Full Body Shots
03-03-2008, 12:07 AM
#1
Banned
Thread Starter
Full Body Shots
Here are some pics of my GT3 make-over project. I have spent countless hours researching other GT3/RS color combos from both the 70's models to the current 996 and 997 cars. What follows is what I finally decided on as a stage 1 conversion which I may very well leave exactly as is. The color of blue that you see is Riviera Blue, and it will look different in many of the pics. What I can tell you is that it is very, very close to the factory color, and the paint was matched to the custom ordered vinyl. My friend designed the side decals based on my input; we worked very closely on the design. The basis is of course the 997 GT3 RS decal. I wanted the same stripe design and font, but have it read "CARRERA." We were able to use the "R" and a modified version of the "G," but the other letters were custom designed to best fit with the font style. I did not want to use the old school "Carrera" font with the upper case C and the rest in lower case and in a cursive script; that would have been too easy and has been done already by many; you can buy that on E-bay if you want it. I wanted it all in upper case since all the letters in "GT3 RS" are uppercase, and I didn't like anything else that was lower case that had the modern look and that also looked right.
I also did not want to go with GT3 on the side since about 95% of 997 GT3 owners who decided to go with the "RS look" did this. I also do not like it because the "GT3" only is too short; it is as if it is missing something; like an "RS" appended to the end of it!
I also thought about going with just the stripes without any text, and I may still do this. I purchased 20 yards x 30 inches of this vinyl, so I can try many different things. I also wanted plenty extra so that it will always match the painted Riviera Blue parts in the future if it gets damaged and needs to be replaced.
Carrera2kid's car was the biggest inspiration for my car, and he based his design on the 996 GT3 RS. I considered sticking with the black on the top line of my car as he did, but I really like what Porsche did with the 997 RS designs by making the wheels, decal, mirrors, and wing tips all in the deviating color. The black 997 RS with the orange highlights is the one that first caught my eye a couple years ago, and it is still my favorite of the 997 RS color schemes to this day. And since I love the 997 RS look, I originally intended to also have my wheels painted in Riviera Blue. However, I thought this might be a bit too much of the color on the car since it is so bright, and I can still do the wheels anyway. I wanted to see how it would look by leaving the wheels silver, and I think it looks great and feel I made the right decision. However, I have another option in my head; one that I think would make the car even more stunning. I think that painting the wheels entirely black (I do not like the painted sliver border look) with the GT3 script on the center caps painted in Riviera Blue would look fantastic! It would bring out the red calipers even more, and match better with all the other black areas on the car such as the center section of the wing, front hood section, front lip and interior. There really is not any other silver on the car anyway. As for bringing out the red calipers, I like this because my seat belts are red to bring it inside the car, and the red works well with the overall look as long as I do not add any more. But I must say, I like it just the way it is now and may not mess with it anymore.
When the exterior parts were being painted, I had a last second idea to bring the Riviera Blue to the inside of the car. I did not want to bring very much since it is so bright and could hurt what I consider a very attractive and tasteful interior. I think it is easy to get carried away by painting a bunch of interior trim items with a bright color. So I pulled out the u-shaped trim piece by the shifter. This is easily seen when you open the door to enter the car, and it covers plenty of surface area as a reminder of what is outside; it is also correct since when you are sitting in the car you can see the blue on the side mirrors. I will not bring any white into the interior because I feel that will give the car the circus clown look that I am trying to avoid. Having red white and blue trim pieces in the black interior will definitely stand out and look silly IMHO. If I had to bring in some white, then I would only do the ring around the ignition; it would have to be something that small. If anything, I would rather paint some of the grey center console pieces in black. If I wanted to paint the center console, then black is the only color I would choose, and may consider this if I paint the wheels black. Again, it is easy to get carried away with paint, and I do not want to lose the classy look of the black interior.
One other thing about this project that was important to me is keeping the car's original paint, original.
This was easy to do with the rear wing and trunk lid since I switched to the RS one, but I also purchased a set of OEM side mirrors so I could keep the originals in the factory paint. This allows me to strip off the decals, swap out the trunk lid/wing and the mirrors, and it will all be the factory paint. This is especially important with white since it is so difficult to match. Some buyers are very picky about this kind of stuff when buying a used $100K car.
