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Thanks for the kind words guys. Yeah, deep down I think I now the direction I'm heading. Don't get me wrong, its not that I'm not loving the lambo experience, it is really fun. Just not the same as the gt3 experience for me. I saw a 997.2 gt3 the other day on the freeway clad with what were obviously track wheels, great stance, and a visible rollbar and my heart leaped in my chest way more than when I come across a nice Gallardo. That's probably all I need to know. Time will tell if Mooty's prediction comes true. I keep looking at the nice white 997.2 gt3 on ebay...that thing is tempting!
great write-up and enjoyable read OP. I would love to scratch the Italian itch myself but I likely won't.
When it comes to clothes, women, motorcycles, and cars I have one simple motto, if it never gets used, then it's not worth keeping regardless of how good it looks.
The GT3 surprisingly is a good middle ground in how sporty it is to drive without the attention to the point where it can be a true DD. I feel the 991 GT3 and RS variants are a bit more flashy though.
I myself have never driven let alone owned an F or L car so the grass is always greener in my mind and your post helps remedy that a bit.
Does my heart good to read this thread because I definitely relate to the conflict by the OP. I recently traded my 991 GT3 in for a new Huracan. Frankly I agree with everything said here. I am a Porsche guy and I have a few to feed that obsession. But I was lusting after the Italian cars and I had to have a fling with the hot Italian mistress. There is no question that GT3 is a more precise and engineered car, but the wild ride with the Huracan is exhilarating (like wild sex). You have to stray at least once before you die. But like everyone says in this thread we will all be back. That will be the case for me. I already have a deposit on the 911 R and the Mission E, hoping to get an allocation. However, in the meantime, I am enjoying the ride of my life, with no regrets other than missing my GT3 everytime I look at the picture below that is hanging on my wall.
Some of you may recall my post a few months back indicating I had done the unthinkable and sold my gt3 for a early model 6 speed manual Gallardo. Since then I've fielded a bunch of questions via pm's and posts inquiring whether I'm still happy with my decision (seems many view both the gt3 and Gallardo as attractive options, even though very different). Its now been six months, and the answer is, well, complicated. I guess the best answer is "yes," (but with a very prominent asterisk).
I can honestly say I've never been so conflicted about my car situation. Usually I have complete clarity, can objectively compare the cars I'm contemplating, know exactly what I want, and don't look back. Not this time. So here is my 6 month report.
I really do love my Gallardo. Its stick, I have converted it to rwd (easy 2 hr job that is easily reversible and which literally reduces 120 lbs (almost 100 of which is rotating weight), and I have done a bunch of other great mods that makes it really, really, really fun to drive. In fact, I'm down 247 lbs from a stock Gallardo, and you wouldn't know it by looking at it (i.e., I haven't stripped it or done anything like that, just awd delete, lw battery, wheels, really light exhaust (titanium), superleggera wing, and removal of things like the washer system, secondary air pump, wing motor stuff, unnecessary trunk stuff, engine dress up panels, etc...). The car really is a kick to drive, and to be honest, the extra torque does make it fun on the street whereas you nearly have to commit a felony in the gt3 to feel the same rush on public roads.
And, the car is freaking gorgeous (imho). As in drop dead, gorgeous, and gets comments and stares literally every single time I drive it. To my mind, its one of the best, cleanest designs of any modern car. There is literally not a single angle of that car that I do not like, and that part of ownership has not yet worn off at all.
But....It lacks something that I can't quite put my finger on, that the gt3 has in spades. Its not looks, and its not power (the Gallardo wins in both categories in my opinion). And its not as simple as saying "the gt3 handles better." That's a true statement, but that does not explain my inner conflict! My gut feeling is also not explained by simply saying "the GT3 is more fun to drive." Again, that's probably true, but it doesn't explain my consternation.
Rather, its something about the character of the GT3 cars (literally, all of them, including my old 996 which "only" had 380hp), that is lacking in the Gallardo. The overall experience, the motorsports legacy, the low production numbers, the fraternity with other current and prior gt3 owners, and the overall "feel," is just not the same. The knowledge in the back of your head that the mezger flat six is not going to let you down, and the powerband that and drivetrain that revs so free and pulls so hard all the way to redline. I think its all of those things combined.
