Since '99 I've lusted after one car more than any other. The then new 996.1 GT3 seemed to be everything I looked for in a car. Porsche: yes! Focused: yes! Lighter: yes! Louder: yes! Racing pedigree: yes! The picture looked perfect.

The only issue was, I was 13 years old at that time, I had no clue what I actually looked for in a car, but it felt right, as if it's the one. Your holy grail, the one you aspire to own more so than you aspire to have a roof over your head. It was my bedroom-poster car, literally.

12 years have passed since, many things have changed, there's been a 996.2 GT3, a 997.1 GT3, a 997.2 GT3 and their subsequent RS-models, I've grown an extra 50cm, I've owned my first couple of cars and I've learned what I actually appreciate in driving cars, but one thing hasn't changed since. The GT3 was still the one. The updated versions became ever more attractive (except maybe the 996.2 GT3) to me, the reviews became ever more positive, it was still as much the right car for me as it was back then, with that difference that I now more or less know what I want my dream car to feel like. I wanted it to be tight, agile, responsive, robust, aggressive, loud, ... I still didn't know for sure if it was all those things, but I was about to find out.

They always say you better not drive your dream car if you want it to stay your dream car. No car can ever live up to unreasonable expectations and boy are they unreasonable after 12 years of dreaming. Still, I knew for sure that if I'd have the chance, I'd forget about that piece of advice and drive it. Sure enough I did on Monday night when a Riviera 997.2 GT3 owning friend did the unthinkable and offered me the best place in the world, the drivers' seat.

Finally the moment had come, would it live up to the towering expectations? My first impression is one of solid quality, it felt like a bank's vault. Extremely tight in every respect, the steering wheel doesn't know what 'slack' means, the gearshift makes your arm feel like it's part of the gearbox, the clutch gives the impression it could withstand Veyron-levels of torque. All seemed so well engineered, and that's before you've even got going. Once on the roll what impressed me most -apart from a 3.8 mad man behind you- was the steering, without having experienced it, one cannot comprehend how communicative it is. It seems to filter out 'noise' and leaves you with useful 'data', an absolute benchmark. It's direct but perfectly matched to the sharpness of the chassis. The throttle/engine combination deserves a crown, never have I experienced such a rev-hungry engine, the throttle pedal is beyond sensitive, every millimetre of travel makes a difference. The first time I tried to rev-match it on downshifts, I ended up 2.000rpm above my intented engine speed, such is the sensitivity of both pedal and engine. There might be more powerful engines on offer, but the combination of that crescendo howl and linear power delivery is -to me- worth more than all the turbocharged thrust in the world. The carbon bucket seat actually vibrates your spine when nearing the +8.000rpm limiter. Utter madness and utterly perfectly suited to this masterpiece. I could go on about high speed stability, brakes, suspension, ... but in the end, we all know that it's up there with the very best in all these departments.

I knew that too, but having experienced it first hand rather than having read about it as I did the past 12 years opened a whole new level of GT3 desirability. It more than delivered upon my unreasonable expectations, so much so that I'll probably end up doing unreasonable things to have such an engineering triumph in my garage one day. For now though, I'll do with saluting the owner for his trust in me, and allowing me to confirm my half-life-long dream. Thanks!

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