Re: Friend of mine just drove it...
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nberry said:Quote:
GT said:
Hey Nick, read some post of yours a while a go where you were mentioning your track experience etc. One question for you; have you ever driven a 996tt and compare it to say a 360?
Happened to do just that a while ago, one after the other, on the same B roads, with the 360 owner as co passenger. Well apart from the noise and the head turing ability the F car was inferior in everything! Power, brakes, balance, handling, traction, electronics and consequently FUN! It felt like you had to be Ari Vatanen to push the car to the limit with any safety and even then the 360 could not match the pace of the turbo. And all that with a harsh ride quality and really impractical in just about everything. Have you ever compared Ps and Fs as cars and not status symbols? And if yes then what did you think, I would honestly like to know.
I was really hoping I would like the 360 since after four 911s I really wanted to change into something else but never something inferior.
So do you think the F cars will ever get to the level of the P cars? And I dont mean in the "show off dpt" but in their real abilities as cars..?
I have driven the 996TT on a couple of occasions and found it to be as sterile of a sport car you will find any where. No doubt it has performance. But with AWD drive and turbo delay, I found it a rather sad experience for someone who wants to enjoy inspiring and intoxicating driving.
The car was just boring. Drivng fast in a TT is like riding in an airplane. You may be going fast but there is absolutely no sensation or feeling of speed. You might as well be driving a MB AMG65.
GT, a Ferrari is not for everyone. It is not a practical car but certainly is a car that can handle daily driving. In the past, that was not the case.
The reason why I moved to Ferrari is because driving it is an event. It evokes emotion and passion which translates to stimulating driving. Given that performance is limited on public streets, it is the perfect car for me. Nothing can be more invigorating then driving a Ferrari and not worriying about speed traps, police monitoring or cameras.
Finally, regarding Ferrari "catching up with Porsche" God I hope not.
Sterile? No way. Actually, I find the non-linear torque curve of the 996TT more lively and fun than any NA car. Even before I tuned mine up, the most fun was feeling the car thrust forward pushing my (and my passengers'
) heads against the seat back at 4,000rpm, without flooring the throttle. Now with the car tuned up and closer to its potential, plus with a sport exhaust with just a few more decibels than stock, the thrust between 2,500 and 4,000rpm's is phenomenal, especially in second gear when the GIAC program kicks the K24's to 1.2BAR and 30-80mph blips on the digital speedo readout in a flash. This is actually one reason I plan to keep this car even after a get a 997TT (looking more and more like a 997TSCab, ?2008). I almost "worry" ( 
) that that car will just be fast all the time, with no skill required to extract the performance out of the torque curve as in my 996TSCab.One other thing, just because none of us will drive any of these cars anywhere close to 90% of their limits, does NOT mean that it won't be easier to drive a faster car at 75% of its limit. In other words, a faster car in my amateur hands is faster (and thus more fun) at 75% of ITS limit than a slower car at 75% of ITS limit. That's why all of these 'Ring times ARE indeed important for us mere civilians, because we can more easily and more safely drive faster well below the cars' abilities. Just because Rohrl and von Saurma could lap the 'Ring in a stock Ford Escort faster than I in my tuned 996TSCab (I believe
), doesn't mean that I won't have more fun (purely on the basis of performance) in my Porsche than I would in the Escort (on my local roads). And I bet you feel the same in your sweet 430Spider. 
He agrees that this car should not have been in circulation but he wont admit to lying.. Weird staff
