997 GT2 Experience Day - Millbrook
Discussion
The day out itself and Millbrook is not worth the 400 mile round trip for me, you can't turn traction off, you have to do the full mountain section in 4th gear and he wouldnt let me take it on the skid pan. I had around 160 on the bowl for about 10 laps!
what was worth it was the end of session drive with Barry Horne, the car is brutal, has loads of grip and just continues to pull and pull and pull, i would be suprised if any car on track would tuch it.
I don't know what people have had in RS's or Turbos on the mile straight but from the bottom fo the dip on the start, to the breaking point, bearing in mind using launch control was 170mph.
I was a little suprised by the lag on the roads but when the car is opened up n track i beleive it will nail just about anything....totally awesome!
Can't wait for mine and the car used was a similar spec (but i want all the wheels painting black)
If somebody emails me i will send them a picture to post of the car.
I have never owned a turbo car before or been in a 996 GT2 - so can't really compare it to these.
Cheers
BT
what was worth it was the end of session drive with Barry Horne, the car is brutal, has loads of grip and just continues to pull and pull and pull, i would be suprised if any car on track would tuch it.
I don't know what people have had in RS's or Turbos on the mile straight but from the bottom fo the dip on the start, to the breaking point, bearing in mind using launch control was 170mph.
I was a little suprised by the lag on the roads but when the car is opened up n track i beleive it will nail just about anything....totally awesome!
Can't wait for mine and the car used was a similar spec (but i want all the wheels painting black)
If somebody emails me i will send them a picture to post of the car.
I have never owned a turbo car before or been in a 996 GT2 - so can't really compare it to these.
Cheers
BT
barrythompson said:
The day out itself and Millbrook is not worth the 400 mile round trip for me, you can't turn traction off, you have to do the full mountain section in 4th gear and he wouldnt let me take it on the skid pan. I had around 160 on the bowl for about 10 laps!
what was worth it was the end of session drive with Barry Horne, the car is brutal, has loads of grip and just continues to pull and pull and pull, i would be suprised if any car on track would tuch it.
I don't know what people have had in RS's or Turbos on the mile straight but from the bottom fo the dip on the start, to the breaking point, bearing in mind using launch control was 170mph.
I was a little suprised by the lag on the roads but when the car is opened up n track i beleive it will nail just about anything....totally awesome!
Can't wait for mine and the car used was a similar spec (but i want all the wheels painting black)
If somebody emails me i will send them a picture to post of the car.
I have never owned a turbo car before or been in a 996 GT2 - so can't really compare it to these.
Cheers
BT
Good stuff barry , i cant remember too well but im 99.9% sure the 997 GT3 i drove there on a test day nailed 170 on the nose too , its also did 0-120-0-120-0 on the straight too , fair play for getting a GT2 order mind , all the best with itwhat was worth it was the end of session drive with Barry Horne, the car is brutal, has loads of grip and just continues to pull and pull and pull, i would be suprised if any car on track would tuch it.
I don't know what people have had in RS's or Turbos on the mile straight but from the bottom fo the dip on the start, to the breaking point, bearing in mind using launch control was 170mph.
I was a little suprised by the lag on the roads but when the car is opened up n track i beleive it will nail just about anything....totally awesome!
Can't wait for mine and the car used was a similar spec (but i want all the wheels painting black)
If somebody emails me i will send them a picture to post of the car.
I have never owned a turbo car before or been in a 996 GT2 - so can't really compare it to these.
Cheers
BT
Regards
Paul
Glenn McMenamin said:
Sounds awesome...
I did 4 runs in the RS on my experience day, and best was 169MPH, it was very dependant on how brave you were on the brakes before the curve at the end, and required a large amount of heel and toe to stop the ABS going mad.
G.
Impressive speed mate, was that GPS proved or indicated 169mph?I did 4 runs in the RS on my experience day, and best was 169MPH, it was very dependant on how brave you were on the brakes before the curve at the end, and required a large amount of heel and toe to stop the ABS going mad.
G.
dxb335d said:
Glenn McMenamin said:
Sounds awesome...
I did 4 runs in the RS on my experience day, and best was 169MPH, it was very dependant on how brave you were on the brakes before the curve at the end, and required a large amount of heel and toe to stop the ABS going mad.
G.
Impressive speed mate, was that GPS proved or indicated 169mph?I did 4 runs in the RS on my experience day, and best was 169MPH, it was very dependant on how brave you were on the brakes before the curve at the end, and required a large amount of heel and toe to stop the ABS going mad.
G.
