250k....wow........

 

WOW! 7:20 "Ring" times! gonna have to pillage the kids college fund

 

just educate them on the track instead

 

I suspect the reason that the 2008 GT2's moved slowly was a combination of bad market timing (selling in to a very weak economy) and reviews that were rather mixed - citing a lack of driving/handling refinement compared to the GT3.
If they were to take the best of the 997.2 GT3 RS with it's handling and aero magic, and add an enhanced turbo motor, it would be a remarkable machine. PDK or not. I've always been drawn to the GT series - knowing that one of them will be my next P-car, with the hope that they'd really nail the turbo version.
Hopefully they will this time.

 

Agreed,

First 997 GT2 I saw in person was at a dealership and had been recently bought back. The previous owner, an avid Porsche owner, had apparently decided it was just "too much" car. I believe it sat for close to a year at the dealership before finally being sold.

Jason

 

I've had my '08 GT2 since early July of last year. Built to my order. I've put about 9700 miles on it since (practially all highway miles, many on remote roads in Calif., AZ and UT) and I know I'm still learning how to drive it better and still get surprised by the depth of its capabilities.

The handling is as refined as that of the GT3RS. In fact, Pete Stout, in a comparison test in the September '08 issue of Excellence, gives it a higher rating on one of his northern California test loops than a modded GT3RS.

There are differences between the GT2 and the GT3RS that impact the handling of the car and how one has to drive it. The 2 is nearly 250 pounds heavier, all in the rear. That makes it a blunter handling instrument. And the engine takes more attention to drive near the limit due to the turbo chargers. In the 3 the engine gives instant response and not a hell of a lot of torque. This means you react to the moment without having to plan ahead and it's more difficult to put too much torque on the rear wheels. In the 2 you have to plan ahead a little because of a slight lag in engine response, which you can practically eliminate by making sure you keep the revs up for instant response. However, the instant response at higher revs makes it very easy to put too much power on the wheels. So you have to learn how to be highly accurate with the throttle. In other words, driving the 2 fast and well is a challenge and requires one's -- certainly mine -- full attention. It's the most involving car to drive I've ever experienced. And that was precisely why I bought it.

The car makes being involved in the driving a pure joy because of its accurate and communicative steering and chassis and perfectly weighted controls (steering, clutch, shift, brakes). The engine noise is rather indifferent; the 3 has it beat there.

While I find the car a welcome challenge to drive well I have never felt anything but confident in it. It tells me with great honesty what's happening. My wife, on the other hand, who has accompanied me on at least 75% of the miles on the car -- as a passenger but has never driven it -- calls it "devil's car". Of all the fast cars we've owned over the years (Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs), the 2 scares her once in a while. Or rather, I scare her driving the 2. She says it's because of its unusual reponsiveness coupled with the highest g loads (acceleration, braking and transverse loads) of any car she's experienced.

For me it's the best performance car I've ever driven or owned. It's a true supercar as far as performance is concerned without being temperamental. I expect that over time some people will find that out.

 

HansGT2- Great write-up, thanks!

N/A linear powerband vs the inevitable turbo lag. Always that trade-off no matter how good the turbo system is engineered.

Unless of course the PDK/turbo pairing for 2010 is the solution

 

Great writeup and coincides with exactly what I've experienced in the 1k miles I've put on mine in the past month. There is definite boost lag, but the progression is very linear making it a little easier to control, and it's definitely more fun on the streets than a NA motor IMHO. I haven't taken it on a track yet, but plan to next year, and I'm sure it's going to take a lot of care in the corners not to get heavy w/ the throttle. Coming out of a corner and on the straights it will be a demon.

It's a supercar no doubt, but still quite easy to drive on the streets. The power from 60-130 and above is instantaneous and intoxicating.

Engine note it a bit anemic and gets drowned out by the turbos, but maybe an exhaust will change that.

All in all, it's exactly what I was looking for, a 90/10 street/track car which is easy to daily drive (barring bumper to bumper traffic and clearance issues). If I was going for a 50/50 street/track car, I'd have gotten the GT3 or RS.

 

great write up hans, would you want an rs version if it really is to be made?

 

I have done the RS Tuning 600hp package, very little lag with normal driving or when first hitting the throttle and lag is never an issue at the track..never!
With the stock MPSC it has pulled 1.65 cornering g's, 3/4 tank loaded 2265lbs.

It's funny how hard I pull the Gt3's, RS and Z06, the GT2 is a great car!

 

Agreed!!!!

 

Now, with a well set-up suspension, some minor modifications (^bhp), and lacking the electronic safety gizmos, the 996 GT2 'widow-maker' is the car to track and drive on the street.

 

I don't know; it depends on what the GT2RS were to offer. It would probably be much more track oriented than the regular GT2. In that case, if I wanted a car primarily for track use, I'd more likely modify my car to get it set up (weight, suspension, engine) more closely to what I'd want than Porsche could offer. For example, I'd reduce the weight of the inner bumper structures front and rear to reduce weight and rotational inertia. The factory can't do that for a car licensed for road use in the U.S.

As far as track ambitions are concerned, I enjoy track driving because it's fun, I get to learn about the car's behavior at the limit, hone my skills and don't have to worry about getting arrested. I don't have any ambition to set fastest time of the day. So I'm not very likely to build a track special.

 

anyone have new info?

 

would love to see this stateside