Now it looks like the take rate for Manual on the GT3 is 2/3 in the US.
This is pretty entertaining:
http://www.autoblog.com/2018/03/30/porsche-gt3-manual-america-opinion/
18 GT3 Manual, 73 Carrera RS 2.7 Carbon Fiber replica (1,890 lbs), 06 EVO9 with track mods. Former: 16 Cayman GT4, 73 911S, Two 951S's, 996 C2, 993 C2, 98 Ferrari 550, 79 635CSi
Apr 1, 2018 9:10:35 AM
Apr 1, 2018 9:53:35 AM
Dear all
Just a couple of words in regard of this car.
My car is basically a spiritual successor to my former 997.1 GT3 RS in RS Green which I now with the benefit of hindsight, should have never sold. I used to track that car a lot on European tracks like Spa, Hockenheim, Red Bull Ring and also took to drift trainings. Despite popular belief those Mezger engined cars are not that bullet proof, the car needed its gearbox, clutch, flywheel and the dreaded coolant hoses done next to all the consumables. Nevertheless I loved it. When the coolant hoses popped at around 240km/h when approaching the hairpin in Hockenheim and after driving a new 991 GT3 in Spa I exchanged that car for a 991 GT3 in Carrara White. On this car I only put 2000km because when the 991GT3RS came out in Geneva 2015 I knew I needed that car. As I did not like Lava Orange and had never seen UV I tried to get it in PTS Vipergreen as this was always my fav color. As this what not possible I went for UV wich turned out to be a fantastic color which surely will go down as one of the great colors in Porsche history. The lust for Vipergreen though never ceased so I was chasing my dealer all the time to get a future GT model in that specific color. When the rumor surfaced there will be a Touring version of the 991.2 GT3 I was starting to „harass“ my dealer to get one in Viper. In the meantime I stopped tracking street cars due to safety reasons and having access to Cup cars, once you tasted blood with a race car, tracking street cars on track became obsolete for me. When the Touring was finally announced September 11 at the Frankfurt Show my dealer already had an allocation for me which we changed to the Touring package with PTS. Knowing how cumbersome the PTS process is I for a long time did not believe I will be getting it. As chance would have it Porsche opened a pop up store at Zurich Paradeplatz and during lunch time I managed to have several discussion with an employee from Porsche Exklusive Manufaktur. He himself said it will be extremely difficult to get a Touring in PTS as officially there was no window. He told either to have „standard“ GT 3 as PTS allocation and to switch to a Touring once the window opens or having a Touring switching to PTS once the window is announced. To increase chances to get my desired car my dealer booked a day in Stuttgart with Porsche Exklusive Manufaktur in November 2017. Meanwhile it was announced that there might be a window in January 2018 for PTS but also a rumor of a potential stop sale of the Touring package due to high demand. The day in Stuttgart was fantastic, Mario Blauert from Porsche helped me a lot in choosing the right options and right on the spot he and my dealer (who came with us) managed to juggle around my allocation from April build to March build to secure the PTS slot. So finally all stars aligned and I was over the moon. Now I only had to overcome the long wait and from November 2017 and the car finally arriving end of March 2018 it was kind of a rollercoaster ride as according to internet rumors slots got moved around, PTS cancelled and so forth. Only my dealer always stayed calm.
Seeing the car for the first time yesterday made all that a blip in time, it came out wonderfully and I can’t wait to drive it. It has to live up to my former RS which was a fantastic car and is still missed. On the other hand Im sure when rowing the gears for the first time and hearing the new 4 liter engine sing the new car will win my heart over.
The spec of the car contains several CXX and Manufakture options:
PTS Vipergreen
Black Touring package
Carbon interior package
Bose sound system
Privacy glass
PDLS plus
Chronopackage
DAB
LWB seats with Pepita inserts, Vipergreen piping and platinum silver stitched GT3 on the headrests, embroided Porsche logo
Touring carbon fiber gear knob
Extended leather package
Leather door package
Steering column in leather
Alcantara sun visors as well as belt exit surroundings
Carbon sills with Vipergreen illuminated GT3 sign
Vipergreen painted car keys
Porsche side stickers in mat black surrounding to match wheels, Porsche lettering in mat yellow to match PCCB callipers
PCCB
Front axle lift
90 litre tank
Wheels in satin black
I might have forgotten something but this should be it. And to round it off, my wife always supported me and was also instrumental to give the car its final touches!
