When Porsche announced the new 991 GT3 we were one of the first to get in line. We wanted a special car, say, painted to sample or something else really cool. Porsche had other ideas, and we waited and waited until word came from Zuffenhausen that there were to be no “Sample” cars. This made the ordering process harder: What do you do to build a really cool car that you can enjoy but that’s different. This is what we came up with.
Guards Red was going to be the color. Porsche wore out this color on all those 3.2 Carreras in the late 80’s but now white, silver, grey, blue, and black are worn out. They’re just way too common. Drive by your local Porsche dealer and try to find something other than those colors; it’s slim picking’s to say the least. Lots of guys just check all the boxes and leave no thought as to way they are ordering their GT3 – or any new 911 – or how their choices really affect the performance of the car. Since I had plenty of time to think about the options after a 10-month wait for paint-to-sample, I think we nailed them.
First on the list was brakes: Ceramic or the steel “Big Reds”? For us this was easy, go for the Big Reds. The Ceramic composites carry a hefty initial price tag, and a brake job will end costing around $10,000. Some would call that stupid! I’m not a Patrick Long or Jeff Zwart. And quite frankly, neither are you! If you need the yellow calipers and you have a spare $7,500, go ahead and order them. But the only difference you’ll notice is how damned squeaky they are as you pull out of your neighborhood or go cruising around town. The “Big Red’s” matched the paint, don’t squeak, have a fantastic track record behind them, and add no additional cost.
The next choice was the wheels. This also was a no-brainer because you had three choices: Silver, Titanium, or black. Silver sticks out too much, black always look dirty (and it’s gotten too common), but the titanium wheels add just a hint of stealth without the “Big Pimping” boy-racer look.
The interior was the fun part. Porsche lets you pick and choose to death on all the subtle details. First comes the seats; this is an easy choice if you’re going to drive the car. The racing style seats are a pain to crawl into and out of, and they lack the adjustability you need for a longer jaunt to the beach or the mountains. You’re really in them, and I hope you like your fixed seating position. The 18-way power seats will hold you in just fine on the way to work and on a track day as well, and the adjustable lumbar support and seat heater tend to make either regular or occasional outings more enjoyable. The upgraded sound system adds pleasure, and the navigation module also ensures you make it to your destination and back. The red gauges, seat belts, and stitching just add a touch more to the standard black interior without all that painted, carbon plastic all over the inside.
We ordered this car to enjoy it and we kept it for almost six months until Porsche enticed us with another opportunity. We passed the GT3 along to a local doctor with 205 miles worth of driving it to lunch and back. He has used it rarely ever since that point. This car has never seen a racetrack and he used the car to travel around to out-of-town clinics. The car is as new, never touched, (and we had a clear bra put on it when delivered.) This is simply a great, honest, non-tracked 991 GT3 that your significant other would actually like riding in for a weekend getaway.
Options:
Black Alcantara/Guards Red Stitching
Front Axle Lift
Sport Chrono incl. Porsche Track Precision App.
Leather Interior with Decorative Red Stitching
Sport Chromo Clock Dial in Guards Red
Instrument Dials in Guards Red
Seat Belts in Guards Red
18-way Adaptive Sport Seats Plus
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