Riz

I drove my friends car today finally. I was able to put in about 25 miles on it. I drove it a mix of about 10 miles highway and off ramps and the rest on a nice loop of slow and fast corners. The roads were fairly smooth with some bumpy sections. Car had a little over 3k miles on it. I am on the list to get the RS version so I wanted to have a go in a regular one. A few impressions:

1. It looks amazing in person. I have never seen one in the flesh. Beautifully aggressive is how I would describe it.
2. It sound really good especially past 6k rpm but not as mechanical as the Mezger. A little one dimensional.
3. Steering feel ok but not great. Not really an issue for me.
4. PDK-S the best dual clutch I have driven.
5. RWS I actually noticed it a few times in very tight 2nd gear corners really pushing it
6. PTV much better than in the 997.2 turbo S, hardly noticeable but something was happening in really fast tight 2nd gear corners. Maybe it was the RWS and the PTV working together.
7. It is faster than anything on real roads. I was driving at ridiculous speeds through the corners while drinking an iced coffee.
8. Any idiot can go fast in this car.
9. Am I an idiot?
10. I am a big idiot therefore I need the RS

The 997 is really the last 911. This is entirely something else.

ngng

lol 8-10

neanicu

So I guess slowly slowly people are accepting the way of the future where " any idiot " can drive a fast car. So my question is : why the Hell has the GT-R been so criticized?! It does exactly that!
I did not drive the 991GT3,but I have a feeling there's a bit of exaggeration in the OP's post...the 991GT3 is no GT-R and it probably still provides some involvement.
Either way,I have no interest in any sports car that " any idiot " can drive fast. I need to feel that I'm working to make it go fast. There will be other cars-much cheaper that I can just use to go from A to B.

Riz

The perception of involvement the new GT3 gives you compared to the GTR imo is the NA engine, better sound, better brakes, lighter and more nimble chassis, and no awd.

Gonzogonzilla

I took a tour of the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, last Thursday, 30.10.14. As Porsche builds all of the sports cars on one line, I was amazed at the amount of GT3's, and Cup Cars on the line. They must modify the exhaust for the US as they were driving the loud, by German standards, GT3's up and down the street for testing. The tour guide admitted they had a backlog of GT3's in the pipeline. Have fun in your new 991.

CYKBC

The 911 has had a tough history. It's a real trick to become extinct not more than once, but multiple times as I've heard the same claims in the 993, 964, you name it 911 forum.

Long live the king is all I'll say. I thought the 991 GT3 was wonderful to drive as echoed in pro reviews.

orthojoe

Can anybody give me a real example of someone who really doesn't know what they are doing and are actually driving fast on track with a GTR?? Anyone? I've never seen it. Ever. Guess what? Never will. Why? Because I don't car how advanced a car is, you still actually need skills to drive fast. How many have seen GTRs driven horribly and pulling lap times waaay below what they should be doing? Many hands will raise up to confirm that observation.

This whole mantra of 'any idiot' can drive a particular car fast is a bunch of baloney. Anyone that thinks that is the case probably isn't driving their own car properly. Are certain cars more forgiving? Yes. Do certain cars allow you to make mistakes and save you? Yes. Do certain cars seem fast when driven at 5/10ths because you are only driving at 7/10ths with a slower car? Yes. Do certain cars allow you to get blistering lap times if you actually know what you are doing? Absolutely.

Any idiot can drive fast? No way.

997rs4.0

This is very interesting, I completely agree with above statement! You need to be a good driver to get the most out of any car. The problem with a lot of modern street legal track cars is that they make people feel like any idiot can drive fast. And when things go wrong, it ends really bad because of the speed you carry. So in a way any idiot can drive faster than they should!

orthojoe

I agree with what you say as a well.

neanicu

It's the difference between street and track Joe. Every reviewer mentioned the car has lost something(involvement/steering feel) on the street-which is where the OP has driven the car. On the track it's great at the speeds it's capable of carrying,especially if lap times is what you're after.

orthojoe

I think I know what you are getting at, but I was focusing on the 'any idiot can drive fast' mantra that many people bring up when it comes to the GTR. If you're talking about the street, can't any idiot drive a 997 fast on the street as well? It takes zero skill to shift to the next gear, really. The GTR has a better chance of saving the idiot, whereas the 997 guy has a bigger chance of getting into trouble. I would agree with you there if that is what you are saying. However, I'm not sure how getting into trouble more easily makes a car 'better'. Steering feel/involvement is another issue.

Actually, I found driving a car like the GTR on track more exhausting and hard work on track than my boxster. So much speed and weight. I was wrestling with the car the entire time, whereas on the spyder it was more finesse. I didn't like the GTR on track at all despite the fast lap time. It was tiring and not very fun.

Nizer

Isn't this thread in the wrong forum....?

neanicu

If we're talking about idiots,IMO not any idiot can drive a 997 properly even on the street,but they can definitely put the 991 in D and go. On the track you require some skills,I agree on that.

malmasri

Not with what porsche intended in the 1.3

My next post will be " Have you ever floored it"

ShakeNBake

The 1.3 is very fast in a drag race - I had no chance on the front straight at TWS. 3.8RS is down ~50HP it seemed like. He was easy to catch in the corners, and even though I got the jump on him leaving T15, he still pulled effortlessly away, much like happens with a GT2....