991 GT3... with rear seats?

[cain-it]

OK GT3 hardcore - dont stone me on my first Porsche related post.

I have 4 two-seaters (all Lotus') and one daily driver (Golf GTI) which is getting a bit out of hand...
Thinking of selling all but one Lotus (always keep one in-stock) and getting a new GT3 as my all-round daily drive, back-up kiddy wagon, fast road & track-day car.

However to make this plan work I really need the rear seats in the GT3. I asked my local dealer (Al Nabooda Dubai) they confirm that either factory build & locally installed by them is a no-no.

Just before I close this idea, has anyone managed to do this? I don't even mind ordering the various seat / belts and installing it myself, but this is useless if the insurance becomes invalid...

Thanks for your help in advance
Cheers Sean
PS, No! I dont want a S or Turbo

Edited by cain-it on Tuesday 10th September 18:10

[sidicks]

It's been done by some people on previous generation GT3's but wasn't straight forward for insurance and other reasons.

No idea whether it would be easier or harder in Dubai!

[Mermaid]

Ask JZM

[BlackGT3]

I have installed rear seats in my 997.1 GT3. Absolutely no problem with insurance. I do use specialist brokers rather than the likes of Elephant etc.

The work was completed by a good bodyshop who sourced the parts required.

[DiscoColin]

cain-it said:

Just before I close this idea, has anyone managed to do this?

An obtuse question as nobody will even be getting a 991GT3 until they ship in november. As for earlier GT3s - it was possible on the 996 and the first generation 997 and there are a number of each out there with rear seats fitted. Some 996s were even supposedly supplied out of Werk 1 as exclusive customisation options. As for insurance - it is certainly doable, but you may need to use a broker (so el-cheapo options are probably out if you were inclined to budget-insure such a car). The 997.2 GT3 only had a single skinned boot floor and could not be adapted. I would expect the same of the 991 as they have gone after weight rather desperately as the extra electronic gubbins has bloated it to over the weight of a Carrera...

For whatever it is worth - I personally think that anyone wanting a GT3 to not drive on a track in harnesses at some point is somewhat missing the point. It saddens me that particularly with the 991 it is so sanitised that using it as a pure 4 seat road car is actually quite a sensible prospect

A footnote is that now the GT3 engine is alleged to be significantly cheaper to produce than the old one (using as it does the same block and architecture as the cooking models) - maybe this time they will drop it into a GTS just for buyers like you (the threads wailing for such a thing when the 997 GTS was launched was metaphorically deafening). ?

[sidicks]

DiscoColin said:

I would expect the same of the 991 as they have gone after weight rather desperately as the extra electronic gubbins has bloated it to over the weight of a Carrera...

This is the same bloated GT3 that's actually lighter than the legendary 997 RS 4.0 ?

[Koln-RS]

The question was asked many times WRT the 996/997 GT3s, but I'd guess that only a handful were ever converted. I think I read that Porsche would not do it, but several independents could/would. But, on a 991, it would not have Porsche approval and would compromise the warranty.

I'd go C4S or Turbo, but note your comments.

[BlackGT3]

DiscoColin said:

An obtuse question as nobody will even be getting a 991GT3 until they ship in november. As for earlier GT3s - it was possible on the 996 and the first generation 997 and there are a number of each out there with rear seats fitted. Some 996s were even supposedly supplied out of Werk 1 as exclusive customisation options. As for insurance - it is certainly doable, but you may need to use a broker (so el-cheapo options are probably out if you were inclined to budget-insure such a car). The 997.2 GT3 only had a single skinned boot floor and could not be adapted. I would expect the same of the 991 as they have gone after weight rather desperately as the extra electronic gubbins has bloated it to over the weight of a Carrera...?

I was told the same regarding the 997.2, however, according to Steve at JZM, The 997.2 can be fitted with rear seatbelts and I assume the rear seats as well. There was a 997.1 GT3 that Porsche Reading had converted for a customer when new.

[Jim1556]

sidicks said:

This is the same bloated GT3 that's actually lighter than the legendary 997 RS 4.0 ?

Wikipedia lists the RS 4.0 as 1360kg vs 1430kg for the 991 (along with Porsche)...

Wish they'd offered a manual...

[sidicks]

Jim1556 said:

Wikipedia lists the RS 4.0 as 1360kg vs 1430kg for the 991 (along with Porsche)...

Wish they'd offered a manual...

Plus the Evo article showed a much smaller weight difference than the one you quoted - something to do with one number being the weight of the car and the other including a passenger perhaps??

[cain-it]

Thanks for your help so far.

Don't agree that increased usability 'degrades' the GT3...it is a 1500 KG 'GT' after all - Porsche re-enforced that with the 997 version. It's not a dedicated track or racing car (the only place harnesses are useful)- my current Lotus collection are much closer to that spirit of car.

I've asked Porsche Dubai a few more pointed questions based on the feedback above, if anything important is learnt, I'll post it up.
Cheers Sean

[noneedtolift]

AFAIK on the 997 almost all the fittings are there, bar the fitting for the backrests which are a welded in part. You can't get the part in PET so you'd have a bespoke one made. All in all quite an effort that requires welding etc. Don't know about the 991 but may be similar.

[monthefish]

DiscoColin said:

I would expect the same of the 991 as they have gone after weight rather desperately as the extra electronic gubbins has bloated it to over the weight of a Carrera...

O/T but so was the 996 GT3 (heavier than the Carrera)

[BlackGT3]

noneedtolift said:

AFAIK on the 997 almost all the fittings are there, bar the fitting for the backrests which are a welded in part. You can't get the part in PET so you'd have a bespoke one made. All in all quite an effort that requires welding etc. Don't know about the 991 but may be similar.

The 997.1 does have all the seatbelt mounting points in place and therefore, these bolt straight in. With regard to the brackets for the seat backrests, these can be obtained from a Porsche Salvage specialist. The job took less that a day for 1 person to complete - start to finish so, not much effort when compared to other jobs such as suspension set up.

[cain-it]

Hi all
Porsche Dubai confirmed today, that 991 GT3s don't have the hardware (brackets?) to fit the seats, so it's not just a matter of ordering various parts & getting them fitted - not that Porsche HQ / Dubai were willing to do that anyway.

Of course this doesn't mean it's 'impossible'....just that you'd have to go quite a long way off the beaten track to get it done, and the job is not endorsed by Porsche / OPC / insurance co. in anyway....in which case, if there was an accident you'd really be in the soup!

Unfortunately, that seems to be me 'out' of the 911 GT3 idea :-(
Good luck to all the happy owners taking delivery in the coming months :-)
Cheers Sean