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    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    excmag said:
    Quote:
    JimFlat6 said:
    Turbo Cab. Less involving than a Boxster S, but "sportier" than a SL or M6 Cab. Joy. Amazingly, the reviewer heard more engine noise with the roof down. Now thats news! Dealers man your phones!



    Uh, better read it again. P. 61: "The twin-turbo six's sound is stirring, top up or down..."

    Besides, the point wasn't the obvious so much as an underlining of the fact that the Turbo coupe is too quiet, too removed. Cab goes some says toward fixing that.

    And, as for having one of "those" drives (and I know exactly what you mean, Stradale!), I can tell you I didn't in this case and rarely, if ever, have on a press trip. My job is to examine two elements: the car itself and then the experience it provides. For so many reasons, it is very hard to do this on PR intros -- partly out of the nature of the beast and, perhaps, partly by design. Thus, you must focus. My handling realization came on the first day's "short" driving loop (which turned out to be the best road) with the top and windows closed. I started this way for a reason.

    As for mellowing? Who, me? I dunno. I'd still probably rather drive a 996 GT3 or even a CTR1 every day than a Turbo Cab.

    So, yes, I am nuts. But any road tester worth their salt must get out of the "me" and "my preferences" to a rather large degree when reviewing cars and try to evaluate a car for what *it* is trying to be/do.

    And the 997 Turbo Cab is VERY good at what it is trying to be/do.

    Cheers!

    pete





    Wow! Very Cool!

    Pete, I gotta tell you I admire your honest assessment of the 997 Turbo Cabrio. From a guy that "generally prefers coupes when it comes to focused driving", coming out and saying you believe the Turbo Cab is actually a better drive & more satisfying is pretty amazing. Usually it's always the same thing; the Cabrio is fun because of it's open-top motoring but the Coupe is a better drivers car. So when I ordered my Turbo Cab I had already expected to give up a little bit for the experience of the convertible but to hear what you wrote is just icing on the cake. When I read your article (read it 3 times btw) it really got me pumped. The part about the engine/exhaust sounding different is great too. Got my excellence issue a couple of days after this was posted on RENNTEAM. Really Great job imho & Excellent Rag btw. As far as info on Porsche's go imho "excellence" is the best magazine out there. Thanks for clarifying that re: your handling observation was made with top/windows up.

    btw: Is that you in driving in the pictures in excellence? Because I noticed it's also the same person driving the Turbo Cab in Christophorus.

    Please you have to come by more often.

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    STRADALE said:

    btw: Is that you in driving in the pictures in excellence? Because I noticed it's also the same person driving the Turbo Cab in Christophorus.





    Nope, not me, thank goodness.

    No desire to be seen in photos and have generally avoided it when possible, mostly out of a desire to be "just me" when I go to Porsche stuff. This way, I tend to meet people as they are. And I can be me, too. This has, of course, become more difficult as the years have passed.

    Sometimes, however, I must drive cars for the camera (997 CC and $20k shootout are examples, if you just have to see my mug, you can dig these out) or am truly a part of the story -- which, IMHO should be avoided by auto scribblers -- such as in my Targa Newfoundland piece and an upcoming story...

    So it's safe to say I'll not become a Clarkson -- and for more reasons than the obvious.

    Funny story: on the Cayenne into, I asked Christoph Bauer (hired shooter for PAG) to get some motion shots for us. Both he and the Canadian journalist I had paired with for the day seemed baffled when I expressed no interest in being in the car during the shoot (two people in a car always looks funny to me in car-mag photos, and it was convenient to get me out of the shot ).

    Then Mr. Bauer told me a funny story: that it is just the opposite with some of the journalists from the middle east, who not only want to be in the pictures but roll down the driver's window and pose/grin/smile big/wave for the camera! Different cultures, I must suppose, but it makes me wonder how the interaction between writers and readers might work there.

    Anyway, there are many, many stories like this from press introductions that just don't "fit" on the pages of Excellence, and shouldn't within the pages of a proper car review....

