Trading a 996 Turbo for a GT3 Cup Car
I am considering selling my Turbo and buying a used GT3 Cup Car which I would then modify to be street legal. I would probably do this in about one year's time. I'm curious what people think of this idea.
I would take the Cup Car and install a stock GT3 engine (not much less power than the Cup engine with much better longevity and of course much cheaper). I would then raise the ride height a little, put in a hand brake, street lights, etc. With this I should be able to register it for the street here in Europe. I do not think it would take a lot of effort or money to do this.
The end result would be a car that could be driven on the street but obviously wouldn't be something you would ever want to drive to Spain or Istanbul. What I would really have would be a car that would be perfect for Nürburgring and for track-days in general. The car could also be driven locally provided I was willing to put up with a firm suspension and more difficult ingress (which I am).
Here is my reasoning:
1) We will likely loose our diplomatic plates in a year. Without the diplomatic plates it is going to be much harder to survive with the Turbo even here in Europe. One ticket above 200 km/h in many of these countries and I will loose my driving privileges. The situation is worse in the USA and England.
2) I've already done the long-distance cruising thing. I've already taken the Turbo to just about everywhere in Europe and beyond. If I ship the Turbo to the USA for a while (which I am likely to do) it will become even more true that I have used it to its fullest.
3) The Turbo is a valuable car and a depreciating asset. The longer I keep it the less it is going to be worth.
4) I worry about having to pay for maintenance on the Turbo once the warranty has expired. It is a very complex car and engine. If anything major goes it won't be cheap to fix.
But on the other hand,
1) The Cup car is an amazing machine perfectly set up for absolute speed in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. Even with a stock GT3 engine, the power is almost that of a Turbo but unlike a Turbo the power is immediate. The car is much lighter and more responsive. The car is also much safer with a proper race seat, harnesses and a factory installed full welded roll cage. in short, it is the better car for going uncompromisingly fast. http://content.eu.porsche.com/prod/cms/Vertrieb.nsf/gbrenglish/rennfahrzeugegt3cup
2) I would have the absolute ultimate driving street machine.
3) The prices on these cars can be quite cheap at the end of the season when the teams have done with them.
4) This car would likely *not* depreciate further. If anything, it would go up in price. Think of it as something that would be more limited than the limited production RS models and more wicked than any RS too. The car will surely become a very desirable item -- especially given that it is a car with street plates on it.
5) Provided I buy it before our posting ends I should be able to get it tax-free (most are owned by businesses and they would normally have to sell it to a private party plus VAT).
6) It would be relatively easy to put the car back into full racing trim should I decide I wanted to do historic racing in my old age or whatever.
7) This would be the perfect car to hone my driving skills further (I can only go so far with the relatively soft and heavy Turbo -- ultimately it is still just a street car).
8) I could never register the car in the USA but should be able to bring it in as a temporary one-year import or else as a dedicated track car.
9) This is a car that I could keep and use for a very long time -- maybe a lifetime.
Curious what people think? Do you think this is all totally nuts??
Anyone have any guesses as to what this would cost? I'm guessing that I could buy the car at the end of the season, get a used GT3 engine and make the necessary modifications for less than I could get for my Turbo.
S.
I would take the Cup Car and install a stock GT3 engine (not much less power than the Cup engine with much better longevity and of course much cheaper). I would then raise the ride height a little, put in a hand brake, street lights, etc. With this I should be able to register it for the street here in Europe. I do not think it would take a lot of effort or money to do this.
The end result would be a car that could be driven on the street but obviously wouldn't be something you would ever want to drive to Spain or Istanbul. What I would really have would be a car that would be perfect for Nürburgring and for track-days in general. The car could also be driven locally provided I was willing to put up with a firm suspension and more difficult ingress (which I am).
Here is my reasoning:
1) We will likely loose our diplomatic plates in a year. Without the diplomatic plates it is going to be much harder to survive with the Turbo even here in Europe. One ticket above 200 km/h in many of these countries and I will loose my driving privileges. The situation is worse in the USA and England.
2) I've already done the long-distance cruising thing. I've already taken the Turbo to just about everywhere in Europe and beyond. If I ship the Turbo to the USA for a while (which I am likely to do) it will become even more true that I have used it to its fullest.
3) The Turbo is a valuable car and a depreciating asset. The longer I keep it the less it is going to be worth.
4) I worry about having to pay for maintenance on the Turbo once the warranty has expired. It is a very complex car and engine. If anything major goes it won't be cheap to fix.
But on the other hand,
1) The Cup car is an amazing machine perfectly set up for absolute speed in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. Even with a stock GT3 engine, the power is almost that of a Turbo but unlike a Turbo the power is immediate. The car is much lighter and more responsive. The car is also much safer with a proper race seat, harnesses and a factory installed full welded roll cage. in short, it is the better car for going uncompromisingly fast. http://content.eu.porsche.com/prod/cms/Vertrieb.nsf/gbrenglish/rennfahrzeugegt3cup
2) I would have the absolute ultimate driving street machine.
3) The prices on these cars can be quite cheap at the end of the season when the teams have done with them.
4) This car would likely *not* depreciate further. If anything, it would go up in price. Think of it as something that would be more limited than the limited production RS models and more wicked than any RS too. The car will surely become a very desirable item -- especially given that it is a car with street plates on it.
5) Provided I buy it before our posting ends I should be able to get it tax-free (most are owned by businesses and they would normally have to sell it to a private party plus VAT).
6) It would be relatively easy to put the car back into full racing trim should I decide I wanted to do historic racing in my old age or whatever.
7) This would be the perfect car to hone my driving skills further (I can only go so far with the relatively soft and heavy Turbo -- ultimately it is still just a street car).
8) I could never register the car in the USA but should be able to bring it in as a temporary one-year import or else as a dedicated track car.
9) This is a car that I could keep and use for a very long time -- maybe a lifetime.
Curious what people think? Do you think this is all totally nuts??
Anyone have any guesses as to what this would cost? I'm guessing that I could buy the car at the end of the season, get a used GT3 engine and make the necessary modifications for less than I could get for my Turbo.
S.