Mike
Great story and thanks for sharing! The car looks fantastic inside and out and the attention to details in your spec if awesome!
I also absolutely love the seats. Cloth is just so nice to sit on instead of leather and they also look spectacular!
Enjoy the car and please post some more pictures when you have it outside in the wild
Apr 1, 2018 5:09:26 PM
So I'm putting my order for a GT3 T in this weekend, still have time to think about what options I want.
This is the look I'm after:
The Interior would be black with full leather dash and the following:
1. Yellow deviated stitching and yellow seatbelts
2. Painted Air Vent Slats (Sapphire blue with leather surrounding and yellow stitching). I've never seen this in person.
3. Instrument Dials in White and Chrono clock in white.
What do you guys think of the 2nd and 3rd options? I like option 2 as it eliminates the plastic with deviated stitching leather but is the blue slats too much? For option 3, I could go either way, if option 2 stays then to reduce the number of colors I could stay with the default dial colors.
Really appreciate your feedback. Thanks
Painted slots always look to me to be too contrived. White dials may clash with yellow stitching and seat belts. Darker OEM dials would work better.
I just saved you $2500. 10% fee would be fair.
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
nberry:Painted slots always look to me to be too contrived. White dials may clash with yellow stitching and seat belts. Darker OEM dials would work better.
I just saved you $2500. 10% fee would be fair.
I like the leather that surrounds the air vents, instead of the plastic; the rest of the trim will be carbon. Unfortunately, the painted slats are part of the option. But I agree with your assessment of the white dials.
Saving $1000 so far. Would buy you dinner next time I'm in S.Cal
Apr 5, 2018 4:13:58 PM
Apr 5, 2018 4:21:16 PM
Thanks Dave. I love blues in general and like the Sapphire Blue the most from the available non PTS options and want to add some color to the black interior. First thought of Acid Green deviated Stitching but maybe the yellow suits the blue better and I could add a Yellow seat belt as well.
Apr 5, 2018 5:20:04 PM
Apr 5, 2018 5:49:55 PM
I saw this Touring at Braman when it was on the showroom per the photo. Very attractive car. The leather vents with deviated stitching look better than the painted slats IMHO. Not a fan of the white dials, in fact I would prefer if the GT3 could be ordered w/ all black dials which is a no cost option for the S. I would assume there will be some other similar color to sapphire if it is discontinued.
"Don't worry about avoiding temptation, as you grow older it will avoid you" Churchill
Apr 5, 2018 7:15:39 PM
"Porsche 911 Carrera T vs GT3 Touring (2018) twin test review: pure vs pure" (Car Magazine)
(3 April 2018)
The Gods used to test themselves in these unforgiving hills. Some of the world's toughest, most skilled drivers have tried and failed to tame the roads above Nice, home of the Monte Carlo rally. This has been the scene of some heroic and messy failures. But also of great success – such as when, 50 years ago, Porsche won the Monte for the first time, in a 911 T driven by Vic Elford.
Here, I'm in another Porsche called 911 T – clearly very different from Vic Elford's, but it's not fanciful for Porsche to make the connection between that lithe rally car and this pared-back Carrera. And whereas Elford was dicing with an Alpine, I'm swapping between two Porsches. The other is another relatively low-key, radar-ducking 911: the new GT3 Touring. And although in both cases the image is clean and simple, there's no shortage of power, precision and thrills.
This frosted yellow 911 T is the automotive equivalent of a sauce that's been reduced to the maximum: there's less of it, but it's more intense and flavoursome. The power output is a relatively scant 365bhp from the twin-turbo 2981cc flat six, the same output as the regular Carrera, although this stripped-down version manages to cost more. The 911 Carrera is not available with the PASM sports suspension set-up, but that comes as standard on the 911 T. Rear-wheel steering is an option. It sits 20mm lower, has a weight-optimised Sport Chrono mode package, shorter transmission ratios on the manual version, a mechanical rear diff lock, 20-inch wheels, a sports exhaust system and some unique styling details.
The front spoiler lip has been aerodynamically optimised. The mirror backs are metallic grey. There are various logos, most prominently on the side of the car. And there's a sports exhaust, centrally positioned, with the pipes painted black.
