CRex

Funny you mentioned that--same is happening where I am. There's a bunch of these things on the street but the owners came out of nowhere--not any of the "old guard" certainly, not even the track crowd. We have about 15 cars in town, and surprisingly, I haven't seen ONE, not ONE on track...

Right there. I don't doubt the product one bit. But its positioning has moved on and the GT3 now attracts a different kind of buyer... good or bad? The market will tell...

ilko

The 991 GT3 is targeting a different buyer, no doubt. I recently received an invitation email from my AAdvantage Private Pass card to sign up for one of their offers. Here's what it said:

In prior years a 911 Turbo variant would've been offered. It has now been replaced by a GT3. Draw your own conclusions.

Spyerx

we're seeing a lot of 991 gt on the track here in So/NorCal. Some owners are same, some are different, new to the brand, etc. All I've met seem to be pretty cool guys with a lot of enthusiasm for the car. That's good.

Car, well i think it was pretty sweet driving one at 6/10. Different than my 997. Fast as all hell.
For me I'd want to tweak it a bit, it's a little 'soft' for me.

I'll get one eventually. but for a track toy, Will wait till they drop in price a bit and pickup, and give it the treatment.

Plus I really want to see how they hold up to extended track use.

JuanCarpantier

Well, they're all sitting between £150-160k, so I wouldn't quite say that anything has popped.

I still need a shot in a 991.

maroli

Porsche sold as many as they wanted to. The car is easier to drive and that brings greater sales volumes but alienates a sub-set of enthusiasts who prefer a car that is harder to drive. I don't see the 991 GT3 market holding up as well because now that they adopted 4WS, PDK, and a host of electronics they're now going to be able to improve the car markedly as technology develops. The previous versions of GT3's felt like the ultimate expression in evolution of what was an old-school concept. As such, they'll always command a premium....I think.

speef

Maroli I think you nailed it perfectly...

there's a video with Rohrl in which he basically says that the car is so much faster than he ever expected, he can say this is an excellent car, but, unlike the 997gt3, he can no longer say he's an excellent driver when driving it fast...

I would say that unlike the 997, in the 991 it's not just you and sir Isaac Newton, it's you, Newton and about million lines of code between the two of you...

To each his own of course, I was just inquiring as to the value for the true enthusiast... (although the definition of true enthusiast seems to be changing as well)

speef

btw I drove a 991gt3 and it's a truly exceptional car... it's exceptional in the way the base 458 is exceptional, I feel it lacks the purity of the 997gt3 and the emotion of the 458 Scud... it doesn't have enough of either, and as such, I don't think it will qualify as a collectible... it certainly qualifies as one hell of a machine though...

mooty

1. you should get a 997 RS 4.0. it's truly special
2. there are no 458 scud, it's 430 scud or 458 speciale
3. no GT3 is collectable, but ALL RS will be. trust me. buy one and thank me in 20 years.

JB911

I don't like the chin/nose on the 991-and you open the back and can't see the engine... don't like the center console either. The 997 seemed distinguished and special.

What really made me laugh and cringe at the same time was a guy that cranked his engine, stone cold, revved it up to 9000rpm to make a lot of noise and "impress people". Started it, floored it and just held it wide open. Like some fools do with their motorcycles-hold it open while the rev limiter starts to cut in and out. No respect for the thing, probably a lease anyway. It was like watching child abuse in public

I don't think you'd see this kind of behavior from most owners. But it's an automatic, and now you'll see fools that don't know what a clutch is, or a piston, rings, bearings, spark plug or even a screw driver, prancing around like this guy did. I'm sure he can't drive a manual, lots of people can't.

speef

Mooty yes thank you, 430 is what I meant to write - I agree the RS will get closer to that spec Porsche-wise, it won't exceed it emotionally, it will likely exceed it as an overall package however... In my experience of owning over 30 Porsches and 5 Ferraris over the years, Porsche is the friendlier more usable, less stressful machine to own and enjoy...Either way, Porsche has made a marketing decision to go digital, it makes all the sense in the world, it appeals to a market many times the size, plus it's safer for most drivers to operate ... It will leave a few purists missing the heel and toe cadence and dance, but it won't leave the Porsche shareholders missing much at all, quite the opposite... I should have gone for the 4.0 when it first came out, would have felt better about abusing what I now know to be a timeless classic ... Cheers all !