    Cheers, and thanks for reading!

    pete

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Very interesting stuff.

    Now I need to go check out those other stories!!

    Love this pic from your article. (it's now my desktop)

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    STRADALE said:
    Very interesting stuff.

    Now I need to go check out those other stories!!

    Love this pic from your article. (it's now my desktop)



    I hand-picked that photo, as I thought it was the best of all of the event photos and really made the car look good.

    I'd love to see a Malachite Green on black (with light green stitching!) Turbo Cab lowered just a smidge on Champion's one-piece flat multi-spoke wheels (19s or 20s) painted plain silver...

    Can you still change your order?

    Whatever it is, I am sure you will enjoy the car... though I will be curious to hear YOUR thoughts.

    pete

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    excmag said:
    Quote:
    STRADALE said:
    Very interesting stuff.

    Now I need to go check out those other stories!!

    Love this pic from your article. (it's now my desktop)



    I hand-picked that photo, as I thought it was the best of all of the event photos and really made the car look good.

    I'd love to see a Malachite Green on black (with light green stitching!) Turbo Cab lowered just a smidge on Champion's one-piece flat multi-spoke wheels (19s or 20s) painted plain silver...

    Can you still change your order?

    Whatever it is, I am sure you will enjoy the car... though I will be curious to hear YOUR thoughts.

    pete



    See! Great minds.........

    I love the pic. of the car but not a fan of the color. Don't like the Green's or Brown's on any sports car. I've had Artic & Black 911's but my preferences for the Turbo Cab.:

    1) Basalt Black
    2) Black
    3) GT-Silver
    4) Artic
    5) Meteor
    6) Atlas/Slate
    7 > 10 )Cobalt/White/Red/Yellow

    I've been looking at Champion's web-site for wheels. I'll probably end up staying w/ stock but not sure yet. They sure do make some of the nicest Porsche wheels. I think I know the position for staying w/ 19's but if I did go after-market I'd probably go w/ the 20's, cause I'd already have the stock 19's. Also not sure though about that where I live 20's probably wouldnt be practical on some of the roads I travel.

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    The new Turbo wheels look great and are great technically - lightweight and great color to hide brake dust. A winner!

    How come Pete is advocating 20" rims? 19" inch rims is already a concession to market poseur types. I would much prefer 18s or God forbid 17s.

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    ADias said:
    The new Turbo wheels look great and are great technically - lightweight and great color to hide brake dust. A winner!

    How come Pete is advocating 20" rims? 19" inch rims is already a concession to market poseur types. I would much prefer 18s or God forbid 17s.



    Looks are subjective (I dislike the 997 Turbo wheels) and they're really not that light -- though they are strong and (finally!) forged.

    I'm not sure I'm *advocating* 20s (which is why I put 19s or 20s).

    However, perhaps as a result of adapting the 997 suspension for 19s (marketing, pure and simple -- and finally "helping" a friend of mine within PAG who had long been "fighting" with engineers for 19s on the 996 series), I have been surprised to find that 20s actually work *okay* on 997s.

    I did not like 20s visually on the supercharged Evo 997 (car looked kind of like a caricature of a 911 to me). BUT I liked the Champion one-piece flat wheels very much on the first modified 997 Turbo I drove. This car also had "PASM-friendly" lowering springs, which I probably cannot recommend from a mechanical longevity standpoint. But they sure did look good and, far more importantly, seemed to really clean up the 997 Turbo's pitchy, rolly dynamics. Keep in mind, however, that this was based on a VERY short test on the 2-mile quickie loop by my office.

    As for 18s, I prefer them VASTLY on 987s from a driving standpoint and find them to be REQUIRED if the car does not have PASM. But then, if you know my writings, I wouldn't have PASM anyway...

    What I do find curious, however, is to see some well-known Porsche forum users switching to 18s on the 997 GT3 to "fix" its "horrible understeer." Two thoughts here: first, I must wonder how much of that understeer is dialed in by driving technique (not questioning their ability to set fast times, but wonder how/if they are trail-braking to stick the nose) and, second, some then say they now need to worry about oversteer!!! I wonder just how much of Weissach's development they are throwing away?

