is ending production so soon (with the popularity), although I realize the GT3 (and RS) are homologation models. I'd still love to know what the factory is planning for an encore. Any ideas out there?

 

I think PAG stopped production because they committed that all cars in 08 (MY09?) will have the PSM (Please Save Me) function or similar ESC. So you think the 996/3 is desirable w/no sunroof? The 7/3 will be just as desirable because it doesn't have PSM.

 

I have an RS completion date of 12/5/07 and I do not see that many more cars delivered here or on the registry which makes me think production may run over? I see less than 20 08's out there yet there should be around 60.

 

GT4

 

Slightly OT, but, Did I get this right about the new seats?
• Lighter
• Allows access to rear seats......for use with roll cage (no rear seat)!

If you plan to use proper harneses & a Cage, why not get the fixed buckets? If you have a back seat and wont be using harnesses why get the new ones, as the sport seats fold nicely?

Am I missing something here? (harnesses with no cage?, cool CF? Racy "look"?)

 

I wish mine came with PSM or it were an option. If it is standard, it needs to be 100% defeatable.

Yes, I need to be saved.

 

It certainly is a middle ground option. I'd prefer fixed backs for greater weight savings. However, in the US, it's better than the standard sport seats.

So to answer the questions... I suppose even with a proper cage and harness, you might want access to the back since soft bags can still be stored there. And if you have a back seat and won't be using harnesses you might still want to be held in better and lose weight, plus it's cool and sporty looking. If you were to choose one seat to federalize in a GT3/GT2 this would be it as it would work for both track and street crowds if not optimally.

 

This is actually quite old news.

When Porsche launched the GT3 they did say that it would be a limited production run, but would not commit to total numbers, only a suggested first year allocation.

Most people were sceptical and assumed they would build as many as they could sell. But, back in May, there was talk of no more alloctions and, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, I was with some guys from Porsche who confirmed that the final cars would be delivered by the end of the year and dealers were returning deposits to those who missed out.

Of course, there is now logical speculation that there may be a second run, later in the 997's life cycle (09>?), but this is purely speculation.

 

Prepare for the 2009 997 GT3 Mark 2 with DFI and PDK and perhaps even the GT2's version of PSM. At least that's what my dealer took my deposit for...

 

I think the new seat will be great. The current Sport seat may be comfortable, and it folds, but it totally lacks the sense of driver involvement the buckets provide so well. Even for daily use I couldn't imagine owning a GT3 without buckets (and at the track, the advantages of buckets are obvious). So for someone like me who wants (actually demands) buckets for daily use, a lightweight folding bucket is just what the doctor ordered. They are only slightly heavier than the fixed buckets.



Me too. As I have stated ad-nauseum, I dislike the Sport button and PASM features of the 997 GT3/RS because they distort the otherwise purist focus of the cars. And I would feel the same about TC and PSM if they were not fully defeatable. But if fully defeatable, IMHO, they are very useful safety features on a road car. Would be perfect if the default could be set to either on or off, rather than always defaulting on.



I think your dealer is correct, although the 2009 timeframe may be a little optimistic. Maybe late 2009 as a 2010 model??

Very upset about PDK. No doubt the manual gearbox will still be available, but PDK will get 80% of sales, turning us manual purists into dinosaurs. Manual cars will be hard to sell on, and in time only paddles will survive. Ferrari has already gone that way.

The 996 GT3 was the end of the line for the true purist Porsche sports car. No Sport button, no PASM, no paddles. (And no electronic traction aids).

Looking forward to the 2015 model. With PSS (Porsche Self Steering) and PLTO (Porsche Lap Time Optimization), your job as driver is made much easier. Just sit and enjoy the ride while the cars race each other. Or even enjoy the race from the comfort of the grandstands. Or if you prefer, just stay home and send the car to the track. It will even pick up some beer on the way home.