997rs4.0

Obviously we can't see the future but I wouldn't be surprised if 997rs gen2 will be more expensive than 991rs very shortly. Seems like owners of the 997rs hold on to their cars. I already see signs that owners of 991 gt3s want the latest and greatest and the same will go for the 991rs!
Like Mooty said the gt3 will always be a great fun car with little depreciation.

Ur20v

in my opinion theres a lot of banging of gums and tripe written but also some measure.

I don't see anyone opening a 996 or 997 engine lid and exclaiming love of the view- with Porsche form follows function- if you want carbon and chrome gazzooo's on your engine by a Fezzer.

Also Walter in a slow car is fast but behind a wheel of a fast car he is electric, in either he will be leaps ahead of us mortals.

901, 930, 964, 993 or even 996 owners have said the same to 997 as is levelled to the 991 here.

some manufactures produce pigs, but not here with the GT series

NAM VET

My son has held an interesting opinion on why some really expensive, top of the marque cars depreciate so quickly when the next version comes long. His take on the rapid drop of Porsche Turbo car value is that when each new one is introduced, is that wealthy guys snap them up, because they are the fastest, most expensive version from the manufacturer, excepting the small production spec cars. Then, when a more expensive, more powerful version is offered the owners have the $ to dump the present car, and jump into the newer version.

We were admiring a 996 turbo Porsche, just a few years old, and he remarked that then and even now it is a formidable car, yet has greatly depreciated. The same thing can be said about the 997 turbo cars, they sell now for half or even less than new. People who have rather great sums of money to spend on expensive cars perhaps don't fret about depreciation and lost value, and are eager to pay the cost to always have the next most expensive, fastest car available. There will always be a small sub-set of owners who do track and modify their Porsche's, but I really think the vast majority of "main-stream" cars never even park in a track paddock.

A Porsche GT car will always appeal to a smaller crowd, but I wonder if the same ownership philosophy often applies, wealthy purchasers acquiring them, then "dumping" them when a faster, more expensive GT comes along.

As for the legacy of the Mezgar and oft mentioned manual transmission of the older GT3 cars, I suspect many potential purchasers of of the new cars couldn't care less. When the next generation rolls out, many will quickly jump into them. Which of course is great for those of us who don't have the $ to acquire them new.

Picking up our own '07 GT3 tomorrow from Zuffenhaus, after having the pipes welded, then picking up my 5th grade grandson at school as he has been waiting for me to do that since last fall. With the Sharkwerks "cup exhaust" I will make sure he hears me back in the line of minivans picking up their kids.

so all the best.....

speef

in my view you are correct on all counts... !

Nick Wong

The problem is one of branding.

GT moniker is a halo. Right or wrong it's been marketed as the top of the line.

Top of the line means different things to different people.

For example, people who enjoy the cabriolet experience aren't necessarily interested in a decontented boy racer.

A lot of the confusion stems from Porsche's poor pricing management. A GT car shouldn't cost that much more, if any, over a non-GT car. By using price as a big differentiator they are selling BS to those who don't really know the cars but have money to fling. In actuality the GT cars should be CHEAPER but rarer. Rarity alone should make them a halo product. If they played their cards right, they can upcharge their ENTIRE lineup to GT price structures.

Is it smart? Well, by rebranding a GTS spec into a GT3, and charging the appropriate premium for the badge, I guess you can say they are. Might as well grab the cash if people are offering. Long term, there will be a dilution of the brand, and that is not smart.