718 GT4 UK Allocations

[kmpowell]

LittleBigPlanet said:

Hi all,

Apologies for perhaps being lazy and not reading all the pages here (of great content)! I'm interested in a GT4 (currently an C7.5 RS6 owner)--quite different I know.

Slowly getting to grips with the specs on offer, I wondered if there was any consensus on 'must haves' vs 'nice to haves' and I'm interested in your thoughts (even if highly subjective)?

Is there a list of options available anywhere that I can crosscheck against?

These really are epic cars and I can't get them out of my mind!

Welcome - IMO it depends on how often you plan to use the car, what for (track/road), your driving ability, and also what gives you gratification.

Personally, I wanted a 3rd car to use a couple of times a year on track, but predominately to take out a few times a month for a blast across A/B roads. I'm, at best, an average driver, but I wanted the car to feel 'special' each time I looked at it and/or got in it.

I was lucky enough to get an allocation where I could choose exactly what I wanted, so I went for Buckets, PDK (this for me brings the engine alive, others prefer the manual engagement, so this really is down to personal choice), extended race-tex/Leather/Stitch, Special Colour Paint, LED PDLS+, and few small bits like painted wheels, coloured belts, coloured 12 o'clock marker, parking sensors, electric folding mirrors etc. As mine isn't a predominately track car I didn't bother with PCCB or the CS pack (cage and harnesses). The steels are more than up to the job, and the buckets do an amazing job of keeping you in-seat.

HTH

[LittleBigPlanet]

kmpowell said:

LittleBigPlanet said:

Hi all,

Apologies for perhaps being lazy and not reading all the pages here (of great content)! I'm interested in a GT4 (currently an C7.5 RS6 owner)--quite different I know.

Slowly getting to grips with the specs on offer, I wondered if there was any consensus on 'must haves' vs 'nice to haves' and I'm interested in your thoughts (even if highly subjective)?

Is there a list of options available anywhere that I can crosscheck against?

These really are epic cars and I can't get them out of my mind!

Welcome - IMO it depends on how often you plan to use the car, what for (track/road), your driving ability, and also what gives you gratification.

Personally, I wanted a 3rd car to use a couple of times a year on track, but predominately to take out a few times a month for a blast across A/B roads. I'm, at best, an average driver, but I wanted the car to feel 'special' each time I looked at it and/or got in it.

I was lucky enough to get an allocation where I could choose exactly what I wanted, so I went for Buckets, PDK (this for me brings the engine alive, others prefer the manual engagement, so this really is down to personal choice), extended race-tex/Leather/Stitch, Special Colour Paint, LED PDLS+, and few small bits like painted wheels, coloured belts, coloured 12 o'clock marker, parking sensors, electric folding mirrors etc. As mine isn't a predominately track car I didn't bother with PCCB or the CS pack (cage and harnesses). The steels are more than up to the job, and the buckets do an amazing job of keeping you in-seat.

HTH

Helpful, thanks once again.

Usage is primarily as a second car but also the odd track day (ability: average no doubt). I'll ultimately have something else for the tip runs (possibly not my RS6 although I love the car so much that it will hard to get rid, it's so capable).

I really like the look of this: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15317947 (also has much of the spec I like and that has been recommended e.g. Clubsport, Bose, PDK). It doesn't appear to have the ceramic brakes though which I suspect, for track use at least, are a must?

[kmpowell]

LittleBigPlanet said:

It doesn't appear to have the ceramic brakes though which I suspect, for track use at least, are a must?

There's no definitive answer to this, and it can be argued in many ways for example...

- PCCB is best for road as you are buying better stopping power, and longevity. Not so good for track due to cost to replace (£15-20k+).
- PCCB is best for track use as you get the best stopping power, but take time to get up to temp so not great for road-use unless you are hammering it around everywhere.

It'll come down to your use and how deep your pockets are. PCCB cars generally carry a big premium because they were normally specced with all other big ticket items.

Me? I didn't want to for out £6k for something I wouldn't really see any significant benefit from (apart from maybe reducing brake dust, but with a good ceramic armour coating that problem goes away), especially as the normal steels are VERY good.

[kmpowell]

I forgot to mention..., from Q2 2022 there were parts shortages on desirable options. Those options were made unavailable to order, then appeared again for a short time before going again. Mine was built early 2022, and I was fortunate to get in without losing any of my ordered items, however it was delayed in build by about 2months as it waited for the Wiring loom (shortage due to the war in Ukraine), the buckets and PDLS+.

So cars built after the summer shutdown in 2022 might be missing one or more of the following items:

Buckets, Yellow Stitch, LED PDLS+, PCCBs, BOSE, CS pack (which can only be specced with buckets).

[SuperCharged V6]

AMV93 said:

Finally...collection day arrived! I put my deposit down last May, spent a while thinking I wouldn't get an allocation at all as my dealer said it was a bit touch and go, I was then fortunate enough to get their last build slot.

Sod's law prevailed and my car arrived with them the week before I went on holiday, so I'm around 3 weeks late collecting it. Slightly more painful still, I drove it all of about 50 yards today out of the handover bay and to the waiting trailer, as it's going for PPF before I drive it on the road. That'll take all week, so I won't get to properly drive it until Friday. I'm sure it'll be well worth the wait!

Beautiful car, and that delay presumably meant that you got a 73 number plate as well?

[SuperCharged V6]

A friend of mine has PCCB’s on his GT4, they can be a little unnerving on bumpy mountain roads, once in particular, it just did not stop…

[av185]

Agree with others re the ceramic brakes percentage wise proportionate to the GT4s value they are very expensive and actually don't add much value residually mainly due to the very high cost of replacement and the rear brakes in particular are prone to stone trapping. Advantages are clearly less unsprung weight for driving gods non rusting if kept outside and no brake dust. Both Porsche GT ceramics and steel brakes are prone to squealing contrary to popular belief.

