is that leather ?

 

It is!

 

Just want to join the chorus of "thank you!". I'm still in the pining phase of my 991 journey, so I've taken great joy in reading every single page of this thread and living vicariously through you!

 

Another forum member (thanks Paul!) found a couple of pics of my beloved 991 at the recent Audi event @ AMP. Nothing new, just sharing a few pics...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/8110098910/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/8110088651/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/8110099376/

 

Track car: Your input is welcome!

I have been doing a lot of soul searching over the last few days. I am at a point where I feel like turning off the nannies of the 991 on the track and learn to take the car to its limits. This being said, I am not sure that learning how to push (my limits) on a new 991 is a great idea... I could see the car wrecked at some point and I am not sure I'd like this

Also, I thought about getting a real track dedicated car for a while. Something like a long term project. Start tracking it as nearly stock and work on it little by little to turn it on something that could become fairly effective and maybe raced -at a very amateur level- in a few years. Meanwhile I'd keep taking the 991 to track events too (it's just too good not to enjoy it -more carefully-).

I am not looking for something that would be the fastest car around the track, but a RWD naturally aspirated 911 (so that I keep improving my rear engined car skills) that could be upgraded. I would also like to minimize my upfront investment (<$25k max), knowing that the project car will require quite a few parts. I am currently leaning towards base manual 993 or 996 Carrera's, mileage does not really matter.

Just sharing this to see if you guys would have another suggestion in terms of track car... or even the whole approach

 

There's a few ways you could go...

1. trade in your 991 C2S against the new 991 GT3 in about 14 months (although that still doesn't solve your 6 point harness issue for DD).

2. get a 997 or 996 already set up as a dedicated track car.
You can find a good 996 for 45K to 55K or a 997 for 65K to 85K.... of course they vary wildly because a used cup car can also cost ya 185K++!
Then again you can find something to just beat the sh#t out of for 25K!

3. get a totally track ready hp and torque monster (which will want to kill ya at every turn ) for as little 35K to 45K... that being a Corvette or Viper (not my cup of tea but damn it's A LOT of fun!).

Regardless of which way you go I really think your better off buying a ready to use track car (that someone else has spend copious amounts of $$ on already) and upgrade it rather than starting from scratch...
I looked into doing the same thing last year and there are quiet a few track junkies out there whom have a dedicated shop/pit-crew take care of their ride with religious verver including serious rebuilds and top notch maintenance...

Of course ya need to stay away from the rides which are being sold because they're just done....but there are also gentlemen (like referred to above) who've just decided they're getting to old to enjoy it like they used too, found something else, business is not what it used, have different priorities now, etc, etc.

Not the same as the joys of building from scratch but it'll cost ya a lot less.

 

Track car - day 1

First of all, thanks for your input Sid! I did not exactly follow your advice as I am too excited to start a new project car from scratch

So I pulled the trigger this morning on a 2003 Base 996 (manual with short shifter). I could fill a few pages about the mods I have in mind... And will probably need to start a new thread in the 996 section

The car is in great shape and I was impressed that it was pretty quick despite the fact that it only has 320hp (for now...).

Here are 2 quick iPhone pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/8116783406/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/8116774605/
Let the party begin now !!!

PS: Since the 991 is going to spend a lot less time on the track (and since I'll keep it a bit closer to OEM style now that I can go totally wild with the 996), I'll be selling a few parts. The Speedart spoiler and the track wheels should be listed for sale very soon.

 

CONGRATS Serge!! Happy For you!! Looks like a very well maintained find. I hope you continue to add to this thread with your mods and experience.

 

When I die, I want to come back to life as SM_ATL

Congrats. Cannot wait to see your progress. Let all of us know when you start that 996 thread.
M

 

Thanks! I sure will... The 991 is still my favorite child

 

Hahahaha I figured you'd want a project!!!

Good stuff, looking forward to the new 996 thread link.
What are your first plans, what type of mileage does she have, how far do you plan to go with turning her into a track car.

Exciting stuff, congrats!!!

 

Will be starting the 996 thread very soon . The car is in good shape and the mileage is still OK (80kmiles).

By order of priority:
-safety gear: rollcage, harness and bucket seats
-clutch and lightweight flywheel
-suspension: coilovers and sway bars
-big brake kit and track wheels/tires
-supercharger or full race exhaust + ECU tune
-somewhere along the way, complete strip down of the car, removing anything that adds weight and does not help performance (rear seats, A/C, radio, carpet and lining, etc.)
-a few visual enhancements here and there, including stripes or decals (I know many of you don't like that, but the car is going to be stripped and abused anyhow )
-aerokit or duck tail...

Enough to keep me busy for a while! For now it is more about getting something I can wreck (hopefully not) while I improve my driving skills. After that, I'll try to make it faster than the 991. I'll work on the project trying to maximize the performance per $$ spent instead of going all in like on the 991. One step at a time...

 

That list of mods will set you back about 25K-30K dollars and when you sell the car will in fact not add a dollar to the value unless it's all done with top notch components at a quality shop. In which case it may give you $5K back should you sell it as-is. As long as you know that.... have fun and I am looking forward to seeing the progress. You're a brave one!!

 

My recommendation on the order of the mods but the big question is are you making a great trackday car or are you trying to make a race car. There is a difference:

Tal
(NASA racer, but not in a Porsche)

 

Thanks Tal and hroussard!
The first step is to make the car a good trackday toy. In a couple of years, and if I find out I am capable of it, I may consider racing, but certainly not in the short term.

Clutch replacement is due soon, hence the reason why it is close to the top.
Whatever I end up doing with the car, I'll start with suspension (thought about PSS10 + adjustable sway bars), BBK (biggest Stoptech kit the 18" wheels would accommodate) and a track wheel set (affordable forged wheels + R888's). You guys have more experience than I do, but these choices point more in the direction of a trackday car than a race car and remain affordable. The shop I am working with (Freed Performance in Cumming, GA) is really top notch: very meticulous and competent.

At that point, I had planned on evaluating if I was happy enough or not. My only 'fear' is to find out that the car does not have enough ooomph to my taste after having been spoiled with the 991S (and I know that 400hp itself is not much for some). That's the reason why I considered stripping the car (to improve the power/weight ratio... for free) or upgrade the exhaust or the engine. This step would be clearly more expensive and I need to figure out if I really need it first.

Decals, ducktail, etc. were purely for the fun of changing the car looks. I will probably will not go fast enough to really see the benefit of full aero in the near future.

Regarding the resale value of the car, I know that 'mods' are basically a write off. I got a very good deal on the car, so this part was OK... and I may still end up wrecking it