    And if we are "stuck" with 19s?

    One Porsche engineer told me that EVERY decision for a suspension starts with the tires. For the GT3 and Turbo, then, every element is based on the 19s. And I am sure every element is optimized for 19s...

    That said, the flat-faced Champion 20s still look good to my eye on the (somewhat bloated) 997 Turbo.

    As for colors, Stradale, I hear you. Can't go wrong with white, black, or any shade of gray on a Porsche. That said, I've always dug colors that stretch the 911 in new directions -- Chartreuse, Amazon, Ocean Jade, etc. excepted. Even I have my limits!

    So I like Granite and Forrest Carrera 3.2s and Copper Brown Metallic on Cork 911 SCs. Too bad the new metallic brown is so flaky, like a 1970s fiberglass speedboat. Always thought a 996 GT2 in Copper Brown Metallic/black with the carbon bits woulda been silly cool. However, not sure even I woulda taken the chance...

    pete

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    excmag said:
    Quote:
    ADias said:
    The new Turbo wheels look great and are great technically - lightweight and great color to hide brake dust. A winner!

    How come Pete is advocating 20" rims? 19" inch rims is already a concession to market poseur types. I would much prefer 18s or God forbid 17s.



    Looks are subjective (I dislike the 997 Turbo wheels) and they're really not that light -- though they are strong and (finally!) forged.

    I'm not sure I'm *advocating* 20s (which is why I put 19s or 20s).

    However, perhaps as a result of adapting the 997 suspension for 19s (marketing, pure and simple -- and finally "helping" a friend of mine within PAG who had long been "fighting" with engineers for 19s on the 996 series), I have been surprised to find that 20s actually work *okay* on 997s.

    I did not like 20s visually on the supercharged Evo 997 (car looked kind of like a caricature of a 911 to me). BUT I liked the Champion one-piece flat wheels very much on the first modified 997 Turbo I drove. This car also had "PASM-friendly" lowering springs, which I probably cannot recommend from a mechanical longevity standpoint. But they sure did look good and, far more importantly, seemed to really clean up the 997 Turbo's pitchy, rolly dynamics. Keep in mind, however, that this was based on a VERY short test on the 2-mile quickie loop by my office.

    As for 18s, I prefer them VASTLY on 987s from a driving standpoint and find them to be REQUIRED if the car does not have PASM. But then, if you know my writings, I wouldn't have PASM anyway...

    What I do find curious, however, is to see some well-known Porsche forum users switching to 18s on the 997 GT3 to "fix" its "horrible understeer." Two thoughts here: first, I must wonder how much of that understeer is dialed in by driving technique (not questioning their ability to set fast times, but wonder how/if they are trail-braking to stick the nose) and, second, some then say they now need to worry about oversteer!!! I wonder just how much of Weissach's development they are throwing away?

    And if we are "stuck" with 19s?

    One Porsche engineer told me that EVERY decision for a suspension starts with the tires. For the GT3 and Turbo, then, every element is based on the 19s. And I am sure every element is optimized for 19s...

    That said, the flat-faced Champion 20s still look good to my eye on the (somewhat bloated) 997 Turbo.

    As for colors, Stradale, I hear you. Can't go wrong with white, black, or any shade of gray on a Porsche. That said, I've always dug colors that stretch the 911 in new directions -- Chartreuse, Amazon, Ocean Jade, etc. excepted. Even I have my limits!

    So I like Granite and Forrest Carrera 3.2s and Copper Brown Metallic on Cork 911 SCs. Too bad the new metallic brown is so flaky, like a 1970s fiberglass speedboat. Always thought a 996 GT2 in Copper Brown Metallic/black with the carbon bits woulda been silly cool. However, not sure even I woulda taken the chance...

    pete




    Great info!

    When I get my Turbo Cab. if I decide to get wheels hopefully I can ask you for some further advice!

    Gotta Run for the night, everyone have a great evening!