Cage adds weight tends to creak and slightly unsettles the car according to our hero Walter Rohrl.

Carbon extended leather coloured stitching buckets chrono climate alc wheel with top marker are popular no brainer options.

You may prefer PDK yes its a great gearbox but try a manual its one of Porsches finest gearboxes with as usual obviously greater interaction and yes whilst ratios are a little tall it is rarely a problem in real world driving unlike the 981 due to the torque at lower revs in the 718 carrying you through. 2nd gear maxes out at 83 not 90 btw. The PDK is quicker off the line yes but extra weight and parasitic losses then blunts performance v the manual is slightly quicker once moving and has a higher top speed too. Interesting there are around half the number of bucket seated manuals non cs other spec dependent for sale v PDKs atm.

Edited by av185 on Thursday 14th September 13:22

[J Chitty]

The steels are effectively GT3 brakes on a Cayman. Well up to the job!

[AMV93]

SuperCharged V6 said:

AMV93 said:

Finally...collection day arrived! I put my deposit down last May, spent a while thinking I wouldn't get an allocation at all as my dealer said it was a bit touch and go, I was then fortunate enough to get their last build slot.

Sod's law prevailed and my car arrived with them the week before I went on holiday, so I'm around 3 weeks late collecting it. Slightly more painful still, I drove it all of about 50 yards today out of the handover bay and to the waiting trailer, as it's going for PPF before I drive it on the road. That'll take all week, so I won't get to properly drive it until Friday. I'm sure it'll be well worth the wait!

Beautiful car, and that delay presumably meant that you got a 73 number plate as well?

Thanks!

I collected it mid August so it'll be a '23 plate. It was registered straight onto my private reg so I'm not sure what the 'real' one is. The dealer gave me the option of waiting for a '73 but seeing as it's on the private one and I'm (hopefully) never intending to sell it I couldn't really see the point!

[SuperCharged V6]

I do the same, unless you are desparate for the very latest plate, is unlikely to make much of a difference coke resale nowadays. Enjoy

[pjv997]

Phoned OPC Reading yesterday and was on hold for a minute or so. I don’t usually notice what the marketing recording is saying, but on this occasion I was surprised to hear about the virtues of the ‘mid engined sports cars, the Spyder and GT4’ and to speak to a sales executive for more information.

I always thought getting an allocation for either was difficult so surprised to hear the cars being advertised in this way.

[Redline88]

pjv997 said:

Phoned OPC Reading yesterday and was on hold for a minute or so. I don’t usually notice what the marketing recording is saying, but on this occasion I was surprised to hear about the virtues of the ‘mid engined sports cars, the Spyder and GT4’ and to speak to a sales executive for more information.

I always thought getting an allocation for either was difficult so surprised to hear the cars being advertised in this way.

They’ve stopped production of the GT4 (not sure about spyder) so I imagine when you do speak to someone, they’d be discussing used or a regular cayman/boxster.

[Big E 118]

In Switzerland last week, my friend bought his RS....it's an impressive machine, quite a step up from the GT4.

[GTRene]

lovely picture, also nice to see 2x blue and then some differences.

[LiamH66]

Big E 118 said:

In Switzerland last week, my friend bought his RS....it's an impressive machine, quite a step up from the GT4.

As an understatement! Track day week before last, I could keep up with or overtake some 718 GT4s in my old 981 GT4. Only a couple of GT4 RS there, one driven well, one driven extremely well. Not a cat in hell's chance. They are absolute flying machines in comparison to "ordinary" GT4s!

Liam

[AMV93]

LittleBigPlanet said:

Helpful, thanks once again.

Usage is primarily as a second car but also the odd track day (ability: average no doubt). I'll ultimately have something else for the tip runs (possibly not my RS6 although I love the car so much that it will hard to get rid, it's so capable).

I really like the look of this: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15317947 (also has much of the spec I like and that has been recommended e.g. Clubsport, Bose, PDK). It doesn't appear to have the ceramic brakes though which I suspect, for track use at least, are a must?

That looks to be a good spec and price (although I'm biased as it's similar to mine!) There were a few price hikes by Porsche between this car being delivered and what the last ones went for, one of them was quite material. Although that car is hovering around list price, you're not paying a premium over what you would have done for that car new this year.

[kmpowell]

AMV93 said:

That looks to be a good spec and price (although I'm biased as it's similar to mine!) There were a few price hikes by Porsche between this car being delivered and what the last ones went for, one of them was quite material. Although that car is hovering around list price, you're not paying a premium over what you would have done for that car new this year.

Indeed. Between Sep '21 and March '22 there were no less than 3x base price rises totalling close to £5k.

[AMV93]

kmpowell said:

Indeed. Between Sep '21 and March '22 there were no less than 3x base price rises totalling close to £5k.

Big hike in options also - very painful! I think the price of my spec went up the best part of £10k between me placing my order and it eventually being built.

[kmpowell]

AMV93 said:

kmpowell said:

Indeed. Between Sep '21 and March '22 there were no less than 3x base price rises totalling close to £5k.

Big hike in options also - very painful! I think the price of my spec went up the best part of £10k between me placing my order and it eventually being built.

Yup, all the options rose as well in that time.

I was very lucky, I ordered in Aug '21, and received my car in Jul '22, so between ordering and receiving all the big prices rises happened. But as I didn't cross MY's I was protected and paid my original order price which was around £6.5k less than list at the point of me picking it up.

[kmpowell]

2 of the final built cars have arrived at HQ, brand new unregistered and up for sale, if anyone missed out and the spec suits….

https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch...

https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch...

Edited by kmpowell on Sunday 29th October 11:33