Ok, so I wanted to post my thoughts on my new GT3. I have had it for 2 days now and have 250 miles on it. Obviously I havent been able to explore the high-end of the power band as I am following break-in and not going past 6000 rpms.

Just a little background... In November 2006, I set out to find a 2007 997.1 GT3. I generally like to buy new, and I just wasnt able to find any allocations out there. So, I then "settled" on a Turbo. This was my first Porsche. I ordered the car and took delivery in May of 2007. I was blown away by the power and torque of the turbo. I am a track guy, however, and pretty much immediately noticed the drawbacks of the forced induction motor. This was my first F.I. car. It was a blast to drive and it was soooo fun to scare the sh*t out of passengers when the boost came on.

I quickly grew bored of the Turbo... the exhaust note was down right boring... added a Techart exhaust and still..... boooooring. Dont get me wrong, it was a kick in the pants to jump on the throttle, but there was just something missing. I bought a 2008 E60 M5 in November of 2007. Believe it or not, this car made me stop driving the turbo. The high-revving V10 just screamed and satisfied my senses so much more than the Turbo. The Turbo literally sat in the garage (for the most part) over the next months. I decided to sell it, and did so, in May of 2008.

So, in May or so when the 997.2 GT3 was announced, I got the bug again. I called my former salesman of the Turbo who is now the sales manager of my local dealer. He said he would definitely get my name on an upcoming allocation once they were released. The time came and I was given an October build. Initially I was planning on going with a relatively low-optioned car. I had put a ton of money into my turbo with various exclusive options and didn’t want to do it again. HOWEVER…. I couldn’t resist and ended up building a pretty damn expensive GT3. I have attached a list of the options I chose.
I also posted a couple pics a couple of weeks ago, I will show them again as a sneak peak. I promise many more HQ pics showing all of my interior options in a week or so. I will go over everything in detail at that time.
Now…. For the initial review.
Looks
I am going to be completely honest here….. I have never been that crazy about the 997.2 wing. I have seen a few in person. Looked at it from every angle. I was just never sold on it. After spending some time with my car…. I absolutely love it. Its definitely an eye-catcher. No regrets here.
Engine
This engine is a gem. It is marvelously smooth. Although, at idle it sounds more like a bucket of bolts!! Ha!.... The exhaust note makes me question whether or not I need an aftermarket exhaust. I have yet even to explore the high rpm range and, from what I hear, it is the sweet spot of the engine. In comparison to the Turbo, its just night-and-day. If there is one word that I could use to define the difference between the two, it would be “linear.” The Turbo was precisely the opposite.
Road Feel/Suspension
“Point & Shoot” This is how I would describe the GT3. I took the car back into Silverado Canyon today (for those of you who know Orange County). Driving this car through the twisties is effortless even at a fast pace. On normal setting the feel is entirely tolerable. It is firm and somewhat “jittery” over rough surfaces, but Id expect that from any sports car. With PASM on, there is a clear difference and the car just sucks itself to the ground…. Awesome.
Front Lift
I have read a lot of debate on whether the Front Lift system is worth it…. After driving the car around for the last few days, I can honestly say that it is a MUST HAVE option. I live in Newport Beach, which is nothing harsh in terms of roads. Even a simple standard driveway will challenge the GT3. I know its just a “cheap” front lip, but I can say that Im glad I paid the money for the Front Lift option.
Thoughts
After my dislike of the Turbo, I was honestly scared that I would not be completely satisfied with the GT3. I spent soooo much money on the Turbo and didn’t like it…. It would have been soooo sad to spend the money on the GT3 and end up dissatisfied. I have read over and over again about how different the GT3 is. I can honestly say that I am a believer. This car is, quite simply, amazing. Until I have the money for a Scuderia, I could not imagine a car that I would rather have.
There is an obvious flaw in the ordering system of Porsche. The deviated stitching ordering is overly complicated. The same thing happened on my Turbo, and its happened here. The shift-boot, e-brake & steering wheel are in standard stitching unlike the rest of the car. I have recently discovered that there is a way to have all of this done, but isn’t even published in the ordering guide. As well, the sales manager at my dealership isn’t even aware of how to do it properly…. That says something about Porsche’s system.

 

Great review and pics, thanks. So, the recommended break in has risen from 4200 to 6k?; just kidding. It must be torture not to wail on that baby.

 

Pretty car. The new GT3 is really something else. I think I would have forgone some of the little details options you selected and added the GT2 seats. That small stuff really adds up quickly and isn't cheap. Possibly ceramics as well.

 

Great writeup and fantastic car! It would be nice if the dealers were more versed in the differences between the TT and the GTx cars and made more of an effort to really probe potential customers as to what they're looking for, as there would be less crossover in clientele. It should almost be a requirement that anyone test driving a TT should drive a GT3 and vice versa.

 

I have a 2010 coming in about 2 weeks. I just got the manual standard sport seats. I do want the added comfort and adjustability. I found the same GT2 seats (new) for about $6,400. I may buy those and then either sell mine (there's a good market for the standard seats.) or shelve them. I'll first see how I like the sport ones. What I hear is that they are a relatively easy swap.

I figured that the $6,400 isn't really bad considering that porsche wants a bit over $3k to option the same seats. So, for an additional $3,300 or so, it's not a bad option to have both.

 

I had intended to go with the GT2 seats, but I simply dont fit in them. I had the adaptive seats in the Turbo, and they reduce seat width when compared to the manual seats. So, I decided to go with the manual seats. Porsche screwed up and gave the adaptive seats..... so I got them for free.

 

Score on the adaptive seats!

 

great review. It's great to hear that you found the ideal CAR, i guess your a N/A guy after all... with high revs though!!!

congrats to a fellow NEWPORT BEACH residence. I miss HOME =(

 

Great write up, enjoy the new toy, especially on the track!

 

Nice write-up. I am about to pull the trigger on a GT3. I too am more interested in tracking, although if I would have ordered one, I would have found it hard to resist all the extras options available too!

The selection is getting slimmer out there and I can get either get,
1) 130k, very base model GT3 w/o PCCB and Lift, leather, stitching, etc. or
2) +16k, one that has a lot of goodies, PCCB but no LIft system or
3) + 24K, even more stuff and a lift system and Dynamic Engine Mounts.

Choice 2) and 3), I will immediately remove the PCCB and put on steel rotors.

Question, is the lift system a real deal breaker?
Do you think you would be happy if you had just gotten the base model with a lift system?
What do you think of the Dynamic Engine Mounts?

 

Congrats, Best of luck with it.
What is " Dev. stitching, side center console"?
Don't you have to have the console in leather to have stitching?
Rich

 

Awesome car!

 

No, its not a deal breaker. All I can say is that if I had to do it all over again, there is not doubt I would pay the money and order it again. Trust me, this car is LOW. Like I said before, you will be challenged by even the most simple driveways.

The dynamic engine mounts are invisible.... as I would expect them to be. Maybe in a side-by-side comparison you can tell the difference. But I have nothing to compare to.

These are the 2 sides of the PCM area. running from the vents down to the shift boot area. If you order the center console in leather, it becomes an exclusive option and will be stitched if you select option 09991.

 

"These are the 2 sides of the PCM area. running from the vents down to the shift boot area. If you order the center console in leather, it becomes an exclusive option and will be stitched if you select option 09991."

Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Rich

 

do you mind listing all the options that are needed in order to get everything in the interior stitched? I would hate to have half of my stitching in red, and others not colored. Assuming that the RS stitching options are the same... Thanks in advance!