I heard the instructors were maxing 170 themselves, and one only ever 171.
nice to thrash the tits off of someone elses car, could have done it all day long
Thoroughly enjoyable day, all in. Probably different from Barry's experience because I'm new to Porsche, and even then, only old school 964 and that only lasted a few months....long story, told on here before 
So no 996/997 ownership, and only brief P1 experience (if you can call road driving these days, experience) of their 996 GT2, 996TT and 996C2.
Having sat alongside BLKROKT in his mental 996TT I thought I had a 'grunt' benchmark that the GT2 would need to topple to give it the WOW! factor that 'the hype' would have me believe.
To answer Carlos' post, I think owners or owners in waiting, that are the invitees. Invited by the order taking OPC. I wasn't 'lucky' enough to have my deposit turned into a car, but I guess I got a 'sweetener' as a gentle let down!! With the invite comes an oportunity to take a guest (at a cost) so my girlfriend, Lou, obliged.
So we were keen to find a car that will replace or complement the Ultima and 964 as a RELIABLE track tool but a weekend tourer to boot. Throw into the mix that Lou is keen on the TT and that I have a inbuild (probably media driven[yeah I know you shouldn't believe the s
te]) adversion to AWD, and you can see that we have an interesting starting point for the day. As we both were going at the same time, they allocated a GT2 and GT3 (a cunning plan for Lou and I to experience what I thought might be the holy grail in a world of compromises 
)
Arrived at Flitwick Manor.....nice scene setter....wasted on me though - show me the metal!!
Straight to the GT2...hum, white again. Agree with Barry, all black rims would do the thing justice, enough going on with the slats, wing, gills and st to need anything else to detract the eye. Still, presence in buckets:
Especially menacing from the rear:
Went inside and met our instructors Ian and Mark. Over breakfast we got a chance explain what we wanted to achieve from the session, and told them about our search for a single motoring solution to keep us both happy, on road and track.
Being a gentleman, I muscled past Lou and made a B-line for the GT2. Nomex seats and half cage. No harness or 'stinguisher, so I guess a despected CS for experience days. Seats were comfy. Totally supportive without restricting ingress or egress (more of that on the GT3 text 
). Engine start and idle nothing to report, quiet and refined, no growl or rattling drivetrain. Pussy cat.
'Take it easy Trigger' I though to myself. But no fuss. Ride was firm, jarring infact in the pish poor roads to Millbrook. Great, this ain't a soft car. Tottled up and dowm the gears to 4000 following traffic, never more than 1/2 throttle. First 'test' opportunity was a stretch of straight road with a perfectly placed four wheel road block just far enough away to make it a challeged. 2,200 rpm...WWWWHHOOOSSHHHH!....dispensed. A contstant, relentlesskick up the backside to 6000rpm!! Pretty cool.
At the track, we went on the high speed bowl first. Shocking surface, unnerving dips in places. '130mph is all you can do without a helmet', buguar I thought. 135, don't think he noticed. Lou did 165 and was then told that was enough. Damn, I was short changed
.
Then onto the hill route. I wonder how many lower front skirts are hinding at the curb-side? Nearly one more. Ian showed how it should be done...with practice....and if your balls are so big that they brush the carpet!! First of two periods during the day I was reminded how crap I am and how good THEY are.
I was trying to see what the turn in was like, but at the speeds I was going, the car wasn't breaking sweat. With him driving it was flat, hard but not harsh and the speed that the corners were linked was amazing. No doubt the car is a track tool - like Barry says, others will be hard pushed to match it, especially on a power track like Donny or Silverstone.
Mile straight next. Launch control. Left foot in, fully. Into 1st. throttle to the floor and watch the boost climb to 0.9bar. BAAAAM!! Left foot out - Jeez the noise, poor drive train! Small amount of squirm, a little sideways jig, and before you know yer' at the rev limit (or is that the anchor? No such thing as a soft limit on these things???) 163. Sorry. Did slow very early. Jim, you have nothing to fear mate, you and I both will out drag this thing....just!!
Thing is it's just so easy. I think we have a 200 Vmax tool here, out the box.
Finally in the GT2 was the Steering Pad. In the wet
. Several laps with an without SC and full deactive SC and TC. I asked if I could go on a wider radius to just reach understeer and then just come off the gas to see what would happen. Nothing at first, then when the fronts bit in, they gripped and the rear set out and a touch of opposite and power put it back to constant. You boys. You don't know how lucky you have it, the Ult would be see-sawing between under and over, no toys to control it see. Where was this infamous tail happy Pork thing??? Nowhere. Just truly awesome grip, with and without the PSM in it's three modes.