Other than that, the biggest drawback for me, in all honesty, is that given my personality, the car is not very "usable." In saying this, I don't mean that I worry about door dings or comfort or the lack of cargo space or scraping the lip (gt3 was way worse!). No, its about the attention the car brings every time I drive it (my daily driver is a chevy volt after all!). I won't drive it to work, to church, or to pick up my kids from basketball. Not because the car won't do those things admirably, but rather because its a circus every time I do, and I feel like I'm "showing off" unless there is a reason or occasion to be driving it, if that makes sense.
And it sucks that I feel like that! I drove my gt3 everywhere and never gave it a second thought (and it was red!). It was awesome. But I find myself not driving the Gallardo because of the impression it gives others. If I lived in L.A. or Vegas or NYC I might feel different, but in a sleepy, conservative, Phoenix suburb, its like I'm driving a spaceship with a naked lady on the roof. Everyone assumes it cost 250k, and because only really, really rich dudes buy quarter million dollar cars, people tend to assume I'm some rich d-bag (it doesn't help that I'm 40 and look younger than I am). I like to think I don't care what other people think, but deep down it bugs me that I feel like I'm showing off every time I drive it without a really good reason to be driving it, and as a consequence I just don't drive it that much. Although enthusiasts would freak out over the 997.1 gt3, to 90% of the public it was just another 911. The Gallardo is very different. Even grandmas snap pics of the Gallardo where I live.
The only other real drawback, and I'm not so sure its as much as drawback of the car itself or just the fact that I'm spoiled from years of owning different gt3's, is that the gallardo feels a bit "numb" in comparison. Throttle revs (especially at idle), seem lazy, don't rise or fall quickly, and sometimes just don't respond like it feels they should after coming to a stop, etc... (which is totally normal according to my tech). Its much better at high speeds/rpm's, but not like a gt3. The steering is also numb, although much better after removing the front diff and driveline. The later lp cars are much better, but still not like a gt3 in my experience.
So, am I going to sell the Gallardo? No, not yet. But do I miss having a gt3 in the garage? Very much so. If I had to do it all over again would I? Close call, but probably not. Will I buy another gt3 at some point? There is literally no doubt, and hopefully when that time comes I'll be in a position to keep both! In the meantime, I'll continue to monitor the rennlist classifieds, you know, just in case!
(thought I'd share some recent pics from the last time I made the mistake of taking it to a basketball game at an elementary school. Came out and there was a guy with a huge camera taking pics. He was nice enough to send me a few of the shots).
Scott
I'm actually very pleased to hear you wrote this after meeting you 6 months ago
I can assure you the feelings you have are very closely related to most of the P-car community here on Rennlist and 6SO. I was reading your post with each sentence hoping you would write about the EXACT things you wrote about. I just had a very similar conversation with a good friend of mine at a car event this past weekend, and the sentiment we that resonated the most is the paragraph about the character of the GT3 / Porsche Motorsport heritage.
nice write-up; would love to hear about your experience with the car's reliability / maintenance vs. gt3. i pretty much used my 7.2 gt3 as a weekend car and it was very reasonable to maintain during those years. as the f430 manuals are marching off into nutty pricing, i've been looking more and more at the gallardo.
regarding others' perceptions of car ownership...and i'm in LA - it's a problem everywhere. i've steered clear of lambo ownership simply because it's the hoe-getter of choice for your aviator-wearing douche-bag a la "shahs of sunset". as time passes, you realize it's a shame to lose the experience of such a fine automobile with a rich heritage just because of public perception.
"If I lived in L.A. or Vegas or NYC I might feel different, but in a sleepy, conservative, Phoenix suburb, its like I'm driving a spaceship with a naked lady on the roof."
This. Once I had the means to afford an "exotic", this played a huge role in driving me into the loving arms of P-cars. I'm in small-town North Carolina and wouldn't be able to get two blocks out of the neighborhood without beating back onlookers like the paparazzi. As some other RL'ers have commented, it's a shame that's even a factor when it comes to enjoying this or any other car you spent hard-earned money on...but like a recent fictional TV character said, "people used to want to be the guy in the limousine, now they throw eggs at him."
