hesperus

BOOM.

let the debate being... er... continue.

MirageJHU

haha I posted this in the 991 forum...this is pretty convincing but I still want to test drive it before I buy, and if that means waiting oh well I'll just enjoy my RS

ILLCOMM

on the engine- "once you've driven this thing you'll forget the Metzger ever existed"

pissedpuppy

Steering wheel looks quite thick

Sounds like a winner despite the grievances...

jenk12m

to bad we can never get the clubsport option over here

P_collector

I already posted on the 991 Gt3 thread..for me this review doesnt change anything..a few month ago he was trying to sell us the boxster by all means...drove it..and 50 - 50...not more than that.

CH Reviews, or not, the car has to prove its reliability on the track..he should have told us more about the "genius CL invention" when he tested the 997. 2 GT3 series...

triode

Ditto. I fully expected the car to be brilliant - faster, handle better, etc.; but as Harris says of himself, I'm one of those every 4th (or 5th) drivers in the marketplace who insists on the option of a stick.

So I'm saddened that Porsche has joined Ferrari and others in turning their back on maximum driver involvement, and will keep my Luddite Edition GT3.

Mvez

Ditto.

Carrera GT

Ditto. You can hear charris speaking his well-rehearsed and carefully chosen plusses and minuses. The plusses were unreserved two thumbs up for the steering (otherwise Porsche would have asked for a Drone strike) and he ascribes to the Porsche marketing line of "just you go drive it, then decide" with comments like "the four wheel steering is invisible to the driver." I do take exception to his various put-downs directed at the 997. I'll have to ruminate on those and watch the video again before reacting, but as we've seen with Mr Preuninger's many howlingly laughable superlatives to advocate each new Porsche, when you come out of the box saying "best car ever" only to later describe the car as inferior to the next "best car ever," eventually, it's meaningless. Harris is perhaps the best tempered and even-handed of the journo's to comment on Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari, but still, I wonder if this first effort to "sell" and position the 991 GT3 needs further tempering. I expect his full review drive of a production car for media will be benefit from more time for thought and more precise observations about things like suspension (which from the video appears to load up and release quite vigorously ... suggesting this car is not a sublime road car, but a few video segments and perhaps a nervously energetic hand on the steering wheel can make any 911 appear to move about the way this car does in the video.) All in all, this video was quite an unexpected visual and aural feast of GT3 steak and potatoes. I can't wait for my turn!

cbweaver1

IIRC, he mentioned the wheel is off a Carrera, I'd expect Alcantara on the production. And yes, I agree completely on it sounding like it will be a winner.

First review of the video has me pausing and restarting to catch better glimpses of the driver seat..........is that the new sport bucket for the 991 he is sitting in? Looks different than the passenger seat.

First impulsive thought after watching the video: Do I send my 997.2 GT3 back to the States and get a 991 for Europe or vice-versa. Either way I'm not selling my 997.2 GT3 no matter how big the technological and performance gap between the two cars.

Thank you for posting!

Carrera GT

He said it's a leather (not Alcantara) steering wheel and it has the distinctive "12:00" (twelve o'clock straight ahead) marking of a GT3 or RS wheel. I wonder if that's just a matter of what they had in the parts bin or if they find Alcantara doesn't hold up to the R&D miles and numerous different drivers.

He says those are the sport buckets in a new design with fixed back (that winged design was previously always a hinged "GT2" back.) Interesting and desirable!

I have the same feelings (or misgivings or conflicted emotions?) about the RS 3.8 -- should I be dumb enough to sell it before deciding the 991 RS is its deserved heir to the very important place in history that is my humble garage ... oh I'm sure Porsche execs are hanging in the balance of that decision, going to sleep each night with prayers for a good outcome ...

As the monkey makes abundantly clear, it's not that us few stalwarts, holding fast in our positions atop the defensive towers of the last bastion of the third pedal manual gearbox will make a jot of difference. For every one of us lost in the battle, it's not one robo-box PDK driver to take our place, it's not even two, it's probably three or five or more. That's the way of things when you're being overrun by zombies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slfrrjPndV4#t=130s

Spyerx

I felt this 'first drive' review was very well balanced and I think he hit right at the things the enthusiasts want to know about: the engine, the steering, the rear wheel steering, the pdk, and the overall handling/package.

On the wheel: He states that all the touch surfaces are alcantara, but this "engineering sample" has a leather wheel. I'd expect alcantara standard, Leather as an option.

I have to tell you, watching that car and hearing that engine definitely sparked my interest. Man that noise. But I share his opinion on the stick.

s4awd

To me the car has no soul. It's become everything I didn't like about the GTR.

oldskews4

I wouldn't say that until you've driven it.

Carrera GT

If you really have to have a stair-master under the sole of your left foot, this isn't the car for you, but that's nothing to do with whatever "soul" means to any given driver. I think Harris' review says this car does excite and inspire him to keep driving and enjoying and even being more engaged and immersed in the car -- I think that's what he was saying when he said a manual box on demanding cut-and-thrust roads can be "almost too much work." I tend to agree that there's a time when shifting is control and it's even just plain rewarding to have the skill and confidence, but there's times on some tracks where I'd dearly love to steal a shift to a lower gear. There's also the matter of consistency and discipline in a manual box, especially for anyone driving against the clock. It's just plain rewarding to have consistent lap times within hundredths of a second and the data shows you're not leaving a lot on the table. Some of that challenge is replaced by a much simpler task once the shift is reduced to a matter of choosing time, place and rpm with no concern for traction and stability. If anything, there's going to be a whole new pursuit to find the times when an upshift should be done to benefit from the torque of the shift and meat of the torque curve versus the throttle response and steering of higher rpm. A high compression 3.8 at 7000-9000 rpm should have effective throttle steering. It's just a matter of time before all auto makers bring active stability management systems that alter front wheel steering angle . I wonder if Porsche eventually teaches rear-steer to do things like tuck the nose on a partial throttle lift with turn-in at the apex, or to actively release the front steering angle or open the rear steering angle to counteract oversteer without reducing engine power, and tell the diff to "hook up" ... then you're really starting to be a passenger ... or an F1 driver ... depending upon your point of view.