Came back to the handover bay. Lou was there already. I knew she'd love the GT2. She did.
The GT3 (the one I secretly wanted to light me fire) greeted me with a 'thump' on the left thigh from the bucket. Nice start. Starting bought a more familliar note, more responsive trottle response - excellent a race car for the road. Immediately I felt engaged and part of the car, in control and able to contol. A definate choppy, harsh ride, just what the doctor ordered. All disciplines despatched with ease. Easy to drive hard, confidence inspiring. Again 163 on the mile (well 2/3rds before I had to brake). Great engine note. N/A every time for me. But road use? That seat would fook me off, so might the choppy ride - but what do you expect? And here lies my problem........
So the GT2 wasn't really stretched with me at the helm, but without doubt the GT2 is the, OK, an, ultimate road car that will be equally at home on the track. The GT3 and I guess the RS have that special, unmistakable race car for the road feel that I crave, but could I live with it for the 98% of the time that'll be road driving??
Well, luckily it's not a choice I have to make. I can't get a GT2 and I'm allergic to 'overs'. When I returned to the Hotel, the consensus was that a TT would be the car to have, it's certainly now Lou's second favorite car!! I have a GT3 MkII LOI in....... let's just see what the spec brings.
Thanks for reading.
Lucky
So no 996/997 ownership, and only brief P1 experience (if you can call road driving these days, experience) of their 996 GT2, 996TT and 996C2.Having sat alongside BLKROKT in his mental 996TT I thought I had a 'grunt' benchmark that the GT2 would need to topple to give it the WOW! factor that 'the hype' would have me believe.
To answer Carlos' post, I think owners or owners in waiting, that are the invitees. Invited by the order taking OPC. I wasn't 'lucky' enough to have my deposit turned into a car, but I guess I got a 'sweetener' as a gentle let down!! With the invite comes an oportunity to take a guest (at a cost) so my girlfriend, Lou, obliged.
So we were keen to find a car that will replace or complement the Ultima and 964 as a RELIABLE track tool but a weekend tourer to boot. Throw into the mix that Lou is keen on the TT and that I have a inbuild (probably media driven[yeah I know you shouldn't believe the s
te]) adversion to AWD, and you can see that we have an interesting starting point for the day. As we both were going at the same time, they allocated a GT2 and GT3 (a cunning plan for Lou and I to experience what I thought might be the holy grail in a world of compromises )Arrived at Flitwick Manor.....nice scene setter....wasted on me though - show me the metal!!
Straight to the GT2...hum, white again. Agree with Barry, all black rims would do the thing justice, enough going on with the slats, wing, gills and s
t to need anything else to detract the eye. Still, presence in buckets:Especially menacing from the rear:
Went inside and met our instructors Ian and Mark. Over breakfast we got a chance explain what we wanted to achieve from the session, and told them about our search for a single motoring solution to keep us both happy, on road and track.
Being a gentleman, I muscled past Lou and made a B-line for the GT2
. Nomex seats and half cage. No harness or 'stinguisher, so I guess a despected CS for experience days. Seats were comfy. Totally supportive without restricting ingress or egress (more of that on the GT3 text ). Engine start and idle nothing to report, quiet and refined, no growl or rattling drivetrain. Pussy cat.'Take it easy Trigger' I though to myself. But no fuss. Ride was firm, jarring infact in the pish poor roads to Millbrook. Great, this ain't a soft car. Tottled up and dowm the gears to 4000 following traffic, never more than 1/2 throttle. First 'test' opportunity was a stretch of straight road with a perfectly placed four wheel road block just far enough away to make it a challeged. 2,200 rpm...WWWWHHOOOSSHHHH!....dispensed. A contstant, relentlesskick up the backside to 6000rpm!! Pretty cool.
At the track, we went on the high speed bowl first. Shocking surface, unnerving dips in places. '130mph is all you can do without a helmet', buguar I thought. 135, don't think he noticed. Lou did 165 and was then told that was enough. Damn, I was short changed
.Then onto the hill route. I wonder how many lower front skirts are hinding at the curb-side? Nearly one more. Ian showed how it should be done...with practice....and if your balls are so big that they brush the carpet!! First of two periods during the day I was reminded how crap I am and how good THEY are.
I was trying to see what the turn in was like, but at the speeds I was going, the car wasn't breaking sweat. With him driving it was flat, hard but not harsh and the speed that the corners were linked was amazing. No doubt the car is a track tool - like Barry says, others will be hard pushed to match it, especially on a power track like Donny or Silverstone.
