GT3 Diaries

Which 911 to buy?

Photo credit: Porsche

So I’ve made the decision to buy a 911; the question then becomes: which one?

One of the unique aspect of the Porsche 911 is the unrivaled breathe of capability within its extensive model range. Want a plain, no nonsense sports car? A base Carrera fits the bill very nicely. Fancy something with a a little more speed? There’s the Carrera S. Drivers in northern climates can opt for four-wheel drive. The 911 Turbo is an all-out speed monster and a fabulous grand-touring machine. Those seeking the ultimate in driving stimulation can find it in the modern ‘GT’ cars, be it GT3 or GT2.

There’s even convertible 911s, not that you should buy them.

Once you’ve figured out which model most fit your particular persuasion, the conundrum turns to which generation of 911 to buy. Of course, it would be most convenient (and commensurately expensive) to simply buy the latest 991.2 model brand new off the dealer lot, but the distinctive allure of previous generations also deserves consideration (and save some money). Perhaps the nostalgia of classic air-cooled 911s of the G-body, 964, and 993 eras will prove too irresistible; a constant stream of clean, low-mileage samples crops up on Bring a Trailer on a daily basis.

Or maybe the final incarnation of analog driving thrill is what’s most important, then the 996 and 997 generations - especially in GT3 trim - are the ones to get. Manual transmission, hydraulic-assisted steering, and the naturally-aspirated engine: these are automotive endangered species in a world of electric this and turbocharged that. 997 cars have held their value so well precisely because it offers an experience that’s largely extinct in new sports cars.

And obviously, the size of your budget has an enormous affect on the decision. The less there is to spend, the lower in the range and/or further back the generations you must to go.

After giving all of the above proper consideration, I arrived at the selection: the 991.1 Porsche 911 GT3.

I love sports cars; the more focused, the better. When thrill of driving is at the top of the criteria list, the only option within the vast 911 range is the GT3. Indeed a Carrera S can also be quite handy going round a turn, but if I had bought that, the GT3 would continually haunt me like a bad dream: why didn’t I just saved up a bit more for it? In my previous cars, I bought the best model within the Subaru WRX range - the STI, and the base poverty-spec model of the Mazda MX-5 - the Sport; the juxtaposition taught me to always go for the best model possible, because otherwise there will always be pangs of regret.

Having owned the turbocharged WRX STI and the naturally-aspirated MX-5 also informed me that atmospheric engines are infinitely cooler and more special than forced-induced units. Crucially, 911 GT3s have always been naturally-aspirated; for now, anyways.

In picking the GT3, there’s three generations of 911s to choose from: 996, 997, and the present 991. While for sure I wouldn’t kick any of these three models out of bed, the 996 GT3 got knocked out of contention fairly quick. I can stomach the 996’s notoriously weird styling, but it’s far too old of a car, and even though its handling capabilities are still world-class, the engine is low on power compared to what’s possible these days. The 996 GT3 is also bit of a rare bird, being the first generation of the GT3 and not many units made it over to our shores. Therefore the prices of suitable samples are relatively high, and the value proposition just isn’t there.

The 997 GT3 is far trickier to judge. As mentioned, it’s widely recognized as the last of the analog 911s, with its hydraulic steering and sweet manual gearbox. Behind the rear-axle sits the famed Mezger flat-six engine that’s straight out of motorsport; a sort of motor you won’t find in the preceding GT3. There’s really not much, if at all, to fault with 997 GT3: it’s one superbly compelling package, and with production 997.2 models extending to early this decade, the interior appointments are still modern enough to not annoy me (you really get spoiled by the latest cars).

If I were still in my mid-twenties, I would’ve easily picked the 997 GT3: the utmost in raw, analog, and focused driving experience; ride comfort should not even be a consideration. Manual gearbox in traffic? Only chumps complain about such trivial rubbish.

Not that 25 year old me could remotely afford a 911, much less a GT3. Indeed as I sit here in my early thirties, priorities in what I look for in a sports car have changed. I’ve done the most hardcore version of a car before in the WRX STI, and while it’s incredibly fun under the right circumstances (it’s unbeatable in the wet), the realities of living in a metropolitan city meant there were certain moments where the super stiff suspension was decidedly intolerable.

Which answers the question of why I’m not looking at GT3 RS cars: much too brutal for everyday street driving, and also becauseI can’t afford one. Non-RS GT3s offer a sublime blend of road-holding talent and urban usability; the 997 GT3, while excellent, lacks that last smidge of grand-touring ability when compared to the 991 GT3.

I’ve been mesmerized with the 991 GT3 ever since I saw the video of Porsche GT program boss Andreas Preuninger giving an intensive walk-around of the car when it was first introduced back in 2013. It was hook, line, and sinker as I listened to the man give point-by-point details on the new car: a 475 horsepower flat-six engine that revs to 9 thousand RPM, a slick PDK-S automated gearbox replacing the old manual, rear-wheel steering, and 20-inch forged alloy wheels; just to name a few. Compared to the 997 the new GT3 is more grown-up and less hooligan, but promises to be faster and equally as engaging.

