Porsche 911 GT3 (997.II): PH Carpool
Since sold to fund another 911-shaped project this PHer's GT3 story is a lesson in good timing
Car: Porsche 911 997.2 GT3
Owned since: 2011
Previously owned: "1965 Morris Cooper S, 1964 Austin Cooper, 1964 Morris Cooper S, VW Beetles (six bought and sold on for profit while at uni), Peugeot 404, then a procession of company cars; Cavaliers, Citroen GTI, Lancia Dedra (what a dog!), VW Golf VR6, Peugeot 605, Peugeot 306 GTI. Then privately a number of family estates: Audi A6, Alpina B10, Mercedes 320 (x2), Jaguar XF, Mercedes CLS. Second cars since the mid-90s include a 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta, 1994 Lotus Elan, 1973 Porsche 911 2.4S Targa, 1996 Porsche 911 C4 (993), Caterham Seven and a 1994 Mazda RX7 RZ. I won't get into it here but over the same 35 years I've been a big motorcycle guy and owned 15 of them too."
Euro roadtrip a real highlight
"I have been a huge Porsche fan, and especially a 911 fan, since a family holiday in 1971. As a child sitting in a VW combi on the autobahn and seeing 911s fly by, I knew one day I would have to own one. Over the years, as you can see, I've been lucky enough to own a number of great cars. Between owning the 993 and purchasing the 997 there was gap of six years while I put money into a business. Fortunately that turned out alright and I was able to buy another sports car.
"Now despite my lifelong love of Porsches I didn't want to rush into another one and I thought perhaps I should look elsewhere. With my budget of around £90K, I started to look at a number of sports cars that took my fancy and appealed to my two teenage sons! I, like lots of petrolheads, love the chase as much as the purchasing so there was a five month period of cruising PistonHeads adverts, writing lists and kicking tyres. My sons and I eventually drew up a short list of an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, an Audi R8 V10 and a Porsche GT3.
"I drove the Audi and although the engine is immense in every way, the sense of occasion seemed to be lacking in my opinion. The Aston ticked all the boxes; so much so, I came home and told the family it was the car to buy. However I felt I needed to be sure (and of course finish my research!), so out of loyalty to the 911 I went to drive the GT3. Despite all my intentions, within five miles of the test drive I knew it was the one. The feedback from the steering, the solidly engineered feel and the engine that howls above 4,300rpm just hit all my emotional buttons!
"Over a few weeks there were protracted negotiations with my local Porsche dealer on price; it was late 2011 and the market for an 18 month-old GT3 wasn't that strong as the recession seemed not that long ago. We agreed to a deal just before the end of November (I bet he had a sales target to hit!).
"With the deal done and the price now remarkably good value (a lot less than the budget I had to spend), I drove home in my white GT3 very happy but unfortunately in the pouring rain! The spec was just right for me too: comfort seats, lifting gear, leather dash and PCM.
"The next four years has seen me put over 10,000 miles on the clock, all of them fun. Initially, I did a few track days with it (Goodwood, Oulton Park, and Silverstone) but only one in the last two years as I've started racing my Caterham.
"The greatest trip in the car without a doubt was a five-day blast in 2012 with my brother. We drove it through Germany to the Porsche Museum, up through eastern France (a lot of the Tour de France climbs) and went around the Nurburgring - in the rain! Crap weather meant no bikes which was great but it was unbelievably slippy. I need to go back when it's dry. We finished the trip with a track day at Spa (sunny in fact) which was the most amazing circuit and the perfect end to our trip."
911 fan Don found a great one!
"I'm not sure how to answer this! I do think the GT3 in 997.II guise is the high watermark in its combination of performance, drivability and thrills; it may be overused but I like that it's still an analogue car to drive.
"My doubts only ever arose when I question whether I should have bought a 997 RS. Although price wise I could have within my budget, the fact was I never felt I needed a slightly more hardcore 911 and often on a long slog home (from Yorkshire one bank holiday weekend, for example) and stuck in M25 traffic, the GT3 seemed the great all-rounder.
Things I love:
"If serviced properly I believe these cars are bullet proof; over the course of four days you can do the weekend crawl in stop/start traffic, race down an empty autobahn to 170mph, thrash it all day at Spa and then drive home the same night. I love all the different elements! Its fuel economy was great with a regular 22mpg. The worst was 10mpg (track days) and best 30mpg on drive home late one night from Manchester. Because 911s (at least in the South East) are a common sight I liked the fact only petrolheads appreciated the car; most friends thought I had bad taste by putting a wing on it!
"The thing that will stay with me is the engine; I love the noise especially at high revs, the changing tone of the engine right up to 8,500rpm gives you a complete sensory overload."
Things I hate:
"Hate is a strong word, so none is the correct answer! There are a couple of niggles though; I think the petrol tank is too small (range 200-250 miles) and in four years it is on its third battery. The first was replaced a month into ownership under warranty, the second after two years and the latest in September. Not sure why it eats batteries but it does! The sat-nav was average although I had it upgraded, making it better though not as good as a Tom Tom."
Costs:
"The car is not cheap on consumables with tyres costing £250 per corner, but I did only use one set in 10,000 miles. Service intervals are every two years and therefore 'affordable', and it was very nice to have the main dealer treatment. If I had kept it longer I think I would have moved to a specialist to make it better value. The extended warranty was expensive at over £1,000 a year but gave me piece of mind even if I never needed it. Insurance was very affordable at £700 I felt, but then I am now the wrong side of 50 and had limited mileage - under 3,000 miles per year."
What next?
"I sold it in November. I was offered a lot more than I paid for it and felt that having more than free motoring for the last four years was too good to be true. I had the same experience with only three of my other cars: the original Mini Cooper S, the Alfa and the 911 S (although if I'd held onto that 911 I probably could have bought a brand new GT3 RS with the way its value has increased!).
"So I await another 911 project (air-cooled) to arrive as my next sports car experience and have nothing but fond memories of my GT3, although I do need to tick the Aston Martin and Ferrari boxes one day.
"Time will tell if I will regret it, but I do believe cars need to be used and feel there's more to be driven and experienced out there. I sold the 911 S to friend who still has it and loves it; despite the rise in value I'm glad I sold it, I love cars that can take you through rush hour traffic and then put a smile on your face once the roads open up."
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The silhouette of the car, that flat6 'howl' those forked rims, those three black symbols 'GT3' on the rear.....perfect, not been in one yet but hopefully one day.
This car just looks & sounds so 'right' (once I've driven one I can then add 'feels') of all the many cars I've seen & read up on in my life none got my 'desire' quite like that of the 997 gen2 GT3, Mr Preuninger I salute you.
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