Tell Me I'm Wrong: Porsche 911 996 GT3
You'd have to be very sure of yourself to take issue with the first-gen GT3 - Harris invites you to put him right
It's among the most celebrated of 911s
The case for the prosecution
When it was launched, the 996 GT3 was something very special, but it wasn't perfect. Track users found the brakes inadequate and the synchro rings were weak. It wasn't that quick either. I can remember struggling to extract acceleration figures from it that were better than the stock Carrera - it was barely any faster than the admittedly suspiciously fast 996 C2 launch cars.
Not quite as fast as the looks suggested
'Something' in the way
But apparently there's 'something' about the Gen.1 car. 'Something' is a word that tends to be used more frequently when people struggle to justify their opinions.
Track bias obvious from the interior fittings
Being a Porsche geek I've thought long and hard about this situation, trying to understand the reasons why people prefer the first car in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And I keep coming back to the point listed above about choppy surfaces. And two others - looks and significance.
Flat rear wing for Gen.2, and more power too
I've always suspected that some people just prefer the way the older car looks and the fact that it's quite rare (103 Gen.1s sold in the UK against 246 Gen.2s) and was the first of the breed. Which is absolutely the choice of the individual. But those people also want to project a more expert image to the wider car community and therefore feel the need to underpin this opinion with something more substantial and outwardly knowledgeable.
At this point the word 'something' emerges with increased frequency from the lips of the perpetrators, and people are prone to using a touch of air steering wheel - which I have always assumed is the mime-artists accepted sign for the word 'nuggety'. In other words, bollocks.
Later GT3 is the one to go for says Harris
Tell me I'm wrong.
PORSCHE 911 GT3 (996, MY1999)
Engine: 3,600cc flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 360@7,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 272@5,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.8 sec
Top speed: 189 mph
Weight: 1,350kg (DIN)
MPG: 22.6mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: N/A
Price: £76,500 (new)
The something that Monkey can't put his finger on is the originality; the first of a breed; the raison d'etre of such a car. The Mk1 996 GT3 is such a beast:
- produced to homologate the model for GT racing.
- the last to be hand built by Porsche Motorsport rather than on the main 996 line.
- limited numbers.
- non-Americanised compromises - they are lower & meaner than the later cars.
So objectively - yes, Monkey is correct. But using this argument you'd simply buy a 997 GT3RS4.0 and be done with it, knowing that you had the best of a long model development.
However, subjectively and yes, romantically, you are wrong. They are bought, owned and cherished for what they are and what they represent.
So although the washed-out red makes it look like the colour of Jeremy's car it is, in fact, just that - washed-out red!
The idea is to be "involved", I will probably end up with a 996 GT3 at some point, it wouldn`t be on my list if it had paddles!
The idea is to be "involved", I will probably end up with a 996 GT3 at some point, it wouldn`t be on my list if it had paddles!
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