Anyway, I just wanted to share with you my thought process while I was transforming this car into what I really wanted. I had some issues with this because I did not want to copy the RS version. However, I think it is fair to say that the differences between the US cars are very small; and unless you are in Walter Rohrl's league of driving abilities and perception, then the RS is nothing more than a GT3 with a really cool, eye catching, paint job. I know there is more to it than just that; but at my skill level it really is not much more. I do have the lwfw which I know I will notice, but that is about all. I would have gladly paid for an RS if I could have gotten one at MSRP. I was not able to achieve this, so I had to go with the regular GT3. I love this car, and even more so now. I hope you enjoy the following pictures of my newest GT3; I will hire Zachary Mayne (Excellence magazine photographer) to take some professional pictures and post those in the future.
I also did not want to go with GT3 on the side since about 95% of 997 GT3 owners who decided to go with the "RS look" did this. I also do not like it because the "GT3" only is too short; it is as if it is missing something; like an "RS" appended to the end of it!
I also thought about going with just the stripes without any text, and I may still do this. I purchased 20 yards x 30 inches of this vinyl, so I can try many different things. I also wanted plenty extra so that it will always match the painted Riviera Blue parts in the future if it gets damaged and needs to be replaced.Carrera2kid's car was the biggest inspiration for my car, and he based his design on the 996 GT3 RS. I considered sticking with the black on the top line of my car as he did, but I really like what Porsche did with the 997 RS designs by making the wheels, decal, mirrors, and wing tips all in the deviating color. The black 997 RS with the orange highlights is the one that first caught my eye a couple years ago, and it is still my favorite of the 997 RS color schemes to this day. And since I love the 997 RS look, I originally intended to also have my wheels painted in Riviera Blue. However, I thought this might be a bit too much of the color on the car since it is so bright, and I can still do the wheels anyway. I wanted to see how it would look by leaving the wheels silver, and I think it looks great and feel I made the right decision. However, I have another option in my head; one that I think would make the car even more stunning. I think that painting the wheels entirely black (I do not like the painted sliver border look) with the GT3 script on the center caps painted in Riviera Blue would look fantastic! It would bring out the red calipers even more, and match better with all the other black areas on the car such as the center section of the wing, front hood section, front lip and interior. There really is not any other silver on the car anyway. As for bringing out the red calipers, I like this because my seat belts are red to bring it inside the car, and the red works well with the overall look as long as I do not add any more. But I must say, I like it just the way it is now and may not mess with it anymore.
When the exterior parts were being painted, I had a last second idea to bring the Riviera Blue to the inside of the car. I did not want to bring very much since it is so bright and could hurt what I consider a very attractive and tasteful interior. I think it is easy to get carried away by painting a bunch of interior trim items with a bright color. So I pulled out the u-shaped trim piece by the shifter. This is easily seen when you open the door to enter the car, and it covers plenty of surface area as a reminder of what is outside; it is also correct since when you are sitting in the car you can see the blue on the side mirrors. I will not bring any white into the interior because I feel that will give the car the circus clown look that I am trying to avoid. Having red white and blue trim pieces in the black interior will definitely stand out and look silly IMHO. If I had to bring in some white, then I would only do the ring around the ignition; it would have to be something that small. If anything, I would rather paint some of the grey center console pieces in black. If I wanted to paint the center console, then black is the only color I would choose, and may consider this if I paint the wheels black. Again, it is easy to get carried away with paint, and I do not want to lose the classy look of the black interior.
One other thing about this project that was important to me is keeping the car's original paint, original.
This was easy to do with the rear wing and trunk lid since I switched to the RS one, but I also purchased a set of OEM side mirrors so I could keep the originals in the factory paint. This allows me to strip off the decals, swap out the trunk lid/wing and the mirrors, and it will all be the factory paint. This is especially important with white since it is so difficult to match. Some buyers are very picky about this kind of stuff when buying a used $100K car.Anyway, I just wanted to share with you my thought process while I was transforming this car into what I really wanted. I had some issues with this because I did not want to copy the RS version. However, I think it is fair to say that the differences between the US cars are very small; and unless you are in Walter Rohrl's league of driving abilities and perception, then the RS is nothing more than a GT3 with a really cool, eye catching, paint job. I know there is more to it than just that; but at my skill level it really is not much more. I do have the lwfw which I know I will notice, but that is about all. I would have gladly paid for an RS if I could have gotten one at MSRP. I was not able to achieve this, so I had to go with the regular GT3. I love this car, and even more so now. I hope you enjoy the following pictures of my newest GT3; I will hire Zachary Mayne (Excellence magazine photographer) to take some professional pictures and post those in the future.
