1198r

With the clutch in my car replaced (with 4.0 parts) I went to check out a new mountain road in UAE and a 991 GT3 tagged along for the drive.

60 minutes of motorway allowed me to marvel at the new GT3 in both looks and how quickly it disappeared into the horizon.

On arrival at our destination - bottom of the valley - we decided to take a sedate drive up before coming back down to then go up again! The new road starts with fast flowing bends and then as it climbs up combines tight turns and hairpins interspersed with straights and bends which with no oncoming traffic allow a nice racing line.

After first run up and down....

The RS just came alive - felt small and compact, turned on a sixpence, grunted out of the corners and of course the clutch and gear box worked brilliantly! Not once did the car understeer (despite slippery surfaces) and simply I found nirvana.

Then we swapped cars. I will never forget seeing my green car disappear against the backdrop of the sand coloured rock.

First impressions, car felt big. Box in manual and away we go. Wow. Gearbox amazing. Engine sounds great - different to the RS of course. Going up the mountain, capable car but nowhere near as precise or nimble feeling as the RS. The great thing about the car was the gearbox allowed you to just focus on lines etc, but at the same time u felt less engaged.

My friend who drove my RS (ex cup racer) said after, for 10 minutes in the RS he had one of the best driving experiences he ever had and marvelled at the RS's ability and told me NEVER to sell the car! He also said that if he had to choose one car to do all things - daily drive, track etc, he would get the new 991 GT3.

Me - I think the new GT3 is a fantastic technological achievement and a good answer to the Ferrari/Nissan competition and it looks and sounds fantastic. However, the old RS just gives me such a sensory stir, a neural extension of me that it's addictive. When I turn the wheel and feel the front go where I want, when I gas it out of a tight turn and it booms out or as I carefully thread the car through fast 3rd and 4th gear bends with minimal and precise turns of the steering wheel - it's driving heaven. It truly is a special car.

I, like many here are waiting for the 991 RS but I fear it just won't be the same. Time will tell I know, but something tells me Evo Mag's 200th edition vote may stand the test of time for many a year ahead too.

Time to find a time capsule to put my green alien in.

MJFDDS

Well written. Thanks for the comparison.

irish guitar

Great report, thanks. Sounds like a great driver's road, too.

Vivian

997rs4.0

Thanks for the write up! Sounds like u guys had a great day. I would think the guys in Stuttgart listens and reads more then we think on RL. It feels like a lot of people here (me included) really wants the new 1rs to be closer to the cup than the gt3. Hopefully it shows up that way. Make AC an option and skip the rest!

mooty

yes said that all along
991 is amazing, an experience to have. like we all went to strip joints
but I prefer to keep the 7.2 rs, wife
the best would be wife and concubine together so 991 and gt

1198r

^ thanks guys. Yes, the road really is quite special for the region and a hidden gem but you have to be a good driver to get up and down it well/safely - a lot of the road was slippery etc. I had no intention to write the drive up but having experienced what I did, I just had too. I'm not be-littling the new GT3 at all and REALLY do want/hope the new RS to be the newer more raw version of the current RS I have; But, and it's a big BUT, the .2 RS and i'm sure the generations previous really are something special. I am lucky to have been able to have driven both cars in a really good situation and have come away from the experience realising how good the car I have actually is!

Next time I drive Jebel Jais, it will be in GT2RS...... not mine but comparison will be interesting! Will take video too!

madmurdock

Thank you for the great review. That green is amazing!

Mooty's analogy is spot on.

sin911

Thanks for the comparison post. You've confirmed my thoughts on how they would compare. I just saw my first 991 GT3 yesterday in the flesh and it does look pretty, but I was always afraid it was going to be too polished to enjoy as much as my 997. I guess this is what 996 people felt like when the 997 came out. My 997 is definitely a keeper (unless I find the money to upgrade to a .2 RS or a 4.0 RS someday).

tcsracing1

yup. You need both car in the garage.

fjpdds

Good story. Thanks.

mrsullivan

wow, maybe just the angle, but the 991gt3 looks like a limo in that picture compared to the RS

kristob

Great write up. Hard to compare 991 3 and 997.2 RS. 991 can function as an everyday car and the 997.2 is an "occasion" car IMO. Will be interesting to see how the 991 RS compares.

Any more pics of your PTS beauty?