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Isn't Excellence a magazine devoted exclusively to Porsche cars as is Christophorous?

    I enjoyed reading your article. I like your writing style because it did give me a good sense as to what the car was all about. Have you written anything for Ferrari or are their colors too much of a "big flake sparkle of a 1970's speedboat"?

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Pete, great write up. Are these the wheels you refer to?




    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    nberry said:
    Isn't Excellence a magazine devoted exclusively to Porsche cars as is Christophorous?

    I enjoyed reading your article. I like your writing style because it did give me a good sense as to what the car was all about. Have you written anything for Ferrari or are their colors too much of a "big flake sparkle of a 1970's speedboat"?



    Well hello Nick!

    No.

    One is an independent, objective magazine (sister to Sports Car International, Bimmer, Forza, and Corvette. Fun fact: it is the other four that allow the nearly ad-free SCI, which so many rennteamers like, to exist). The other is the product of Porsche and its marketing department.

    I will say that Christo is beautifully turned out, however. They must spend a fortune on paper and printing.

    Besides, there is a significant difference between covering all things Porsche and being "devoted to Porsche." Christo is the latter, but this makes sense as Porsche is the hand that feeds it. Just like it is hard to find old-timers who will go on record and openly criticize Porsche. They fear for their pension. We did, however, find Manfred Jantke for an interview some years ago. Then paid by Audi, he said what he wanted to, and it was VERY interesting...

    We cover Porsche, too, but we are not devoted to it. We are devoted to our readers, and thus have been outspoken in our criticisms of Porsche as well as other entities. I believe that serving the reader first is the best course and ends up, as a nice byproduct, benefiting PAG and its engineeers in the long run, too -- even if they do not recognize or appreciate it. Too many magazines sell out to their ad departments' desires, and the end game isn't pretty. See some major U.S. car magazines for an example.

    Some PAG engineers recognize that objective, third-party voices are becoming very hard to find in the media, and the shift to "lifestyle" automotive media is not helping. Too many journalists I meet on press intros are unfocused and seem more concerned about what wine they are having (the night before driving fast cars!!!) than nuance and understanding the car.

    As for Ferraris, I do not think I have written a drive report on one. Perhaps a blurb or two for Forza or SCI during my intern days over a decade ago, but I would suspect it would not be at all worth digging out if so.

    I have, however, driven several Ferraris in the course of my work, some extensively (F50 for a week, 575M for a very long 24 hours ) and find them to be deeply engaging (F50 not so much, F355 and 550 very much!) and, in some ways, more passionate than Porsches.

    However, I (personally!) find them to be generally less desirable for one reason you may or may not agree with: they are not cars to be used every day. Sure, they can be and have gotten very good at this, but I do not like a mob scene at the gas station or supermarket. The beauty of a Porsche, especially here in SF where Boxsters and 911s are like Toyotas, is that while it is a nice car, it does not draw undue attention to itself.

    Other than perhaps the 412, I can say this for no Ferrari, and certainly no modern one. That does not mean, however, that I would turn down a 288 GTO, F40 LM, F355 Challenge, 360 CS, 550 Maranello...

    Cheers!

    pete

    P.S. Oh, and yes, I do not like Ferrari's "big-flake" metallics, either. I think they re-started the trend with the 550, but I may be wrong...

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    Eric (Plug Guy) said:
    Pete, great write up. Are these the wheels you refer to?



    Yep, those are the ones. Wonder if I liked the 20s I saw because they were black on a white car? I thought they would have looked even better in gray on that white 997 Turbo.

    Now seeing them in 20 inches on this red car, I wonder if they are too big? That said, I cannot say I think they look bad -- I think they are a big improvement on the stock wheels, and knowing Naveen, they are certainly as good as or better in terms of performance and lightness.

    However, another P forum has pictures of these on, I believe, a Slate Gray Metallic 997 Turbo in 19 inches. Only problem here is the car needs to be lowered in order to see how they really look compared to these on the red car....

