d00d

It depends, what does your friend AP tell you what's coming next for a GT4? ...I kid!
:)

user1029

Needs to be swapped back to a 991.1 front bumper STAT

Bardman

(I tried to stifle it, but couldn't )

I agree, I think the 991.1 GT3 looks better.

Still. 4.0, manual, 9000rpm. Pretty attractive option.

ExMB

You are not the only one.

Perimeter

Wow!

matttheboatman

Well, you guys know how I feel about that! On the record, AP is at least 95% accurate - still looking for that wishbone suspension & forged wheels on the GT4! Ha Ha.

For those that don't know the saga, Andy Preuninger invited my wife and I to Weisach (Porsche's R&D facility) while on our European delivery of our GT4. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that he politely responded to a letter asking me to get in touch with him when I'm in Germany, and I kept inviting myself and he finally agreed. It was very cool.

I get to Weisach. He sends out another Porsche engineer - Henry in a GT4, and asks us to follow him into the facility with our GT4. OMG, this is very very cool since my goal was just to meet him and have him autograph my car in the parking lot. He invited my wife Kendra and I into his office and we chatted for about a 1/2 hour. He is definitely a passionate car guy and a bit of an outlaw around Porsche. Super cool. Kendra said I "grilled" him but I was just asking questions that was on all of our minds at the time of the GT4 launch - including whether or not the PDK was coming in the GT4 as he alluded during a launch video interview. He tells me YES DEFINITELY. I ask him 3 different times, What? Why? the GT4 is all about manual. He insists adamantly it has been developed and PDK is coming.

Excited, I stupidly post about our meeting here on Rennlist and on Planet-9 Forums. Then, while I'm driving all over Europe in a Porsche-educed Nirvana haze, I get a call Ken at Planet-9 that the post about meeting AP its all over the news, particularly the part about the PDK. Then, I start getting texts from AP - telling me "please don't spill the beans". OMG, what have I done! So it goes from totally cool, to now I'm getting AP in hot water. FXXK! So, I promise AP I'll delete the post and just shut up about it until the official Porsche announcement. ....

Now the epilogue...
The GT4 PDK announcement NEVER comes. Then, when questioned publicly at the Rennsport Reunion several months later he said "no" PDK is not coming. Someone even asked him about me, and he denies ever meeting me. He said "I do not know a Matttheboatman". Of course, all my email correspondence with him where from my email address which is "matttheboatman@". It was a gut punch. I was very, very disappointed in his response.

The GT4 was no longer the same to me, particularly with his autograph all over it. I put the car up for sale and moved on. People ask me how much extra did I get for the car with his signature? ZERO - I just wanted it gone. Sold it below MSRP.

I had endured some harsh comments from posters here and overseas who thought I was full of BS, and not credible. Who would believe me when the man himself denied it? Good grief - no I will not ever report as fact anything AP says.

user1029

AP said the new bumper looks less feminine and more masculine. I don't know about you but when it comes to something I lust after, I'm not attracted to masculine features. I'm a bonafide lesbian.

d00d

It's not your fault Matt, nor AP's either, plans from higher up may just have changed.
Could be he was instead referring to the Clubsport.
From the D_TRB interview it was interesting to hear that he didn't get a 991 R, he deserves better.

ElusiveDaveH

Matt,
You reported AP correctly: the PDK did arrive in the GT4 Clubsport.

FYI, we met at BGB Motorsports during Jon's GT4 breakdown before the Daytona DE. I'm sorry so many badgered you about the AP info and I didn't hear you sold the car. What are you driving now?

matttheboatman

Hey Dave,

Yep, sold the GT4. Planning on getting either next GT4 or poss this new GT3.

My wife and I picked up this hooligan 2016 Jaguar F-Type R All Wheel Drive in the interim. I can best describe it as the exact opposite of the Cayman! Its a hoot for sure. I can't imagine running it without the new AWD system as it is has an extremely powerful 550hp supercharged engine / 0-60 in about 3.4 seconds avg.

Performance on the Cayman largely depends on how well you brake and how early you get back on to full throttle. Conversely, performance with the Jag depends on how smooth you can feather in the throttle as the power is massive and instantaneous.

I've had it out on my home track. Still learning what it can and can't do, but my times were 2.09 for the Jag, vs. 2.15 for Cayman S / 2.11 for the Cayman GTS / 2.01 for GT4. Jag is burdened by 3,800# plus curb weight. Again, its not a Porsche but it is a lot of fun. And, the sound is truly unlike anything I've ever experienced - I'm convinced their focus group to get it right must have been comprised of many High School boys! It is a hooligan!

vantage

At the time, they may have also already known a GT4 RS was in the works, who knows what really happened! Sorry if soured the ownership experience for you.

matttheboatman

Speaking of power, its one thing to say the heavier super charged Jag has 550hp or the nearly insane Turbo S has 580hp - both these cars are EXTREMELY fast cars.

Now when I try to get my head around a grippy, track-focused the 991.2 naturally aspirated GT3 producing 500hp, I start to realize just how fast this new GT3 will be on a circuit. It certainly will be near the very edge of what mere mortals like me could truly handle on a circuit at 9/10ths.

I don't know how much power the next GT4 will have, but I'm pretty sure it is safe to say that the new 991.2 4.0ltr GT3 will be WAY quicker. I'm predicting that the test drive reports that come out later this spring will blow away many otherwise stoic journalist.

matttheboatman

I agree - on your point as to higher ups changed what was going to be done. As an example, the one thing he did ask me to keep a secret at the time was the soon to be announced race version - which I did keep secret as promised. But, get this, he insisted it was to be called a GT4 "Race". I asked twice - you mean GT4 R, and he said no it is the GT4 "Race" Obviously higher ups decided a better name was the Clubsport.

The thing that spoiled me on AP was his public denial that he told me the information about PDK coming to the street car and worse yet, that he had not met with me or even knew who I was. That was very weak on his part. I don't think a true maverick like a Carol Shelby would have handled it that way. So my hero went to zero and I moved one.

CAlexio

Consider that a true Maverick like Carroll Shelby, only had himself to answer to. Assuming everything in your story is hundred percent accurate, one could easily excuse AP for trying to protect his job with VAG. The guy is the closest thing we have to a straight talker in the industry, he is the modern day corporate maverick... but the rules of communication and the definition of "honest" has changed so dramatically since Carol Shelby's day. It sounds like he made an honest mistake in maybe being too open, too customer focused, and you made the honest mistake as an enthusiast in sharing your story with the world. Both you and AP in an alternate world in the 1960's-70's would not have been penalized for this.. but in today's world corporations own the world order in a way which puts humans in last place.. and causes us to act unnaturally in order to survive and feed our families.

I didn't mean to make a political statement, I just see the situation for what it is. Two car enthusiasts penalized for sharing a true gearhead bonding moment.

**** the police.

PS: case in point, some software program forced me to spell **** wrong on purpose so it wouldn't look like ****, I have to look like someone who doesn't know how to spell in order to get around the cencorship of a word which we all know and is part of a common phrase. We are all forced into playing the PC game, and damn it, now I just went political.

I'm out

trebien

I agree. My grandfather and Carroll were very good friends, from college onward. Classic no f!cks given.

We have social media and technology to blame for that... where what used to be "rumor or word of mouth" stories, are now spread in milliseconds, with a permanent record attached.

F!ck social media. It's unfortunate, but he was covering his ***. In these instances of behind the scenes conversations, it's always best to err on the side of secrecy.