Manual 997 GTS Coupe inbound!

[Mario149]

Had half an eye out for one for a few months now and since a 991.2 GT3 manual build slot (or any slot for that matter ) would only come my way if someone nuked the home counties and somehow Guildford OPC and my house survived, I figured live for the moment. Prices are a bit silly as dealers know what they can charge, but life's too short and RWD manual GTS Coupes make GT3s look mass produced in numbers. Plus with the rear seats combined with my short other half, we can get my 15 month old daughter in a car seat in the back which is simply not an option with my BGTS, as fab as it is, so it should get more use.

Drove it today before handing over the deposit, very impressed. Engine is a peach, not as in your face dramatic and noisy as my old 997.1 GT3, but very sweet with max power only 300 rpm less than the Mezger. And just as importantly, SENSIBLE(ish) GEARING! PRAISE BE! The top of second (7.5k rpm) is like 75mph rather than well into the 80s like the manual 981s!

Given the rarity I couldn't get my ideal unicorn spec car, but this should be def good enough, and giving it a silver lining, in a way it's quite nice to have a style "inflicted" on you as it forces you to re-evaluate and experience something new.

Anyway, should pick it up within a week or so, happy days all being well

[chrisABP]

A great car and a great choice!

Sold mine recently for a GT4 after 2.5 enjoyable years.

Get an exhaust bypass pipe installed for the GT3 sound track and if you're really keen a set of GT3 RS wheels fitted with Cup 2 tyres for better looks, filling the rear arches and grip! My wheels will be going on PH classified as soon as I get around to it...

Enjoy!

[c4sman]

Congrats on the new purchase!

[c4sman]

chrisABP said:

A great car and a great choice!

Sold mine recently for a GT4 after 2.5 enjoyable years.

Get an exhaust bypass pipe installed for the GT3 sound track and if you're really keen a set of GT3 RS wheels fitted with Cup 2 tyres for better looks, filling the rear arches and grip! My wheels will be going on PH classified as soon as I get around to it...

Enjoy!

Big news on the GT4. Where are the pics and how do they compare?

[chrisABP]

c4sman said:

Big news on the GT4. Where are the pics and how do they compare?

Not actually used the GT4 that much to be fair as been very busy & weather crap. Roll on the spring....

Edited by chrisABP on Wednesday 22 March 12:27

[Cheib]

Mario149 said:

Had half an eye out for one for a few months now and since a 991.2 GT3 manual build slot (or any slot for that matter ) would only come my way if someone nuked the home counties and somehow Guildford OPC and my house survived, I figured live for the moment. Prices are a bit silly as dealers know what they can charge, but life's too short and RWD manual GTS Coupes make GT3s look mass produced in numbers. Plus with the rear seats combined with my short other half, we can get my 15 month old daughter in a car seat in the back which is simply not an option with my BGTS, as fab as it is, so it should get more use.

Drove it today before handing over the deposit, very impressed. Engine is a peach, not as in your face dramatic and noisy as my old 997.1 GT3, but very sweet with max power only 300 rpm less than the Mezger. And just as importantly, SENSIBLE(ish) GEARING! PRAISE BE! The top of second (7.5k rpm) is like 75mph rather than well into the 80s like the manual 981s!

Given the rarity I couldn't get my ideal unicorn spec car, but this should be def good enough, and giving it a silver lining, in a way it's quite nice to have a style "inflicted" on you as it forces you to re-evaluate and experience something new.

Anyway, should pick it up within a week or so, happy days all being well

Welcome to the fold...I've owned my manual RWD GTS for just over a year now. It's a fantastic car, they're hard to find for a reason! I think the manual box and the powerkit engine with that extra bit at the top end are a great compliment for each other.

Tell us more about the car....Oh and pictures please !

[Mario149]

Cheib said:

Welcome to the fold...I've owned my manual RWD GTS for just over a year now. It's a fantastic car, they're hard to find for a reason! I think the manual box and the powerkit engine with that extra bit at the top end are a great compliment for each other.

Tell us more about the car....Oh and pictures please !