The weight is down 20kg compared to a similarly specified 911 Carrera, so the power-to-weight ratio is slightly better – improving the manual's 0-62mph time by 0.1sec to 4.5 – and the focus of the chassis changes is all about making it sharper, keener, quicker. In keeping with that, the gearshift lever is shorter, with a red shift pattern. Sports seats are standard, with a 911 logo stitched into the head restraints, and the seat centres use the technical Sport-Tex fabric rather than anything more luxurious. Bucket seats – not available on the 911 Carrera – are an option.
The modest weight reduction has been achieved by using lightweight glass, minimal sound-deadening material, and loops rather than door handles in the cabin. The rear seats4 and PCM infotainment system can be deleted to further reduce weight and increase the focus on driving. You can also specify a T-only interior treatment that uses contrasting bright colours for some or all of the seatbelts, headrest logo, door loops and seat centres.
Our test car has gone for the yellow trim treatment to match its yellow paint, and everything that can be deleted has been: rear seats, air-con and infotainment, leaving the centre stack one big black hole divided by a slim shelf. The upper cubicle should just about hold a hip flask, while the bottom shelf swallows a pair of sunglasses.
The 911 T is the first Porsche marketed under the Heritage banner; next up will be the GT Speedster due to appear in October.
(Whoopsy take note!)
The T suffix in 911 T stands for Touring, which makes you wonder why the other new car here today, the GT3 Touring, is not badged GT3 T. With its 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six producing 494bhp, it follows the same less-is-more theme as the 911 T, swapping the GT3's massive wing for the stealth variable spoiler of the limited-edition 911R, adding black tints to the front and rear light clusters, abandoning the roll cage and replacing alcantara with leather.
The redesigned front grille carries a GT3 Touring badge, but the body is essentially unchanged; like the GT3, its rear wheelarches are 44mm wider than a 911 Carrera's. There's no choice of gearbox: it's six-speed manual only.
So, we have some great roads and two intriguing cars to drive on them. Fire them up. The moving parts, from brake pads to exhaust flaps, have only just begun to rub the sleep from their eyes, pointing out that it's zero degrees, so why the rush? Later, the temperature will climb into double figures, but it's probably just as well that the cars are on soft-compound winter tyres. We'll take it easy at first.
The 911 T's 918-derived optional carbonfibre buckets fit like a second skin, punishing that extra sausage at breakfast. Pulling away, the only weight-saving measure you notice is the extra noise thanks to the thinner windows and sports exhaust.
While the GT3 can only be had with a manual six-speeder, the 911 T is offered in two- or three-pedal guise, both of them seven-speeders. Its tall seventh gear allows low-rev driving on the autobahn, but this manual is not one of Porsche's better gearboxes. It's painfully slow, vague and excessively long-legged, and operating the lever feels like stirring a sackful of antlers. Go for the PDK paddleshift option.
The PDK version is not only more relaxed but also substantially quicker. True, you can regard finding the right balance between the heavy clutch and the sticky gearlever as an emotionally involving exercise in the manual. But is it really more emotional than paddleshifting up and down through the PDK 'box, exploring the delights of this glorious engine?
And then there's the story told by the stopwatch. According to Porsche, the 494bhp GT3 Touring can sprint from zero to 62mph in 3.9sec. That's lightning-fast for sure – and yet the PDK-equipped 365bhp 911 T is only 0.3sec slower than its big-bore brother: three tenths, the batting of an eyelash, half a heartbeat. Pitch the stick-shift model against the two-pedal GT3, and the acceleration gap increases to 0.8sec.
You'll have noticed that I'm not entirely convinced by the logic of Porsche's plan. The best balanced and most accessible Porsche 911 this side of the Turbo remains the 444bhp 911 GTS. But, having said that, the 911 T does on certain roads and in certain conditions make the adrenalin pump faster. It loves tight corners, short climbs, deep dips and blind crests, sudden surface variations – the stuff challenging drives are made of.
