Road-going GT3...what's the point?
 

Okay, everyone is raving about how Porsche is making the GT3 better on the street AND the track. (Defeatable) TC I can understand, as some hard core types will want to drive them on the street. And even stability management, since not all tracks/roads are smooth as glass, so this way you can adapt the stiffness to the road at hand.

But what is the point of adding sat-nav, heated seats, etc? If this were a mass production car that they wanted to sell as many as they could ...okay, I would understand. But it at least appears as if they are only making a fairly limited number of them, which they have no trouble selling.

So why go to the trouble of watering it down if you have plenty of hard core nuts to absorb the limited number you intend to make anyway?

Great questions. That is what Porsche thinks they need to do to sell more cars in the US.

But that is my point. Supposedly the GT3 isn't about selling as many as they can make. Or will they secretly make as many as are requested, while only appearing to limit the supply? My dealer says the 07 build slots are all gone. That sounds like "limited supply" to me.

Have they had trouble selling hard-core GT3s in the past? Did they have trouble selling all the 996 GT3s?

There were less than 1000 996 GT3's built for the North American market in 2 years. Who knows what thier plan is with the 997? I am assuming that if the demand is there for more than 1000 cars, they will make them.

For someone like me, a 997 GT3 w/nav is a plus since I am from SoCal and I don't know where the f%$# I am a lot of the time out here in the DC area.

As for the sunroof, that's pretty disappointing. I even ordered my '06 GTI w/o a sunroof. The other stuff I think is a natural progression (PASM, PSM, etc). If race cars could have active suspensions, traction control, etc., they'd have them.

I really like the new GT3 - it's just so sexy and that engine.... :eek:

I understand your rant, but I hope my opinion gives you an idea of who might want nav in a GT3.

Sure, I appreciate the fact that some people would want amenities in a GT3, but that isn't the GT3's purpose. Regular 911s serve that purpose. If they can sell all the "stripped" GT3s they want to make, why make them appeal to a broader audience? It definitely hurts the car's rep with folks that are more purist in their thinking. The obvious answer is that they want to sell more, but they sure seem to be keeping the supply limited (unless 08's number of allocations will increase dramatically if the 07 allocation is sold out).

It isn't a rant so much as confusion. Throttling supply, but broadening appeal seems contradictory.

the profit margin on a NAV unit is more than the profit in a Toyota Corolla. hell yeah there's a point. because they can.

I didn't mean a "rant" per se, but you know what I mean.

I would argue that for someone like me, I want the added performance/style/etc. that a GT3 has, but I still need to drive it (around town, to the track, etc.). It is quite easy to order it "stock" and not option it up with nav. The non-delete option for the sunroof is a truly legitimate beef.

What they ought to do is make the "regular" 911 with the good dry sump engine, albeit in a detuned form from the GT3, and leave the GT3 alone. Hell, I would buy a regular 911 if it had the good dry sump engine.

see this is not what Porsche intended to do... they are making a GT3 much more hardcore than any production 911 today... it does not have any amanities that the 911s have... it doesn't have PSM, Sat/Nav Screen... it does have MUCH MUCH stiffer suspension, with the great addition of the PASM... and guess what if you don't like it??? buy a cup suspension... i guess we have to go with the flow of technology advancement... IMO none of the GT3s are hardcore... they all got ABS!!! thats for pussies already right??? and for all those options like Full Leather, Heated Seats, Sat/Nav, Adaptive Seats, CD Changer, Alumi look here and there, etc. they are all OPTIONS!!! if you want the car to be hardcore order a BASE, and for those of us need to drive a Porsche in City as well as Track let us have the options... everyone will be much more happy... and besides the 996 GT3 was possible to order all these options... it doesn't make the 997 any less hardcore than the 996... if TC is what you are thinking about then guess what... PORSCHE cares for you... they don't want stupid people to kill themselfs on the street... a GT3 is a RAW and Powerful machine... requires much more attention than 99% of the cars on the road... why not have a TC to help people out on the cases where they just didn't pay attention and have the system FULLY disengagable on the Track??? but one thing i have to agree is the SUNROOF... but i guess they didn't want to crash a GT3 lol... its ok... just eat one less meal before you go on the track and it will all equal!!!

Don't forget the GT3 is a STREET CAR afterall, granted one that easily can be converted into an all out track beast. But what's the point, if you're willing to spend 120k on a 'pseudo track car', why not just get a cup car and be done with it? I love the GT3, but I think it's a car looking for it's niche, it's not a great street car( the 996 version was worse than the 997 for that matter), and it's certainly not an ideal track beast out of the box either. Plus, I'd hate to bung up a 120k car at the track anyway. just my .02

Cup Car Please....
 

Amen,
The GT3 is Road Going!!! Porsche made Cup Cars for the track!!
If you don't like all that extra crap.....BUY A CUP CAR, You deserve it.
The GT3 is the ultimate street weapon. It is not a track car. All you purist track junkies need to wake up and get a trailer.... So you can get your Cup Car to the track. No comparison between a "Factory Porsche Race Car" and a GT3.

Nothing I enjoy more than flying around those "Track Prepped" GT3 steet cars in my 10 year old wipped out 993 Cup Car.

Hey now, not all of us can afford a cup car, a tow vehicle, AND a car for the street. Not to mention a trailer, a place to store all this stuff, etc.

:D

In that case your right!!! The least options the better for the one stop track/daily driver street weapon. Glad to see your maximizing your Porsche experience.

Sorry,

:) :)