Ref specification, if it was me that was ordering it new, I wouldn't have paid for the Aero Kit Cup, but I don't mind that it's on the car, makes it look uncannily like my old 7.1 GT3 which is no bad thing. Although I am half tempted top put a standard rear boot lid on to take it back to subtle. I would prefer if the front splitter wasn't painted but that's minor. I would have specced regular sports seats rather than uber adjustable ones to save a bit of weight, but again, not a biggie. Centre console in white and white seat back are again things that I wouldn't have specced but they're growing on me.

Do like the red dials though as I have them in my BGTS and the red seat belts are quite fun Heated seats I have on my BGTS as well, so happy with that. And we've come to a deal as part of the sale for them to retrofit cruise control for me.

Funny small point, but one thing I do miss on the BGTS is having separate gauges for oil temp and pressure, will be nice to have them again

[Dr S]

Yep, would also get rid of the boot spoiler. Otherwise it's a lovely car

[Cheib]

I just had a look at the classifieds and thought that might be the one....nicest manual out there and from an OPC. Looks great. One thing I'd definitely consider is the Short Shift Kit/Sport Shifter. There's an official Porsche one or you can go after market but maybe wouldn't recommend that on a car under warranty.

When do you pick it up ?

[Andrew911]

Looks very nice. Kick myself I didn't go for a 997 GTS three years ago when they were £55K.

[Mario149]

Cheib said:

I just had a look at the classifieds and thought that might be the one....nicest manual out there and from an OPC. Looks great. One thing I'd definitely consider is the Short Shift Kit/Sport Shifter. There's an official Porsche one or you can go after market but maybe wouldn't recommend that on a car under warranty.

When do you pick it up ?

All being well in a week apparently, just takes a bit of time for them to get the cruise control bits in and fit it.

Edited by Mario149 on Wednesday 22 March 11:31

[Mario149]

Andrew911 said:

Looks very nice. Kick myself I didn't go for a 997 GTS three years ago when they were £55K.

To put it in context, I paid about £10K less for my 997.1 GT3 2.5 years ago that I am for this car, go figure! It's all a bit bonkers really. If i didn't need 4 seats I'd be buying a Gallardo for similar money which shows you just how daft things are:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Category=us...

I've said it before, but with a bit of hindsight, I should have kept the GT3, got a temporary loan to cover the financial aspect of the reasons I sold the GT3 (redecorating mothers flat) and just done a few reversible mods to make it into a more family friendly/usable car/fun on the road i.e. rear seat belts for the nipper's child seat, aftermarket regular (not Carrera GT) buckets, Cup or RS final drive and some more road friendly shocks/springs, job jobbed. Probably would have been about £12K all in last time I checked and I would essentially have had a 997R. Oh well, you live and learn!

[Andrew911]

Mario149 said:

To put it in context, I paid about £10K less for my 997.1 GT3 2.5 years ago that I am for this car, go figure! It's all a bit bonkers really. If i didn't need 4 seats I'd be buying a Gallardo for similar money which shows you just how daft things are:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Category=us...

I've said it before, but with a bit of hindsight, I should have kept the GT3, got a temporary loan to cover the financial aspect of the reasons I sold the GT3 (redecorating mothers flat) and just done a few reversible mods to make it into a more family friendly/usable car/fun on the road i.e. rear seat belts for the nipper's child seat, aftermarket regular (not Carrera GT) buckets, Cup or RS final drive and some more road friendly shocks/springs, job jobbed. Probably would have been about £12K all in last time I checked and I would essentially have had a 997R. Oh well, you live and learn!

You are absolutely right. It is a crazy world. I must admit also regretting selling my 993 & 996 turbo a few years back. Have just sold my 981 Spyder - which may also be a regret. But we all do things for a reason at that time. Looks a lovely car. Did you also have a look at Hexagon Classics - they have a few 997 GTS. They seem rather ambitious on price & haven't shifted for a while.

[Mario149]

Andrew911 said:

Mario149 said:

To put it in context, I paid about £10K less for my 997.1 GT3 2.5 years ago that I am for this car, go figure! It's all a bit bonkers really. If i didn't need 4 seats I'd be buying a Gallardo for similar money which shows you just how daft things are:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Category=us...