    If the 19s "look" right, then I would prefer them, as I am very conservative when it comes to mods.

    pete

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    STRADALE said:
    When I get my Turbo Cab. if I decide to get wheels hopefully I can ask you for some further advice!





    Thanks, and I should mention: while I talk a big game on liking strange Porsche colors, my 911 was silver on black, my 914 red on black, my Boxster burgundy on black....

    pete

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Since I started this thread... I should thank Pete Stout for posting and adding to it. I'm an Excellence subscriber and urge all Porschephiles to subscribe. Pete's articles and Bruce Anderson's columns are worth the price of admission.

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)



    BTW I do agree with your assessment regarding Ferrari's. Though they can be driven as a daily car most Ferrari do not used them as such with the possible exception of the 550,575 and 599.

    Personally, I do not feel any high performance sport car should be driven on a daily basis. What is the point? Savor it during those times you need a release. I guess some need that daily.

    I would like to see more of work but unfortunately you appear to be bound by the covers of Excellence.

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    excmag said:
    Quote:
    Eric (Plug Guy) said:
    Pete, great write up. Are these the wheels you refer to?


    However, another P forum has pictures of these on, I believe, a Slate Gray Metallic 997 Turbo in 19 inches. Only problem here is the car needs to be lowered in order to see how they really look compared to these on the red car....

    If the 19s "look" right, then I would prefer them, as I am very conservative when it comes to mods.

    pete



    Actually Chris/E55AMG also posted them on this board...

    http://www.rennteam.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=374486&an=0&page=1#374486

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    alin2 said:
    Quote:
    excmag said:
    Quote:
    Eric (Plug Guy) said:
    Pete, great write up. Are these the wheels you refer to?


    However, another P forum has pictures of these on, I believe, a Slate Gray Metallic 997 Turbo in 19 inches. Only problem here is the car needs to be lowered in order to see how they really look compared to these on the red car....

    If the 19s "look" right, then I would prefer them, as I am very conservative when it comes to mods.

    pete



    Actually Chris/E55AMG also posted them on this board...

    http://www.rennteam.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=374486&an=0&page=1#374486



    That's the one.

    This car is stunning!

    Getting nit-picky, this set could use a set of standard, non-Turbo center caps, as the Turbo items are chrome in a now-silver wheel. And please, no colored crests!

    One other thing I'd love to see and consider is the removal of the small holes between the lugs. Maybe they "need" to be there for some reason (technical or aesthetic, but I have a tough time believing the former).

    To my eye, those little holes are about the only thing keeping these aftermarket wheels from looking like a factory wheel... and that is a rare acheivement.

    Anybody good with Photochop? T'would be interesting to see the car lowered, too.

    pete

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Yeah...those 19" Champion RF67s are the ones I'm getting. By far, the nicest wheels I've seen. The OEM 19" Turbos are going to get relegated to winter tires.

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Quote:
    nberry said:

    Personally, I do not feel any high performance sport car should be driven on a daily basis. What is the point? Savor it during those times you need a release. I guess some need that daily.

    I would like to see more of work but unfortunately you appear to be bound by the covers of Excellence.



    I am a believer in high performance every day, even if you are not using it every day. You never know when you might need it.

    I am fairly certain that our Boxster saved my life last fall -- and prevented my wife from smaller injuries -- when an 19-wheel tank truck ran a red light to my left. The Camry next to me and I saw it at the same time -- both distracted by a just-happened accident with no assistance yet to our right.

    Only the Boxster stopped in time under full ABS, and then by just a few feet.

    As for my writings, they sometimes pop up in SCI and Bimmer (can't bring myself to write for Corvette, though I the new Z06 is the first Corvette I would actually consider owning... maybe). I am also starting to do a radio show with some regularity on Saturday mornings for fun. It's called The Automotive Journal 960 AM the Quake, available online, and actually called in a report from the 997 Turbo Cabriolet launch between soup and a seriously weird entree...

    Re: Excellence reviews 997TT Cab (long - pics)

    Pete

    here are 3 different lowered 997tt.





    lowered gray 997tt

     
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