Feb 21, 2009 4:57:50 AM
- Pink Panther
- Pilot
- Loc: UK , United Kingdom
- Posts: 363, Gallery
- Registered on: Mar 4, 2005
Change from Gen 2 to Gen 1???
After a short stint with Aston Martin, I came back to the Porsche fold last October, jumping into a manual Gen 2 C2S Cab. Trouble is, it isn't living up to memories of my Gen 1 ownership experiences.
Yes, it's more powerful and more economical but neither of these factors are overly important to me.
The biggy for me is the loss of steering feel resulting from the revised steering geometry. They've done a great job of eliminating the nose bob present in previous 911's and making the car feel more planted at speed but at the expense of that nervous steering chatter that makes the 997.1 stand out above all other cars.
I've come to believe that too much competence in a road sports car can undermine the fun. The Gen.2 911 is a more competant car that will no doubt be faster on track. I just remember having more fun at slower speeds in the Gen.1 997. If you agree with me, the best ever 911 could be the 997.1 GT3 as they are sure to use the new steering revisions on the 997.2 GT3.
The second factor is the engine noise. The DFI 3.8 sounds soulless in comparison with the previous engine. No growl on startup, no burbles on tick over and an altogether different sound towards the red line. I'm sure the upcoming sports exhaust will help but will it be enough. Could this be why the 997.2 GT3 is not getting the DFI engine?
To summarise, I would say the 997.2 is more competent but bland in comparison with 997.1. Having never driven a 996 or 993, I am wondering if this has all been said before about previous evolutions in the 911?
I now find myself looking to change to a used gen 1 cab - am I just suffering from another urge to change yet again or is there sense in this madness?
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Paul - Caterham R400 Superlight / 997.2 C2S Cab