I've said it before, but with a bit of hindsight, I should have kept the GT3, got a temporary loan to cover the financial aspect of the reasons I sold the GT3 (redecorating mothers flat) and just done a few reversible mods to make it into a more family friendly/usable car/fun on the road i.e. rear seat belts for the nipper's child seat, aftermarket regular (not Carrera GT) buckets, Cup or RS final drive and some more road friendly shocks/springs, job jobbed. Probably would have been about £12K all in last time I checked and I would essentially have had a 997R. Oh well, you live and learn!

You are absolutely right. It is a crazy world. I must admit also regretting selling my 993 & 996 turbo a few years back. Have just sold my 981 Spyder - which may also be a regret. But we all do things for a reason at that time. Looks a lovely car. Did you also have a look at Hexagon Classics - they have a few 997 GTS. They seem rather ambitious on price & haven't shifted for a while.

Honestly, no, didn't look at any Hexagon ones. At these prices the car had to be exactly what I wanted i.e. had to be a Coupe and had to be Manual, otherwise I wasn't interested. Also had to be RWD, although if the perfect spec 4 GTS had come up, I would have thought hard about it and possibly compromised on the AWD.

It was either that, or going completely the other end and getting a base poverty spec 997.2 Manual C2 (i.e.l light as possible) with a fun interior/exterior combo (e.g. black and tan leather with Guards Red) and maybe chucking some aftermarket porsche-esque buckets in (e.g. http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod4919/Track-Bucke... ) if it didn't have sports seats, and then add a tasty exhaust on.

[Digga]

Cracking looking motor. I like the rear spoiler on it and agree the front splitter might look better (and be more practical) in black, but that's a minor thing to sort. As for the short-shift kit, I have the OEM 997 one fitted to my 996tt and it really is a nice transformation - well worth the money IMHO.

[Big E 118]

Nice car OP, welcome to the GTS fold. I like the aero kit but it's a pretty car without as well.

I have the body coloured seats and centre consul and I think they add a bit of "brightness" inside.

If you want a front splitter in black I believe they're about £250.00 for OEM ones and easy to fit.

[MDL111]

lovely looking car (would also look for a normal boot spoiler), but the 997.2 is just such a good looking car overall
I assume you got rid of the 550 when you bought the GT3? Crazy prices nowadays ....

[Mario149]

MDL111 said:

lovely looking car (would also look for a normal boot spoiler), but the 997.2 is just such a good looking car overall
I assume you got rid of the 550 when you bought the GT3? Crazy prices nowadays ....

Yep, 550 went a few years ago now. Made a decent chunk on what I paid for it even before asking prices went proper silly, and used that to fund the GT3, with £8K or so left over for sensible spending/investment, so can't complain really.

[MDL111]

Mario149 said:

MDL111 said:

lovely looking car (would also look for a normal boot spoiler), but the 997.2 is just such a good looking car overall
I assume you got rid of the 550 when you bought the GT3? Crazy prices nowadays ....

Yep, 550 went a few years ago now. Made a decent chunk on what I paid for it even before asking prices went proper silly, and used that to fund the GT3, with £8K or so left over for sensible spending/investment, so can't complain really.

yeah figured that, am sure it was great to enjoy while you owned it - should have bought the one I test drove in 2007 ... ah well how things can change in 10 years

[Mario149]

MDL111 said:

Mario149 said:

MDL111 said:

lovely looking car (would also look for a normal boot spoiler), but the 997.2 is just such a good looking car overall
I assume you got rid of the 550 when you bought the GT3? Crazy prices nowadays ....

Yep, 550 went a few years ago now. Made a decent chunk on what I paid for it even before asking prices went proper silly, and used that to fund the GT3, with £8K or so left over for sensible spending/investment, so can't complain really.

yeah figured that, am sure it was great to enjoy while you owned it - should have bought the one I test drove in 2007 ... ah well how things can change in 10 years

Yeah was a great car, very enjoyable. Like the F355 and GT3, I'm glad I got into one while they were sensible money. 550 didn't like the track much which was a little sad but I guess that's not what it's for really! But as an overall Ferrari experience and being usable, it was ace. Highlight was a 2k mile or so road trip with PhN in 2012 or so round Norway, absolutely magic. Especially the autobahn through Germany on the way home - lost the front number plate at about 180mph and then had to explain our numberplatelessness to the rozzers in France