But to make it truly shine requires some extras and a specific type of journey. Even though they may break the bank, the three options that make the dynamic difference are carbon-ceramic brakes, PDK transmission and rear-wheel steering. Why those hyper-expensive brakes? Because they shrink stopping distances, advance braking points, display riveting stamina and offer unflinchingly consistent pedal travel and pressure. Why steer all four wheels? Because it makes the car turn in with the velocity of a chameleon tongue, because it helps the wheels to juggle torque like a pair of circus seals, and because the high-speed stability matches that of a peregrine falcon diving for its prey. In a nutshell, all three options are key confidence-enhancers, and we all know that confidence is the prerequisite for going really fast.
The ESP system has four settings, the most liberal of which is strictly for drivers of the calibre of Walter Röhrl, which pretty much means just Walter Röhrl himself. You may be encouraged to learn that the two-time World Rally champion admits that he is faster these days with ESP switched on, so good are today's systems.
I can now almost sniff the limit of adhesion, yet the front end still turns in with vigour, bites and hangs on. The carbon-ceramic brakes allow us to zoom in on the GT3 at the end of the shortest straight, and a quick downshift flick into first fast-forwards the car through uphill hairpins. Even though there are no straights here long enough to allow the shift into fourth gear, the torque wave is a reassuring 4300rpm wide, encouraging the driver to surf on in third while the 494bhp GT3 Touring in front is still in second.
Switching to the GT3 Touring, it feels very different. It's barely any bigger, but what actually sets the two 911s apart is the difference in character, not their dimensions. While the 911 T is more sport than touring, the GT3 Touring prefers plenty of room to move, loose radii, roads that open up now and then. It's in its element when the journey allows you to keep the engine spinning at high revs rather than relying on low-end torque.
On these tight roads, the GT3 Touring spends a lot of time feeling like it's not getting the chance to shine. The 4.0-litre boxer wants to be revved; below 4000rpm it feels like it's working to rule. But then you get into the sweet spot between 4000 and 6000rpm and you're blessed with both a fast-rising torque curve and an even sharper throttle response. But wait – there's more. The absolute climax is staged from 6000 to 9000rpm, when relentless urge, beautiful noise and that awesome kick in the butt finally put this Touring in a league of its own.
These are both fantastic, extremely focused and highly desirable cars.
All that's magical about the 911's unblown flat-six is alive and well in the GT3 Touring. Pulling to 9000rpm before pausing for another ratio in the Touring's gorgeously mechanical six-speeder is a special pleasure, the likes of which Generation EV will never understand. The GT3 is simply one of the most spectacularly immersive and engaging sports cars in the world, and the Touring treatment does nothing to change that. Instead it glosses the GT3's already towering appeal with a little of Porsche's stellar heritage and a dollop of aesthetic restraint. The result is – surprise, surprise – the most desirable car Porsche makes.
What is a surprise is just how compelling a proposition the Carrera T is. On paper it's a gimmicky special edition with the potential for very garish seatbelts. On the road it's all you ever wanted of the boosted Carrera. The T's accessible (the relatively modest power output and the turbos' any-rev drive), packs a hugely satisfying chassis (with the right options) and feels genuinely special. The Porsche 911 has a new star in its line-up, and for once it's at the accessible end.
DaveC:I saw this Touring at Braman when it was on the showroom per the photo. Very attractive car. The leather vents with deviated stitching look better than the painted slats IMHO. Not a fan of the white dials, in fact I would prefer if the GT3 could be ordered w/ all black dials which is a no cost option for the S. I would assume there will be some other similar color to sapphire if it is discontinued.
@AP911 - I agree with @DaveC's input. I would also strongly advise against contrast coloured seat belts - no need for them when you already have the contrast stitch.
Apr 5, 2018 8:19:31 PM
Saving $1000 so far. Would buy you dinner next time I'm in S.Cal
Now that a free dinner lurks, I will try and earn one.
Go away from all that exterior color matching and contrast stitch thing in the interior.
Thats bad taste like a beautiful woman with too much (colorful) make up.
It is a drivers car after all. You can do the air vents in all black leather (like me :) ) which still looks perfectly (black)plain but with an enhanced material look. This way you can enjoy that you did something special, but without the expense of going tasteless.
Less (color) is more in this case.
Did not earn you $s but still think the advice is worth a dinner next time you are in Germany...
Check this for reference:
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'07 RS white '90 964 white '64 911 red (ex:968,986,996C2,996C4,996GT3)