03-03-2008, 12:56 AM
#6
Banned
Thread Starter
I also agree that the text is not exacty what I want. I do not hate it, but it is not quite right. I think the A's are the biggest problem. You can put the first leg at an angle and all is well, but you can't really do that with the second one. So you have these lines that are not goinging with the flow; does that make sense? If I used lower case for the "arrera" part, and did it in a cursive, then you could have that flow. As I said above, I do not like the old style Carrera font, but maybe if I used the Carrera that they put on the trunklid of the current 997 C2, then it might look OK. The text was by far the hardest part of this whole thing.
Last edited by 340Elise; 03-03-2008 at 01:14 AM.
03-03-2008, 01:08 AM
#7
Three Wheelin'
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03-03-2008, 03:44 AM
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03-03-2008, 04:02 AM
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03-03-2008, 12:11 PM
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Here are some pics of my GT3 make-over project. I have spent countless hours researching other GT3/RS color combos from both the 70's models to the current 996 and 997 cars. What follows is what I finally decided on as a stage 1 conversion which I may very well leave exactly as is. The color of blue that you see is Riviera Blue, and it will look different in many of the pics. What I can tell you is that it is very, very close to the factory color, and the paint was matched to the custom ordered vinyl. My friend designed the side decals based on my input; we worked very closely on the design. The basis is of course the 997 GT3 RS decal. I wanted the same stripe design and font, but have it read "CARRERA." We were able to use the "R" and a modified version of the "G," but the other letters were custom designed to best fit with the font style. I did not want to use the old school "Carrera" font with the upper case C and the rest in lower case and in a cursive script; that would have been too easy and has been done already by many; you can buy that on E-bay if you want it. I wanted it all in upper case since all the letters in "GT3 RS" are uppercase, and I didn't like anything else that was lower case that had the modern look and that also looked right.
I also did not want to go with GT3 on the side since about 95% of 997 GT3 owners who decided to go with the "RS look" did this. I also do not like it because the "GT3" only is too short; it is as if it is missing something; like an "RS" appended to the end of it! I also thought about going with just the stripes without any text, and I may still do this. I purchased 20 yards x 30 inches of this vinyl, so I can try many different things. I also wanted plenty extra so that it will always match the painted Riviera Blue parts in the future if it gets damaged and needs to be replaced.
Carrera2kid's car was the biggest inspiration for my car, and he based his design on the 996 GT3 RS. I considered sticking with the black on the top line of my car as he did, but I really like what Porsche did with the 997 RS designs by making the wheels, decal, mirrors, and wing tips all in the deviating color. The black 997 RS with the orange highlights is the one that first caught my eye a couple years ago, and it is still my favorite of the 997 RS color schemes to this day. And since I love the 997 RS look, I originally intended to also have my wheels painted in Riviera Blue. However, I thought this might be a bit too much of the color on the car since it is so bright, and I can still do the wheels anyway. I wanted to see how it would look by leaving the wheels silver, and I think it looks great and feel I made the right decision. However, I have another option in my head; one that I think would make the car even more stunning. I think that painting the wheels entirely black (I do not like the painted sliver border look) with the GT3 script on the center caps painted in Riviera Blue would look fantastic! It would bring out the red calipers even more, and match better with all the other black areas on the car such as the center section of the wing, front hood section, front lip and interior. There really is not any other silver on the car anyway. As for bringing out the red calipers, I like this because my seat belts are red to bring it inside the car, and the red works well with the overall look as long as I do not add any more. But I must say, I like it just the way it is now and may not mess with it anymore.
