Porsche 991 GT3

10,000 miles 10,000 miles

MEMBER’S CAR: PORSCHE 991 GT3 SCD member Jack tells us about three flawless years of GT3 ownership, all the way from speccing the car at the dealership through to using it as intended in the Alps. What are your earliest memories with cars? Cars have always been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. I would say it definitely started with my dad’s love for 911s and 9,000 rpmexperiencing fast cars from a younger age. My dad is a handy driver and never held back when taking me to my Sunday league football matches or driving down the lanes to a friend’s house. The feeling of adrenaline and excitement when he put his foot down in his 997 Turbo will always be a fond memory. As the years went on, we went to many car events, F1 races and would regularly go karting around the country.

Why the GT3?

Prior to the GT3, I owned a 981 GT4 for two years which was a phenomenal car, and to be honest, one I do miss. When I was fortunate enough to secure an allocation for the GT4, I decided to keep the spec quite simple which resulted in me getting out of the car after 12,000 miles for the same price I paid for the car. Three years later, those cars seem to be still trading around list money which says a lot about Porsche GT products. There is just something about the GT3 which puts the car into its own category. You can take the car to work in the morning and in the afternoon head to the track — the car is relentless and so reliable. I would love an RS at some point but that car is a little wider and stiffer on the roads; for what I need out of a car, the GT3 does it all.

I have a very good relationship with Porsche Wilmslow who managed to secure me an allocation for my GT3 back in 2018. I am still working on a 992 GT3 allocation, but then again who isn’t?!

10,000 miles 10,000 miles

Tell us about the spec.

I did manage to spec the car from new, and in fact I can remember having the option to select Touring. Looking back financially, that would have probably been a wiser choice, but for me, a 911 GT3 needs a wing. As much as I love the Touring, it does look a little on the tame side. Finalising the specification on a GT3 is quite a daunting task when it is your dream car. After many emails back and forth, we locked the spec and the car came relatively quickly. Fortunately, the car turned out better than I planned, and even to this day, I look back at the car every single time I get out of it. My office is close to Porsche Wilmslow, so around the time the car was due, I would stick my head in most days to see if it had arrived!

When speccing the car, I was quite certain of how I wanted it to look. For me, there had to be a theme and I wanted any Porsche anorak like me to notice the thought that had gone into the final look of the car. On the exterior, I went for Agate Grey Metallic with the carbon mirrors and carbon triangles in front of the windows. On the interior, we have the Clubsport package, black leather interior with racing yellow belts and yellow decorative stitching. The car also has the 918 fixed carbon buckets with the full carbon interior package. I went with the PDK ‘box over the manual as I am a keen track-goer and wanted to produce the fastest lap times I could. I have driven the manual variant and did love the engagement, but for my first GT3, it had to be PDK.

In terms of stopping power, I decided to go with the PCCB ceramic brakes as I intended to use the car on track and wanted to carry through the grey and yellow theme with the calipers. I decided not to factory tint any of the windows as I wanted the roll cage to be on full display. If I could have my time again, I would most likely have gone for the Bose surround sound system, but with the symphony of the 4.0 flat-six, I am really not that fussed. Thus far, I haven’t actually carried out any modifications on the car, but I am currently debating installing a JCR exhaust system as I think they sound tremendous.

What is it like to drive?

Jumping in the car, I always feel that it is quite narrow compared to other cars I have driven such as the 488 or Huracán. It has a perfect driving position with so much feel through the wheel, and to be honest, every time I jump in, I feel like a racing driver, and there is something to be said for that feeling — it’s addictive! The naturally-aspirated 4.0, for me, is probably one of the best engines there has ever been. The engine puts out around 500bhp and revs so freely up to 9,000rpm. What I like about the engine is that there is more torque low down than previous GT3s, so it’s enjoyable all the time, even when you’re not thrashing it. That said, on track is where I feel the engine really comes into its own at the peak of the rev range. For me, the car is a complete event and so composed whether you are on track or blasting it around some local country lanes, and the agility from the four-wheel steeling is highly effective — the accuracy of the handling is sublime.

What is it like to live with?

Currently, the car is approaching 10,000 miles of which I did 3,000 in one trip across Europe. In terms of reliability, it has been completely flawless and has never skipped a beat. For me, a huge selling point with any Porsche product is in fact the reliability. Perhaps less can be said for its British competitors. I think one of the best things about Porsche as a brand is the relatively low ongoing costs and no big surprises. The car had its first service and oil change at the usual cost of £1,000, and I have also had a new set of four Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2s at a cost of £300 a corner. I am also about to purchase the extended warranty for the car which is around £2,000 for two years. The only thing I’d say is that, as I went for the Clubsport pack, I do have a large piece of scaffolding in the rear, so space is limited!

What is your favourite memory with the car?

Last summer, my girlfriend and I took the GT3 across Europe for nearly three weeks. When Covid restrictions relaxed and travel opened up, we embarked to Paris via the Eurotunnel. After a couple of days in hectic Paris, we drove to Morzine in the Alps where I really got to open the car up. From Morzine, we headed down to Portofino, which for me was a bit of a fantasy and a dream come true. To drive my own car around that beautiful port was quite something. From Portofino we headed to Antibes via Monaco, ending up in Saint-Tropez. It was a trip I would recommend everyone to do, but maybe in a car with comfort seats rather than carbon fixed buckets!

What would eight-year-old Jack say if he saw you driving the GT3?

I would like to think an eight-year-old Jack looking at me driving the GT3 would think that it’s a car he aspires to have one day, and probably be as shell-shocked as I once was when a car like the GT3 flew past me as a child in my mums’ car! I would also hope that the engine was up at 9,000rpm when I flew past eight-year-old Jack so he could hear it for all it’s worth!

How do you feel about the future of the combustion engine?

I think there is certainly a place for turbo engines, but for me, nothing yet compares to the way a naturally-aspirated engine makes you feel. I think electric-powered vehicles will certainly take over the mass market with the amount of new models being launched and the investment we are seeing into the infrastructure. I believe the petrolheads amongst us will hold onto our beloved combustion-engined cars for as long as we possibly can. The feeling of an electric car will never replace that of a screaming naturally-aspirated flat-six, V10 or V12.

Three years in, any plans to replace it?

After having a GT Porsche for five years now in one shape or another, it would be nice to perhaps change things up at some point. I have looked at the McLaren 600LT as they are incredibly fast and seem good value, but there is just something that keeps me going back to Porsche. There is something I love about just being able to pop to the shops in the GT3 without really having to worry about anything going wrong. The dream for me is a Ferrari 812 GTS, but I need to work a little harder first!

For now, I have no intentions of selling my car as I love it so much, but I guess everything has a price. The GT market looks strong at the minute, so if I can keep enjoying relatively low-cost miles, then long may it continue.

An electrifying drive.

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