I haven’t lusted after a car like this since I saw the tail-end of a WRX STI blast away from a stoplight, giant wing and all.

Some would disagree, but I think the 991 generation to be the most beautiful of the modern 911s, and the GT3 package adds on an appropriate amount of aggression, without being too shouty about it and ruining those iconic curves. More importantly, by the virtue of the stretched wheelbase inherent in 991 chassis, the latest GT3 doesn’t bludgeon the driver on bumpy roads as previous generations did. It’s the perfect super sports car for all occasions - even in inclement weather, provided you’ve got proper tires.

Right, the 991.1 GT3 it is; but why not the 991.2? Simple: it’s out of my price range. If I want a 991 GT3, my only option is a used sample of the first-generation model produced between 2014 to 2016.

Thus began the search.

Why the 911?

Photo credit: Porsche

It all started some twenty years ago.

I was barely into my teens, at the very nascent of my fascination with the automobile. Back in those days there weren’t rapid Internet access to endless streams of multimedia (kids these days have it so good), so to perform any sort of sleuthing on cars, the 10 year old me resorted to visiting a historic institution: the public library.

Once I had exhausted through the latest monthly car magazines, I ventured to the automotive section of the library, a shelf full of various repair manuals and books on specific models. A particular book that caught my attention was the Consumer Reports guide to every single car on sale for that specific model year. What better way to learn about all the cars than such an encyclopedic source?

It took me a while to alphabetically reach the P section, and when the (993) Porsche 911 came into view, the visuals arrested me profoundly. To the naive 10-year old mind, cars were suppose to look the traditional three-box fashion: engine in the front, passenger compartment at the center, and trunk in the rear. Scattered amongst those commonalities were wedge-shaped mid-engine exotics such as the illustrious Lamborghini Countach.

The idiosyncratic shape of the 911, then, proved to be quite the counterpunch to those preconceived notions. I can still remember the picture in the book: a ruby red 993 Turbo from the rear quarters view, similar to the photo above. I thought it an interesting shape to form the basis of a car, not having yet read that the engine is entirely behind the rear-axle, and that it’s flat. The intensely sloped rear-end and the bulbous rear haunches was all it took to captivate me onto the 911 to this very day.

It’s a really special car.

As I read on I got to pricing, and it dawned on me then the 911 is but a dream and an aspiration. As a poor immigrant kid whose first language isn’t English, cars within the pricing stratosphere of a Porsche 911 was not a reality you ever thought possible at that age. But the allure of the 911 remained ever constant: I always did a double-take on the rare occasion I spotted one on the road, taking the scarce opportunity to take in that beautiful shape once more, all the while thinking to my young self that I’d never make the amount of money needed to afford one.

Car enthusiasm doesn’t wane, but financial proclivities had me focused on cars more attainable. Like most of my peers, the video game Gran Turismo introduced me to the world of Japanese sports cars. Relative to the Germans, cars from Japan were much cheaper, and together with the influence of tuning culture, culminating in the first Fast and Furious movie, turned my automotive attention squarely on cars with a VIN starting with a J.

But as any proper petrol-head, I kept tabs on motive metal from countries outside of Japan; the spread of online media made that task supremely easy. So while I was having my fun driving around in a Subaru WRX STI and then later a Mazda MX-5 Miata, cars like the 911 was not far from my purview. I grew to learned about Porsche’s hallowed air-cooled heritage, which thanks to the likes of Magnus Walker, cheap, decade old sports cars have suddenly turned into pricey unobtanium.

There was the 911’s much-maligned evolution to the 996 generation, with its water-cooled engine and funny headlamps, which I have to say I never really despise as much as others did. In fact, the 996 Turbo S, in GT Silver color, was the poster car of my youth. It looked so cool, and according to the stats, so unimaginably fast. Of course, modern 997 and 991 era of 911s have since eclipsed the 996, where even base model Carreras offer supercar-like performance.

This much was clear: the Porsche 911 is the quintessential sports car with a legendary lineage, and any car enthusiast should have it as a checkbox on their car bucket-list.

For whatever reason, owning a 911 was not my list at all until 2018. I’d never thought of myself as a person capable of purchasing one: six-figure sports cars are far too cavalier of a financial move given my modest monthly income. That said, coming off selling the MX-5 in May of 2018, I naturally and immediately gravitated to the question of what my next car would be. As a single person in his early 30s with a bit of savings, the possibilities of a 911 came into naughty and delicious prospect.

Indeed it would be a bold move, but I’m rationalizing it as this: if a 911 is an experience not to be missed, then I don’t see any purpose in purchasing more “stop-gap” cars in between. A BMW M2 would just feel like a faster Miata, while a rear-engined 911 would be fantastically unique. Let’s concentrate all material power into buying a 911 as the car to succeed the lovely Mazda.

Thus began the plan.