What do we know about 996 GT3s?

Javelin said:

In reply to Olemiss540 :

I do. It's fun and felt special when new, but a lot of that luster is gone now. 

Roger. I just couldnt imagine grabbing the keys to a mazda of they were sitting side by side but everyone enjoys their own. Wish I could drive a 992gt3rs :-(

Olemiss540 said:

Compared to a gt4 I tracked, the 996 gt3 was slower, had less brakes, and worse at the transition from corner entry to corner exit but if both sets of keys were in front of me, pretty certain I would be driving the gt3. It was the closest to a factory built race car I have ever driven and was MUCH more of a sensory overload. Heel toes, engine wind out, and lack of electronics have me wishing I could turn back the clock on values.

I went on a canyon run with PCA San Diego after buying my 987.1 and was following a 911 Turbo (idk vintage but WC). The owner came up to me on top of Palomar Mountain and asked what I had done to the Cayman because he could not shake me. Said he'd see me fall way back on the straights but as soon as he exited a turn there I was again. I braked later and got on the gas sooner than he could. 99.9% sure he went out and bought a Cayman GTS.

There is a reason Porsche will not put all of the 911 GTx goodies into the Cayman chassis. They came closer with the GT4RS but still they have to protect their flagship and as mentioned their tradition.

They should have developed the 914 more in my opinion and stepped away from tail draggers.

In reply to preach :

Or maybe you were a better driver 

Olemiss540 said:

Javelin said:

In reply to Olemiss540 :

I do. It's fun and felt special when new, but a lot of that luster is gone now. 

Roger. I just couldnt imagine grabbing the keys to a mazda of they were sitting side by side but everyone enjoys their own. Wish I could drive a 992gt3rs :-(

There's a lot of special Porsches to drive on the street and track, including the one on my garage. Not saying that I would take a Mazda over any of them. In the pantheon of great Porsches, the 996-on RWD 911s are just towards the bottom of the list for me. YMMV and I suggest driving a same-gen Cayman to compare to any 911 to see what I'm on about. 

I would take a GT4 RS all day over a GT3 RS. Heck I'd take a MT6 GT4 over a GT3 RS, too.

In reply to Olemiss540 :

On the subject of 996 Turbos, a buddy of mine bought one and built a homemade GT2 kind of thing by converting from AWD to RWD (I have no idea how this was done), upgrading the turbos, and turning up the boost. Seems like a more GRM approach to the 996 platform!

In reply to LanEvo :

That is an amazing car for the money these days. What an awesome looking machine too.

I caught a ride with an instructor who had a similar setup (owned a euro shop in Birmingham), and it was an absolute MISSILE even with the auto tranny!

Very easy to convert a 996 Turbo to RWD.  Pull the cardan shaft.  There, you're done.  If you want to drop weight too, you pull the cardan shaft, front axles and front diff.  Put in a set of stub axles in the front knuckles so you have the ABS tone rings still.  There, now you're rwd and have dropped 80lbs out of the front of the car.

I'd take a new GT3 or GT3RS over a GT4RS all day long, just because of the double wishbone suspension on the GT3's.  Plus better aero.

In reply to Javelin :

That's personal preference.  The 911 will eat all those cars lunch and then kick them in the nuts given the same skilled driver.

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

That's personal preference.  The 911 will eat all those cars lunch and then kick them in the nuts given the same skilled driver.

That's your personal opinion. Porsche has been putting the engine in the middle of their 911 race cars for 9 years for a reason. 

Javelin said:

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

That's personal preference.  The 911 will eat all those cars lunch and then kick them in the nuts given the same skilled driver.

That's your personal opinion. Porsche has been putting the engine in the middle of their 911 race cars for 9 years for a reason. 

The "official" reason Porsche moved the engine to the middle on the race cars was because they can run a much larger diffuser without the engine in the way. I'm sure that it results in better balance and lower moment of inertia too.  

Javelin said:

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

That's personal preference.  The 911 will eat all those cars lunch and then kick them in the nuts given the same skilled driver.

That's your personal opinion. Porsche has been putting the engine in the middle of their 911 race cars for 9 years for a reason. 

The 911 RSR (GTE) with the mid-engine layout was introduced in 2017 and this will be the last year of that layout. The 911 GT3 R (GT3) has the engine at the back.

There's no denying that a mid engine layout is superior when it comes to outright handling, that has been proven in race results for a long, long time now. That doesn't make a 911 in any form a bad car, even as a track car. Nobody buys a 996 GT3 because they think it's the fastest, most balanced thing ever made, it's more likely they're buying for the opposite of that. They're probably looking for a more raw experience that is missing from the newer, larger (Cayman or 911, they're big now), more insulated cars.

If you get the 996 GT3 and we happen upon each other at the track (my red E28 usually stands out) be prepared, I will be asking for a ride!

In reply to Javelin :

You compared the 911 to a front engine/rwd car like a rx8.  That's also not mid engined.

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

You compared the 911 to a front engine/rwd car like a rx8.  That's also not mid engined.

Seems like Porsche has 7 or 8 cars in the top 20 fastest NRing lap times that are all rear engined? Crazy.

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

You compared the 911 to a front engine/rwd car like a rx8.  That's also not mid engined.

RX8 is definitely mid engined

Returning to ZOO's original question. 

The 6GT3 was the last of the analog  Porsches.  There's no PSM, so no nannies, just ABS.  It's raw and engaging in the very best way, a true driver's car that rewards skill and finesse.  It's a car that makes every drive an event. 

I bought mine in 2015 before the prices started trending upward and plan to keep it long-term. I love it. 

I think that these cars will continue to appreciate because of their unique attributes; limited production, stellar performance and their position within the Porsche brand and linage. 

Y'all can argue about anything lmao

In reply to Slippery :

Ah yes, what I call the marketing version of  "mid-engine".

In my opinion, if the engine is in front of the passenger compartment, it is a front engine car, no matter how far the engine is pushed rearward in the engine bay. For example, say you have a car with an engine in front of the passenger compartment, and the furthest forward part of its engine is the water pump pulley bolt, and the front of that bolt is 1 mm ahead of the front axle center line (like shown below). Can someone say with a straight face that they can sell you a mid-engine conversion kit for your car, which consists of a water pump pulley bolt with the head shaved down by 2 mm? 

Slippery said:

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

You compared the 911 to a front engine/rwd car like a rx8.  That's also not mid engined.

RX8 is definitely mid engined

Thats just small engined.

Olemiss540 said:

Slippery said:

docwyte said:

In reply to Javelin :

You compared the 911 to a front engine/rwd car like a rx8.  That's also not mid engined.

RX8 is definitely mid engined

Thats just small engined.

LOL

In reply to Slippery :

:-)

yupididit said:

Y'all can argue about anything lmao

no we can't

In reply to mainlandboy :

Drive something with the engine at and in front of the front wheels like my S4 and an RX8 back to back on a track and you'll get why it's not marketing. 

Javelin said:

In reply to mainlandboy :

Drive something with the engine at and in front of the front wheels like my S4 and an RX8 back to back on a track and you'll get why it's not marketing. 

I don't doubt you that those 2 front engine cars will handle differently based on how far forward the engine mass is located. 

Now let's talk about what qualifies as a hatchback!