I just added my 2nd P-car to the fleet and haven't looked back.
You took a risk and you owned it. Bravo. Kudos to you that takes guts. Whatever happens you will never wonder what if.
Ok I get you are driving a lambo but it's also a YElLOW lambo! Attention comes with the territory. When I worked at Ferrari I used to drive the cars at night (on purpose) So I know the feeling.
The people chasing 6spd 430s are a little silly. The 6spd in those cars were never that good!!! That is part of why they went to paddle.
997s are truly modern classics. All iterations but gt cars especially.
There is something to be said for the narrow body "everyday" gt3. It's a wolf in sheeps clothing.
A friend of mine had a red 430 spyder, that he loved but wouldn`t drive,when quizzed about it he threw me the keys and said you will see. We used it that day to go to lunch, and to go to a car show, all up about 4 hours. In that time we were,hit on by women,twice. Abused by morons,three times.Raced from the lights by local boys in V8`s,twice. Photographed in traffic, once.Stopped and photographed at a set of lights,once.And last but not least purposefully and dangerously cut off whilst being given the bird.It certainly changed my mind about owning one,as that 4 hours and probably about 50 or so kms garnered more attention (good and bad) than 12 years of Porsche ownership all up.
stopped by home on the way back to the office from a conference and just read the latest posts on this thread. think the RS4 has done its job for the day. gonna head to the office in the GT3. will have to take the long way....
I'm actually very pleased to hear you wrote this after meeting you 6 months ago
I can assure you the feelings you have are very closely related to most of the P-car community here on Rennlist and 6SO. I was reading your post with each sentence hoping you would write about the EXACT things you wrote about. I just had a very similar conversation with a good friend of mine at a car event this past weekend, and the sentiment we that resonated the most is the paragraph about the character of the GT3 / Porsche Motorsport heritage.
FYI I sent your thread over to the current owner
I hope he is enjoying it. I took a video as you guys drove away (like a total creeper), and I still watch it from time to time!
Originally Posted by Modena 1
You took a risk and you owned it. Bravo. Kudos to you that takes guts. Whatever happens you will never wonder what if.
Ok I get you are driving a lambo but it's also a YElLOW lambo! Attention comes with the territory. When I worked at Ferrari I used to drive the cars at night (on purpose) So I know the feeling.
The people chasing 6spd 430s are a little silly. The 6spd in those cars were never that good!!! That is part of why they went to paddle.
997s are truly modern classics. All iterations but gt cars especially.
There is something to be said for the narrow body "everyday" gt3. It's a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Modena 1, you are totally right. I really can't say I regret the decision. In fact, I'm glad I did it because if nothing else, I have a little bit more clarity now as to what I like, and what it would truly feel like to own a l-car or f-car. I guess the way I've come down on this is that I'm just not rich enough to truly enjoy an exotic! I can only really afford one "toy" car, and if I don't feel like I can drive it, its kind of a waste! After all, I' don't buy fun cars to stare at them or show them off, but rather to drive them! Now, if I could afford a bunch of fun toy cars, I would feel differently about a 6 speed manual Gallardo (it would definitely be one that remains in the stable).
Originally Posted by steve porter
A friend of mine had a red 430 spyder, that he loved but wouldn`t drive,when quizzed about it he threw me the keys and said you will see. We used it that day to go to lunch, and to go to a car show, all up about 4 hours. In that time we were,hit on by women,twice. Abused by morons,three times.Raced from the lights by local boys in V8`s,twice. Photographed in traffic, once.Stopped and photographed at a set of lights,once.And last but not least purposefully and dangerously cut off whilst being given the bird.It certainly changed my mind about owning one,as that 4 hours and probably about 50 or so kms garnered more attention (good and bad) than 12 years of Porsche ownership all up.
The one good thing I can report is that almost none of the attention I have received to date has been negative at all. No middle fingers, vandalism, or snarky comments. One reason I got the self-deprecating plate was to combat the perception that I was some pompous jerk, and I think it worked. I get comments about the plate constantly, and I think it really combats the impression that most lambo owners give off that they are not approachable or friendly.
02-23-2016, 11:56 AM