When the exterior parts were being painted, I had a last second idea to bring the Riviera Blue to the inside of the car. I did not want to bring very much since it is so bright and could hurt what I consider a very attractive and tasteful interior. I think it is easy to get carried away by painting a bunch of interior trim items with a bright color. So I pulled out the u-shaped trim piece by the shifter. This is easily seen when you open the door to enter the car, and it covers plenty of surface area as a reminder of what is outside; it is also correct since when you are sitting in the car you can see the blue on the side mirrors. I will not bring any white into the interior because I feel that will give the car the circus clown look that I am trying to avoid. Having red white and blue trim pieces in the black interior will definitely stand out and look silly IMHO. If I had to bring in some white, then I would only do the ring around the ignition; it would have to be something that small. If anything, I would rather paint some of the grey center console pieces in black. If I wanted to paint the center console, then black is the only color I would choose, and may consider this if I paint the wheels black. Again, it is easy to get carried away with paint, and I do not want to lose the classy look of the black interior.
One other thing about this project that was important to me is keeping the car's original paint, original. This was easy to do with the rear wing and trunk lid since I switched to the RS one, but I also purchased a set of OEM side mirrors so I could keep the originals in the factory paint. This allows me to strip off the decals, swap out the trunk lid/wing and the mirrors, and it will all be the factory paint. This is especially important with white since it is so difficult to match. Some buyers are very picky about this kind of stuff when buying a used $100K car.
Anyway, I just wanted to share with you my thought process while I was transforming this car into what I really wanted. I had some issues with this because I did not want to copy the RS version. However, I think it is fair to say that the differences between the US cars are very small; and unless you are in Walter Rohrl's league of driving abilities and perception, then the RS is nothing more than a GT3 with a really cool, eye catching, paint job. I know there is more to it than just that; but at my skill level it really is not much more. I do have the lwfw which I know I will notice, but that is about all. I would have gladly paid for an RS if I could have gotten one at MSRP. I was not able to achieve this, so I had to go with the regular GT3. I love this car, and even more so now. I hope you enjoy the following pictures of my newest GT3; I will hire Zachary Mayne (Excellence magazine photographer) to take some professional pictures and post those in the future.
I also did not want to go with GT3 on the side since about 95% of 997 GT3 owners who decided to go with the "RS look" did this. I also do not like it because the "GT3" only is too short; it is as if it is missing something; like an "RS" appended to the end of it!
I also thought about going with just the stripes without any text, and I may still do this. I purchased 20 yards x 30 inches of this vinyl, so I can try many different things. I also wanted plenty extra so that it will always match the painted Riviera Blue parts in the future if it gets damaged and needs to be replaced.Carrera2kid's car was the biggest inspiration for my car, and he based his design on the 996 GT3 RS. I considered sticking with the black on the top line of my car as he did, but I really like what Porsche did with the 997 RS designs by making the wheels, decal, mirrors, and wing tips all in the deviating color. The black 997 RS with the orange highlights is the one that first caught my eye a couple years ago, and it is still my favorite of the 997 RS color schemes to this day. And since I love the 997 RS look, I originally intended to also have my wheels painted in Riviera Blue. However, I thought this might be a bit too much of the color on the car since it is so bright, and I can still do the wheels anyway. I wanted to see how it would look by leaving the wheels silver, and I think it looks great and feel I made the right decision. However, I have another option in my head; one that I think would make the car even more stunning. I think that painting the wheels entirely black (I do not like the painted sliver border look) with the GT3 script on the center caps painted in Riviera Blue would look fantastic! It would bring out the red calipers even more, and match better with all the other black areas on the car such as the center section of the wing, front hood section, front lip and interior. There really is not any other silver on the car anyway. As for bringing out the red calipers, I like this because my seat belts are red to bring it inside the car, and the red works well with the overall look as long as I do not add any more. But I must say, I like it just the way it is now and may not mess with it anymore.
When the exterior parts were being painted, I had a last second idea to bring the Riviera Blue to the inside of the car. I did not want to bring very much since it is so bright and could hurt what I consider a very attractive and tasteful interior. I think it is easy to get carried away by painting a bunch of interior trim items with a bright color. So I pulled out the u-shaped trim piece by the shifter. This is easily seen when you open the door to enter the car, and it covers plenty of surface area as a reminder of what is outside; it is also correct since when you are sitting in the car you can see the blue on the side mirrors. I will not bring any white into the interior because I feel that will give the car the circus clown look that I am trying to avoid. Having red white and blue trim pieces in the black interior will definitely stand out and look silly IMHO. If I had to bring in some white, then I would only do the ring around the ignition; it would have to be something that small. If anything, I would rather paint some of the grey center console pieces in black. If I wanted to paint the center console, then black is the only color I would choose, and may consider this if I paint the wheels black. Again, it is easy to get carried away with paint, and I do not want to lose the classy look of the black interior.
