My 1st driving impression with the GT3.....
11-16-2007, 01:46 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
My 1st driving impression with the GT3.....
Well car finally arrived 11/12/07 as promised for Nov. delivery of my 08 GT3. Much to some people's disbelief the car actually existed because of delays (originally meant for Aug. delivery) but I got lucky since the delays finally gave me the only 2008 slot for the GT3 so it all worked out nicely.
Anyways I took care of the paperwork and now the car is awaiting transport to my "other" home but it was a beautiful Friday in the bay area so my sales guy and I took the car for it's first short test drive. If anyone is looking for a Porsche, I highly recommend George since he's the most honest and knowledgeable guy around. He fought for this car to be mine since I'm really a nobody at the dealer as I've never owned a Porsche before but he made my dream come true.
Upon first getting in the car and firing it up, the sound is your typical Porsche motor sound. A slight burp and the engine comes to life as it warms up. I notice a big yellow exclamation mark signaling the motor is not warmed up yet. I just sit in the car to get familiar with all the buttons and it's one awesome cockpit to view. I opted for all CF interior and black leather/suede with yellow deviated stitching. Even the door sill is CF with the lit GT3 logo. Car has 5.9 miles on it as George and I take off for a short drive. with the sport button on, the exhaust even at idle changes from a smooth idle to a much deeper roar. I did notice compared to my m3, the sport button does NOT change the throttle response at all but rather just the exhaust note. The car pulls effortlessly in almost every gear but I'm keeping it under 4000 rpms for now. Once the engine warms up the yellow exclamation mark goes away and now you have this nifty image of 4 tires and it actually displays the air pressure (psi) of each tire!
The one word to describe the car is "TIGHT"...it's not the fastest car in the world nor does it have 600 ft lb of torque like an AMG car that will pin you to your seat. Rather the power is unleashed smoothly and as it climbs into the higher rpm's it just spins effortlessly to the redline, almost like it's begging to be pushed harder. The brakes are rock solid and took a little getting used to. We took it out around lunchtime so hit some usual traffic and the car attracted more attention that I thought. Maybe it was the huge spoiler or the exhaust note but it's a cop magnet for sure....
I drove the car without ever touching the radio/NAV nor the temp controls. I'm normally the electronics guy but with this car I was just enjoying the exhaust and engine noise for the time being.
Since the car is not broken in I never really passed 4000 rpm's nor 80 mph but really looking forward to breaking this car in the next few weeks. Probably should do the clear bra first as my buddy who's a Carrera S owner tells me the car is a rock magnet too!
The clutch feel is stout and firm but actually feels very easy to drive for a sports car of this caliber. My m3 clutch is way softer in comparison and releases much later. Throttle response is superb and not touchy. I find it easier to drive this car than the m3 and this is only my first time. There is no lag at all which is one thing I love about N/A cars. The s2000 motor is rev happy but has no torque at all under 5000 rpm so things don't happen till 5500 rpm when the VTEC and Boost kick in. In the GT3, the motor has gobs of power and happy to pull in almost any gear. I was taking off from 2nd gear to test it's torque and no complaints from the car.
One thing to note is the s2000 with the Comptech race clutch/flywheel combo feels more firm than the GT3 however the release is longer to engage. The shifter in the GT3 is a short throw unit but I find the Honda unit still the easier car when flying through the gears. Porsche did a good job with the driving position though since the wheel is adjustable and I can easily drive this car for 10 hours whereas in the s2k I'm ready to get out after 2-3...haha
I will post more findings when the car gets to my house and I can really drive this in day to day use. Snapped a few pics to share in the meantime.
Happiest guy in the world right now,
rk
Anyways I took care of the paperwork and now the car is awaiting transport to my "other" home but it was a beautiful Friday in the bay area so my sales guy and I took the car for it's first short test drive. If anyone is looking for a Porsche, I highly recommend George since he's the most honest and knowledgeable guy around. He fought for this car to be mine since I'm really a nobody at the dealer as I've never owned a Porsche before but he made my dream come true.
Upon first getting in the car and firing it up, the sound is your typical Porsche motor sound. A slight burp and the engine comes to life as it warms up. I notice a big yellow exclamation mark signaling the motor is not warmed up yet. I just sit in the car to get familiar with all the buttons and it's one awesome cockpit to view. I opted for all CF interior and black leather/suede with yellow deviated stitching. Even the door sill is CF with the lit GT3 logo. Car has 5.9 miles on it as George and I take off for a short drive. with the sport button on, the exhaust even at idle changes from a smooth idle to a much deeper roar. I did notice compared to my m3, the sport button does NOT change the throttle response at all but rather just the exhaust note. The car pulls effortlessly in almost every gear but I'm keeping it under 4000 rpms for now. Once the engine warms up the yellow exclamation mark goes away and now you have this nifty image of 4 tires and it actually displays the air pressure (psi) of each tire!
The one word to describe the car is "TIGHT"...it's not the fastest car in the world nor does it have 600 ft lb of torque like an AMG car that will pin you to your seat. Rather the power is unleashed smoothly and as it climbs into the higher rpm's it just spins effortlessly to the redline, almost like it's begging to be pushed harder. The brakes are rock solid and took a little getting used to. We took it out around lunchtime so hit some usual traffic and the car attracted more attention that I thought. Maybe it was the huge spoiler or the exhaust note but it's a cop magnet for sure....
I drove the car without ever touching the radio/NAV nor the temp controls. I'm normally the electronics guy but with this car I was just enjoying the exhaust and engine noise for the time being.
Since the car is not broken in I never really passed 4000 rpm's nor 80 mph but really looking forward to breaking this car in the next few weeks. Probably should do the clear bra first as my buddy who's a Carrera S owner tells me the car is a rock magnet too!
The clutch feel is stout and firm but actually feels very easy to drive for a sports car of this caliber. My m3 clutch is way softer in comparison and releases much later. Throttle response is superb and not touchy. I find it easier to drive this car than the m3 and this is only my first time. There is no lag at all which is one thing I love about N/A cars. The s2000 motor is rev happy but has no torque at all under 5000 rpm so things don't happen till 5500 rpm when the VTEC and Boost kick in. In the GT3, the motor has gobs of power and happy to pull in almost any gear. I was taking off from 2nd gear to test it's torque and no complaints from the car.
One thing to note is the s2000 with the Comptech race clutch/flywheel combo feels more firm than the GT3 however the release is longer to engage. The shifter in the GT3 is a short throw unit but I find the Honda unit still the easier car when flying through the gears. Porsche did a good job with the driving position though since the wheel is adjustable and I can easily drive this car for 10 hours whereas in the s2k I'm ready to get out after 2-3...haha
I will post more findings when the car gets to my house and I can really drive this in day to day use. Snapped a few pics to share in the meantime.
Happiest guy in the world right now,
rk
That thing is beautiful!