Mile straight next. Launch control. Left foot in, fully. Into 1st. throttle to the floor and watch the boost climb to 0.9bar. BAAAAM!! Left foot out - Jeez the noise, poor drive train! Small amount of squirm, a little sideways jig, and before you know yer' at the rev limit (or is that the anchor? No such thing as a soft limit on these things???) 163. Sorry. Did slow very early. Jim, you have nothing to fear mate, you and I both will out drag this thing....just!!
Thing is it's just so easy. I think we have a 200 Vmax tool here, out the box.Finally in the GT2 was the Steering Pad. In the wet
. Several laps with an without SC and full deactive SC and TC. I asked if I could go on a wider radius to just reach understeer and then just come off the gas to see what would happen. Nothing at first, then when the fronts bit in, they gripped and the rear set out and a touch of opposite and power put it back to constant. You boys. You don't know how lucky you have it, the Ult would be see-sawing between under and over, no toys to control it see. Where was this infamous tail happy Pork thing??? Nowhere. Just truly awesome grip, with and without the PSM in it's three modes. Came back to the handover bay. Lou was there already. I knew she'd love the GT2. She did.
The GT3 (the one I secretly wanted to light me fire) greeted me with a 'thump' on the left thigh from the bucket. Nice start. Starting bought a more familliar note, more responsive trottle response - excellent a race car for the road. Immediately I felt engaged and part of the car, in control and able to contol. A definate choppy, harsh ride, just what the doctor ordered. All disciplines despatched with ease. Easy to drive hard, confidence inspiring. Again 163 on the mile (well 2/3rds before I had to brake). Great engine note. N/A every time for me. But road use? That seat would fook me off, so might the choppy ride - but what do you expect? And here lies my problem........
So the GT2 wasn't really stretched with me at the helm, but without doubt the GT2 is the, OK, an, ultimate road car that will be equally at home on the track. The GT3 and I guess the RS have that special, unmistakable race car for the road feel that I crave, but could I live with it for the 98% of the time that'll be road driving??
Well, luckily it's not a choice I have to make. I can't get a GT2 and I'm allergic to 'overs'. When I returned to the Hotel, the consensus was that a TT would be the car to have, it's certainly now Lou's second favorite car!! I have a GT3 MkII LOI in....... let's just see what the spec brings.
Thanks for reading.
Lucky
Good writeup Pete!
Stevo and I were talking about the reported figures 0-60 and 0-100, and we're both dead even with it. I'd be very surprised to see it go over 200mph at VMax, it just doesn't have the hp for it.
That's why they call the TT an "everyday supercar" mate. So easy. I'll disconnect the driveshaft over the summer and play with it in RWD for ya sometime and we'll see what's up.
Stevo and I were talking about the reported figures 0-60 and 0-100, and we're both dead even with it. I'd be very surprised to see it go over 200mph at VMax, it just doesn't have the hp for it.
That's why they call the TT an "everyday supercar" mate. So easy. I'll disconnect the driveshaft over the summer and play with it in RWD for ya sometime and we'll see what's up.
Davey S2 said:
LuckyP said:
I have a GT3 MkII LOI in....... let's just see what the spec brings.
Lucky
I think thats the right choice based on most impressions of the GT2.Lucky
Evo concluded that the GT3RS was the better car and the GT3 is 99% of the RS as far as I can see.
I keep getting the 'Oooh, I liked that turbo rush'. I knew it was a mistake to take her!!
LuckyP said:
Davey S2 said:
LuckyP said:
I have a GT3 MkII LOI in....... let's just see what the spec brings.
Lucky
I think thats the right choice based on most impressions of the GT2.Lucky
Evo concluded that the GT3RS was the better car and the GT3 is 99% of the RS as far as I can see.
I keep getting the 'Oooh, I liked that turbo rush'. I knew it was a mistake to take her!!
The GT3 seats are fine if you poke the seatbelt buckle through the hole in the side of the seats so it sits next to the centre console.
You could of course go for a 2nd hand GT3 comfort model. They come with sports seats instead of the buckets. Also no clubsport pack so you'd also have to retro fit the rear cage if you wanted one - easy enough to do.
If I was you I'd try the buckets again. They are actually pretty comfortable and supportive.
The only other problem of note in using the GT3 as an everyday road car is the ride height.
You could of course go for a 2nd hand GT3 comfort model. They come with sports seats instead of the buckets. Also no clubsport pack so you'd also have to retro fit the rear cage if you wanted one - easy enough to do.
If I was you I'd try the buckets again. They are actually pretty comfortable and supportive.
The only other problem of note in using the GT3 as an everyday road car is the ride height.
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