One other thing about this project that was important to me is keeping the car's original paint, original.
This was easy to do with the rear wing and trunk lid since I switched to the RS one, but I also purchased a set of OEM side mirrors so I could keep the originals in the factory paint. This allows me to strip off the decals, swap out the trunk lid/wing and the mirrors, and it will all be the factory paint. This is especially important with white since it is so difficult to match. Some buyers are very picky about this kind of stuff when buying a used $100K car.Anyway, I just wanted to share with you my thought process while I was transforming this car into what I really wanted. I had some issues with this because I did not want to copy the RS version. However, I think it is fair to say that the differences between the US cars are very small; and unless you are in Walter Rohrl's league of driving abilities and perception, then the RS is nothing more than a GT3 with a really cool, eye catching, paint job. I know there is more to it than just that; but at my skill level it really is not much more. I do have the lwfw which I know I will notice, but that is about all. I would have gladly paid for an RS if I could have gotten one at MSRP. I was not able to achieve this, so I had to go with the regular GT3. I love this car, and even more so now. I hope you enjoy the following pictures of my newest GT3; I will hire Zachary Mayne (Excellence magazine photographer) to take some professional pictures and post those in the future.
I really like what you've done with your GT3! My car likes it too. Now she has a cousin (once removed)! Good idea to keep the white mirrors. I did too.
As to the script on the side, I think it looks good. Very good, in fact. If, after the passage of time, you want to change it, I would look at the "Carrera" script style on the '73 RS. It is pretty easy to duplicate, and I'm sure Jim Newton of Automobile Associates could do it for you (they are in Canton, CT).
Although I didn't do it myself, I do like the Riviera blue on the mirrors and end plates. What a nice, clean look. I'm sure you will enjoy your car long after the "pumpkins" start to look a little trendy to everyone who doesn't have one!
Nice job and best of luck with your baby.
Regards,
Ray
'07 RS
03-03-2008, 02:05 PM
#14
Banned
Thread Starter
It is based on the font of the current 997 GT3 RS; I was not trying to have it look like the old or new “Carrera” font that Porsche uses. I know that I wrote a book on my original post, but I did address that I did NOT want it to look like the original '73 RS font, and I certainly considered the lower case for the rest of the letters.
The best I can describe to you all what I was trying to do is make it exactly like the 997 GT3 RS decals (including the font, size, etc...), but instead having it read Carrera. And since all the letters are upper case in the GT3 RS (which is an acronym, I realize that), I did the same with my Carrera text. Also keep in mind that we (my friend who did the design work and I) had to create our own upper case letter 'A' and letter 'E' the best we could to try and match the 'C' and the 'R'. The 'C' and 'R' were fairly easy since the 'R' is basically a copy of the one on the 997 "GT3 RS", although we did have to modify it a bit also, and the 'C' is similar to the 'G' in the 997 "GT3 RS" version, with the obvious change of getting rid of the part that makes it a ‘G’.
When you try to do this and get it to flow nicely and fit properly, it is fairly difficult to do.
Doing the modern version of Carrera which is on the rear deck lid of most 911 models, besides the turbo and GT3, or the old version of Carrera from the ’73 RS would have been very easy to copy and not very original.
Of course in the end, all that matters is how it looks overall; the general look and feel; that is how I view it. I have only shown it to a few people, most of who are Porsche enthusiasts; I have never seen so many jaw dropping looks, four letter expletives, and positive comments from any other car that I have owned. And obviously the only person who really needs to like it is me, and I am extremely happy with the results.
I just wanted to share my new creation with all of you, but I do appreciate the feedback on the font and text.
REMEMBER, I BOUGHT 20 YARDS OF THIS RIVIERA BLUE VINYL; I CAN DESIGN AT LEAST ANOTHER 20 DIFFERENT VERSIONS AND TRY THEM OUT!
.
03-03-2008, 03:03 PM
#15
That said, on my old longhood, I opted for nothing on the rockers, and "PORSCHE" on the bottom of the decklid.